Black History

This four-part series is a compelling combination of storytelling and science—which takes Alex Haley's Roots saga to a whole new level. Henry Louis Gates Jr. director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, guides a group of guests through eye-opening revelations of ancestry and inheritance. Drawing on genealogy, oral history, and DNA analysis to trace lineages through American history and back to Africa, the series profiles some of the most highly accomplished African-Americans of our time, including Whoopi Goldberg, Bishop T. D. Jakes, Quincy Jones, Dr. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Chris Tucker, and Oprah Winfrey.
2005, Distributed by PBS Distribution. 4-part series, 54 minutes each.

The first African-American Lives series revealed the power that comes from discovering one’s family history. In this second four-part series, Henry Louis Gates Jr. guides a new group of guests through poignant, eye-opening revelations of ancestry and inheritance. Drawing on DNA analysis, genealogical research, and family oral tradition, Professor Gates ushers Maya Angelou, Morgan Freeman, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Tina Turner, and others into the distant past, then reconnects it to the present. In doing so, he helps viewers tap into rich veins of U.S. history while highlighting its profound connection with Africa.
2008. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 4-part series, 54 minutes each.

Written and presented by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., director of W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, this six-hour series explores the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed -- forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds. Commencing with the origins of slavery in Africa, the series moves through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to the present -- when America is led by a black president, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race. By highlighting the tragedies, triumphs and contradictions of the black experience, the series reveals to viewers that the African-American community has never been a uniform entity, and that its members have been actively debating their differences from their first days in this country. Throughout the course of the series, viewers will see that the road to freedom for black people in America has not been linear, but more like the course of a river, full of loops and eddies, slowing, and occasionally reversing the current of progress.
2013, PBS. 6 videos, 56 minutes each.

In 1791 alone, Benjamin Banneker completed the survey of Washington, DC, published his first almanac, and confronted one of the nation’s founders, Thomas Jefferson, about his doctrine of Black inferiority. This program from Tony Brown's Journal looks at Banneker's life and legacy.
2002, Tony Brown Productions. 25 minutes.

This series looks at the last five decades of African American history through the eyes of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., exploring the tremendous gains and persistent challenges of these years. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, scholarly analysis and rare archival footage, the series illuminates our recent past, while raising urgent questions about the future of the African American community—and our nation as a whole.
2016, PBS. 4 videos, 55 minutes each.

If prevalent and accepted accounts of American history—both scholarly and those portrayed by Hollywood—are to be believed, the face of the U.S. armed services has always been white. For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots finally, and for the first time, sets the record straight with an all-star cast who read from a collection of letters, diaries, speeches, and military records that document and acknowledge the sacrifices and accomplishments of African-Americans across four centuries of warfare. This acclaimed series has generated intense support from scholars, students, and parents and has been endorsed by all of the major African-American veterans groups and civil rights organizations as well as by prominent senators and congressional representatives. A viewable/printable episode guide is available online.
2010, Eleventh Day Entertainment. 6-part series, 45–131 minutes each.

This acclaimed series has generated intense support from scholars, students, and parents and has been endorsed by all of the major African-American veterans groups and civil rights organizations as well as by prominent senators and congressional representatives. A viewable/printable episode guide is available online.
2010, Eleventh Day Entertainment. 6-part series, 45–131 minutes each.

This six-part series introduces students to six of America’s most highly acclaimed contemporary writers: Charles Johnson, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman, and August Wilson. With works ranging from plays to poetry to essays, short stories, and novels, the works of these multi-award-winning authors has helped to define the 21st century literary canon. 1982,California Newsreel. 6 parts, 22–31 minutes each.

This series looks at the many struggles that led to the creation of the NAACP.
1984, Tony Brown Productions. Four 30 min. videos.