The scene opens in 1997 in the office of Bedford Hills Redevelopment, Inc. Mame Wilks enters and surveys the space. Her husband, Harmond Wilks, arrives with his arms full of boxes. Mame criticizes the office, saying it’s far from what he described, and suggests he sell it, as it’s unsuitable for a campaign headquarters. Harmond, who is planning to run for mayor of Pittsburgh, has deliberately chosen this space in the Hill District, where he grew up. If elected, he would be the first Black mayor of Pittsburgh. His campaign centers on revitalizing the Hill District, renaming it Bedford Hills. Mame thinks the office should be in a different area. She points out that the Hill has only 3,500 residents, and it’s hard to get them to vote. Harmond defends the symbolic importance of the Hill to his campaign: “Politics is about symbolism. Black people don’t vote but they have symbolic weight” (8).

Roosevelt Hicks, Harmond’s friend and business partner, enters with a rendering of their redevelopment project of the Hill District. The plan, still pending approval from the city, includes stores such as Starbucks and Whole Foods, apartments, and other structures.