Black History Month Research Guide: Videos

Based on the true story of Solomon Northup. It is 1841, and Northup, an accomplished, free citizen of New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Stripped of his identity and deprived of all dignity, Northup is ultimately purchased by ruthless plantation owner Edwin Epps and must find the strength within to survive. Filled with powerful performances by an astonishing cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, and newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave is both an unflinching account of slavery in American history and a celebration of the indomitable power of hope.

Based on the novel by Ernest J. Gaines, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman depicts the struggles of African Americans as seen through the eyes of the narrator. She tells of the major events of her life from the time she was a young slave girl in the American South at the end of the Civil War to the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Punk before punk existed, three teenage brothers formed a band in the early 1970s in their spare bedroom. Equal parts rockumentary and family love story, this film chronicles the journey of what happened almost three decades later, when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of the attic and found an audience several generations younger. Death is now being credited as the first black punk band, and are finally receiving their long overdue recognition as true rock pioneers.

Follows the man behind the beloved children's icon, Elmo, examining the life of puppeteer Kevin Clash. Provides behind-the-scenes views of Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop and featuring interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O'Donnell, Cheryl Henson, and Joan Ganz Cooney.

Focuses on Bessie Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into 'The Empress of the Blues', who became one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s and is an enduring icon today.

Ken Burns' Emmy Award-winning documentary brings to life America's most destructive and defining conflict. The Civil War is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one.

First released in 1915, D.W. Griffith's Birth of a nation ignited worldwide controversy with its graphic depictions of racism and white supremacy in the post-Civil War South. Nearly 100 years later, Paul D. Miller also known as conceptual artist/musician/writer DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, creates a daring 'remix' of Griffith's epic to expose the film's true meaning and relates it to the socio-political conflicts of America today.

Chronicling the riveting history and personal experiences, at once liberating and challenging, harrowing and inspiring, deeply revealing and profoundly transforming, of African Americans on the road from the advent of the automobile through the seismic changes of the 1960s and beyond, it explores the deep background of a recent phrase rooted in realities that have been an indelible part of the African American experience for hundreds of years.

This film presents historical reenactments of African American lives during the antebellum period in the United States, and portrays slaves rendering both military and non-combat service in the Civil War. It also depicts the skills of African Americans as artisans, craftsmen, and inventors making contributions to the early settlement and development of the country.

Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, the movie tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.

Profiles Kehinde Wiley, an African American painter based in New York known for his vibrant large-scale portraits of African Americans.

Kentucky’s Underground Railroad—Passage to Freedom illustrates the influence of Kentucky geography, history, economy, politics, and culture in the context of a much larger social, political and moral struggle in American history. By hearing interviews with real people telling their family stories, viewers realize that history lessons are not always found in books. They will also realize the importance of corroboration when history was not recorded and activities were conducted secretly.

Based on Matt Ruff's novel, this series follows Korean war vet Atticus Freeman, his friend Letitia and his Uncle George on a journey across 1950's Jim Crow America where they face racist terrors and the terrifying monsters of an H.P. Lovecraft paperback.

creen version of the life of Malcolm X, who through his religious conversion to Islam, found the strength to rise up from a criminal past to become an influential civil rights leader.

About a young Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career defining cases.

Prince Among Slaves tells the story of Abdul Rahman, trilingual, a military general and heir to a West African nation the size of Great Britain, who did not return to Africa for 40 years. In that time, he toiled on Foster's plantation. He married a fellow slave, Isabella, and they had nine children. Gradually, he also became the most famous African in America, attracting the support of President John Quincy Adams and Secretary of State Henry Clay. Throughout a life of Shakespearean dimensions, Abdul Rahman maintained his dignity and hope for the freedom of his people.

An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots", chronicling the history of an African man sold to slavery in America, and his descendants. one word series title. The gripping story is told through four generations, from the capture of Kunta Kinte in Africa to his transport to Colonial America in brutal conditions through successive generations fighting to win their freedom in the Civil War.

A self-absorbed Black American fashion model on a photo shoot in Africa is spiritually transported back to a plantation in the West Indies where she experiences first-hand the physical and psychic horrors of chattel slavery, and eventually the redemptive power of community and rebellion as she becomes a member of a freedom-seeking Maroon colony.

This series documents the history of American slavery from its beginnings in the British colonies to its end in the Southern states, and through the years of Reconstruction. The series examines the integral role slavery played in shaping the new country's development, challenging the long held notion that it was exclusively a Southern enterprise. Through remarkable stories, Slavery and the Making of America offers fresh perspectives on the slave experience and testifies to the active role that Africans and African Americans took in surviving their bondage and shaping their own lives.

Challenges one of America's most cherished assumptions, the belief that slavery in the United States ended with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, by telling the harrowing story of how, in the South, a new system of involuntary servitude took its place with shocking force.

Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. A misstep takes him from New York City to The Great Before, a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities before going to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human life. As Joe tries to show 22 what's great about life, he may discover the answers to the most important questions.

On June 4, 1844, John W. Jones and four of his companions headed north. They were fugitive slaves who escaped bondage in Leesburg, Virginia. 300 Miles to Freedom chronicles John W Jones' journey to freedom on the Underground Railroad and his remarkable life as a free man in Elmira, New York. When John arrived in Elmira, he was a twenty-seven-year-old illiterate with $1.46 in his pocket. He died in 1900, a wealthy, literate, respected member of the community. The filmmakers traveled Jones' route to freedom, and tell his story through the voices they meet along the way -- historians, ferryboat captains, ministers, farmers and gas station owners. 300 Miles to Freedom celebrates the courage and tenacity of fugitive slaves like John W Jones. The film also celebrates those who quietly stood up to injustice by helping slaves escape on the Underground Railroad and by fighting for their freedom through the Abolitionist Movement.

From 1860 to 1920 hundreds of US counties expelled all of their African American inhabitants. "Banished" visits three of these still all white towns today. Meanwhile the descendants of those displaced and disinherited seek redress. Banished vividly recovers the too-quickly forgotten history of racial cleansing in America when thousands of African Americans were driven from their homes and communities by violent, racist mobs. The film places these events in the context of present day race relations by following three concrete cases where black and white citizens warily explore if there is common ground for reconciliation over these expulsions.

A lively and illuminating documentary that explores the double-edged sword of racial and gender oppression that Black women face in America. Frustrated by the lack of intersectionality in the women’s movement and the misogyny plaguing the Black liberation movement, filmmaker Zanah Thirus set out to shine a light on the complexities and power of Black feminism. Featuring interviews with a wide range of scholars, writers, business owners, veterans and comedians, the film lays bare the everyday lived experiences of Black Women everywhere.

The final film by filmmaker Marlon Riggs, BLACK IS…BLACK AIN'T, jumps into the middle of explosive debates over Black identity. White Americans have always stereotyped African Americans. But the rigid definitions of "Blackness" that African Americans impose on each other, Riggs claims, have also been devastating. Is there an essential Black identity? Is there a litmus test defining the real Black man and true Black woman?

While BLACK IS…BLACK AIN'T, rejoices in Black diversity, many speakers bare their pain at having been silenced or excluded because they were perceived as "not Black enough" or conversely "too Black." The film marshals a powerful critique of sexism, patriarchy, homophobia, colorism and cultural nationalism in the Black family, church and other Black institutions. Winner of the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival. Official Selection at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

Agnès Varda turns her camera on an Oakland demonstration against the imprisonment of activist and Black Panthers cofounder Huey P. Newton. In addition to evincing Varda’s fascination with her adopted surroundings and her empathy, this perceptive short is also a powerful political statement.

In this award-winning PBS documentary, archival footage and photographs are skillfully juxtaposed with interviews with editors, photographers and reporters from African-American newspapers, who toiled on the front lines to give voice to a culture disenfranchised by white media. Stanley Nelson's film sheds light on the courageous progenitors of the black press in America and examines the historic contributions and long-lasting legacy these papers have had on our society.

The story of how the death of Muhammad Ali brought the people of his Kentucky hometown - and the world - together for one unforgettable week.

In this documentary, Marlon Riggs carries his landmark studies of prejudice into the Television Age. COLOR ADJUSTMENT traces 40 years of race relations through the lens of prime time entertainment, scrutinizing television's racial myths and stereotypes. Narrated by Ruby Dee, COLOR ADJUSTMENT allows viewers to revisit some of television's most popular stars and shows, among them Amos and Andy, The Nat King Cole Show, I Spy, Julia, Good Times, Roots, Frank's Place and The Cosby Show. But this time around, Riggs asks us to look at these familiar favorites in a new way. The result is a stunning examination of the interplay between America's racial consciousness and network primetime programming.

Outstanding Achievement Award, International Documentary Association. Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival.

This documentary examines the rise, demise, and contested resurgence of the City of Detroit through the lens of African-American mail carrier, Wendell Watkins, and the committed community he faithfully served for thirty years. We take a journey with Wendell along his route, which winds through the center of what was, once upon a time, a vital and thriving city. We listen in on his conversations with his customers – the resilient Detroiters who share stories of resistance: pushing back against racial segregation in housing; challenging industrial and political disinvestment; and living on reduced pensions as a result of the 2014 municipal bankruptcy. Our characters share stories of hope and propose creative ways to re-imagine an inclusive, productive, equitable and re-invigorated city.

