As race relations started to improve as a result of the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, more opportunities became available for African-Americans in the entertainment industry. One of the first television show to feature an African-American woman in a non-stereotypical role, Julia was a groundbreaking series in the history of television.

Julia, which debuted on NBC in 1968, starred actress and singer Diahann Carroll in the title role, alongside a relatively unknown Paul Winfield. She played widowed single mother, Julia Baker, who had recently lost her husband, a fighter pilot shot down in the Vietnam War. Struggling to raise her young son Corey, she relocated to California and found work as a nurse in a clinic located at Astrospace Industries. Dr. Chegley was her demanding but fair boss, co-worker Hannah Yarby became a loyal friend and she was soon putting a romantic eye on Paul Cameron (played by Winfield.) Meanwhile, her son was adjusting to their new location, having found a friend in Earl J. Waggerdorn. Later in the series, Julia would find a new love interest in a widower named Steve Bruce.

What made Julia such a groundbreaking show wasn’t the weekly situations she found herself in at work and at home. This was all relatively standard television fare. But, the fact that an African-American was portrayed, not as a servant but a working professional, and the fact that her single-mom status was portrayed in a positive way, as well as her relationships with various Caucasian co-workers and friends, was certainly something unique to the medium at the time.

Critics offered substantial praise for the show but network executives were still on edge as a result of the various social issues that were being tackled. Their worries were eased when the show became a hit, thanks in no small part to the talented cast, especially Diahann Carroll. Her relationship with her precocious son won the hearts of viewers across the country and the show eventually won her a Golden Globe Award in 1969. It also allowed Winfield to break into feature film roles, in movies such as Sounder, which earned him an Academy Award nomination in 1973. Besides her notable work on stage, Diahann Carroll would emerge again on television in later years, in shows such as Dynasty and A Different World. And all of this was made possible by the doors opened as a result of Julia, a show that changed perceptions and substantially increased the prominent roles available to African-American actors.