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The increased focus on Black life in America has made it plainly obvious that Black life and history need to be taught in much more meaningful ways in schools and in public spaces.
I’m going to make a thread of videos about Black life and history in America. Shout out to @CraigSJ for bringing up Eyes on the Prize. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a good place to start. https://www.facinghistory.org/books-borrowing/eyes-prize-americas-civil-rights-movement
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/video/
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. Available for streaming on several sites.
The Heritage Of Slavery from 1968. A must-watch, especially for the wonderful appearance by Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer.
Prince Among Slaves. The true story of Prince Abdul-Rahman, stolen from West Africa and his journey to secure his freedom and freedom for his family.
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown. The title is self-explanatory and you can’t talk about Black life in America without talking about Motown.
Wattstax. The story of the 1972 concert at the LA Coliseum by Stax Records.
Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Malcolm X 1972 documentary.
Freedom Summer. Covers the 1964 summer in Mississippi, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and the voter registration work coordinated by SNCC, CORE, and COFO in Mississippi.
What Happened, Miss Simone? Documentary about the illustrious, Nina Simone. https://www.netflix.com/title/70308063?s=i&trkid=13747225
Salute. Covers the 1968 Mexico Olympics and how the plan was made and culminated in the well-known Black Power salute by Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Australian Peter Norman. https://watch.amazon.com/detail?asin=B07VVMGBPG&territory=US&ref_=share_ios_movie&r=web
The Two Killings of Sam Cooke. https://www.netflix.com/title/80191045?s=i&trkid=13747225
The Black Godfather. Documentary about Clarence Avant. https://www.netflix.com/title/80173387?s=i&trkid=13747225
Jimi Hendrix. From 1973.
Amazing Grace. Film about Aretha Franklin’s 1972 concert at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts.
Another documentary.
Spies Of Mississippi: “The film tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain ‘the Mississippi way of life,’ white supremacy, during the 1950s and ‘60s.” https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/spies-of-mississippi/
Spies Of Mississippi: “The film tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain ‘the Mississippi way of life,’ white supremacy, during the 1950s and ‘60s.” https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/spies-of-mississippi/
The white supremacists that openly controlled Mississippi used militarized police forces, staffed by many Klansmen, to resist the Freedom Summer efforts in 1964. Domestic terrorism and police brutality is a multigenrational reality for Black people.
Shout out to @JMitchellNews for all of the incredible investigative reporting he has done. His work has helped put some Klansmen in prison for different acts of terrorism and murder, acts they were able to get away with for decades.
A Band Called Death. A documentary about Death, three brothers who formed a punk band in Detroit. Some consider them to be the first punk band on record.
Stone Ghosts: A Journey Through The Confederate South, From Charlottesville to Selma (2018 from @MSNBC)
“I think that all of it has been given back to me. That I’m free.” — Alice Coltrane in 1970. Thanks to @LesleyJean for sharing this. https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2012.79.1.16.1a
Fantastic documentary about Crispus Attucks High School, right here in Indianapolis, Indiana. https://www.wfyi.org/programs/attucks
“Fannie Lou Hamer: Stand Up” presented by Mississippi Public Broadcasting @MPBOnline
“The Fight for a Right” chronicles the fight to secure the vote for African Americans in Mississippi in 1964. Presented by Mississippi Public Broadcasting @MPBOnline
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand (1999, documentary)
