Did Black workers build the Brooklyn Bridge?

Here is an UNPUBLISHED photo from the 1870s bridge’s construction:

Notice the Black man in the bottom left of the photo, dressed like all the other workers?

Here is an PUBLISHED version of the same photo:

What stories are preserved by "history?"

What stories are erased?

THE RO^E_BLINGS is a new musical set in 1870s New York during the construction of what is now known as the Brooklyn Bridge. It tells the story of a Black family named Robeling who moves to Brooklyn in search of economic opportunity the building of the Bridge promises, alongside the story of the famous white family named Roebling tasked with building it.

THE RO^E_BLINGS is an anthemic new musical that addresses these questions in provocatively gripping and unexpected ways. Set in 1870s New York City, the show follows the monumental construction of the Brooklyn Bridge through the perspectives of two families with the same name: the ambitious Black Robeling family seeking the economic opportunity the bridge promises, and the celebrated white Roebling family tasked with building it.