This powerful documentary is a moving tribute to legendary black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992). One of the most celebrated icons of feminism's second wave, Lorde inspired several generations of activists with her riveting poetry, serving as a catalyst for change and uniting the communities of which she was a part: black arts and black liberation, women's liberation and lesbian and gay liberation. Nowhere was this more apparent than the groundbreaking I AM YOUR SISTER CONFERENCE which brought together 1200 activists from 23 countries, including thrilling footage of the inimitable Lorde herself, and candid interviews with conference organizers. THE EDGE OF EACH OTHER'S BATTLES powerfully brings Lorde's legacy of poetry and politics to life and conveys the spirit, passion and intensity that remains her trademark.

Ethnic notions is Marlon Riggs' Emmy-winning documentary that takes viewers on a disturbing voyage through American history, tracing for the first time the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice. Through these images we can begin to understand the evolution of racial consciousness in America. Loyal Toms, carefree Sambos, faithful Mammies, grinning Coons, savage Brutes, and wide-eyed Pickaninnies roll across the screen in cartoons, feature films, popular songs, minstrel shows, advertisements, folklore, household artifacts, even children's rhymes. These dehumanizing caricatures permeated popular culture from the 1820s to the Civil Rights period and implanted themselves deep in the American psyche. Narration by Esther Rolle and commentary by respected scholars shed light on the origins and devastating consequences of this 150 yearlong parade of bigotry. Ethnic Notions situates each stereotype historically in white society's shifting needs to justify racist oppression from slavery to the present day.

EYES ON THE PRIZE recounts the fight to end decades of discrimination and segregation. It is the story of the people -- young and old, male and female, northern and southern -- who, compelled by a meeting of conscience and circumstance, worked to eradicate a world where whites and blacks could not go to the same school, ride the same bus, vote in the same election, or participate equally in society. It was a world in which peaceful demonstrators were met with resistance and brutality -- in short, a reality that is now nearly incomprehensible to many young Americans. Through contemporary interviews and historical footage, EYES ON THE PRIZE traces the civil rights movement from the Montgomery bus boycott to the Voting Rights Act; from early acts of individual courage through the flowering of a mass movement and its eventual split into factions. Julian Bond, political leader and civil rights activist, narrates.

This documentary sheds valuable light on all aspects of Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun, including the daunting challenge of securing investment and a venue for this production about a working class Black family, the casting process, artistic debates and finally its public reception. The film features interviews with the play’s original cast members, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Glynn Turman, director Lloyd Richards, producer Phil Rose, supporter Harry Belafonte as well as writer Amiri Baraka along with excerpts from the 1961 Hollywood movie.

This is the poignant story of two women who discover they share two halves of a common past in the painful lineage of slave and slave holder. Carmelita Robertson, a black graduate student who worked at a museum of natural history and her co-worker, Dr. Ruth Holmes Whitehead, a white ethnologist, met for a professional lunch. First they discovered their joint interest in genealogy, then their roots in South Carolina, and then, to their dismay, a strange common thread. Almost certainly, one of Ruth's ancestors owned one of Carmelita's as a slave. As a result of this discovery, the pair decide to travel to South Carolina to unravel their linked heritage. We witness their journey through pain, resentment, embarrassment and ultimately acceptance, as each woman, in her own way, comes to terms with their shared history. A landmark film for African-American studies, women s history, and Southern history.

A look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to manhood is guided by the kindness, support and love of the community that helps raise him.

Nat Turner's slave rebellion is a watershed event in America's long and troubled history of slavery and racial conflict. This program deftly weaves academic commentary with dramatizations to examine that violent confrontation and the multiple, conflicting ways its story has been told. The earliest source of Turner imagery, The Confessions of Nat Turner, was based on jail cell interviews by a white lawyer and was the first to raise the question that continued to be asked for the next two centuries: Was Nat Turner a brilliant religious leader or a deluded fanatic leading slaves to their doom? With Henry Louis Gates Jr., Vincent Harding, Alvin Poussaint, Ossie Davis, and others. Some content may be objectionable. (60 minutes) A streaming videorecording.

This series challenges one of our most fundamental beliefs: that humans come divided into a few distinct biological groups, telling an eye-opening tale of how what we assume to be normal, commonsense, even scientific, is actually shaped by our history, social institutions and cultural beliefs.

The story of segregation and the brilliant legal campaign against it which helped to launch the Civil Rights movement. Also a moving and long-overdue tribute to a daring but little known Black lawyer, Charles Hamilton Houston - "the man who killed Jim Crow". Charles Houston, Dean of Howard University Law School, realized that an attack on the legal basis of segregated education would undermine Jim Crow. In a taut constitutional detective story, the video untangles the cases that led to the landmark 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Finally, the video revisits the "New South" of integrated schools and black elected officials. Though much has changed, America still has far to go along the road to equality and social justice

In the feature documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, filmmaker Katrina Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine cousins retrace the Triangle Trade and gain powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide.