Posts Tagged ‘American Civil Rights Movement’
Neshoba: The Price of Freedom (Documentary Trailer)
February 29, 2016
“Neshoba: The Price of Freedom” tells the story of a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice, 40 years after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, an event dramatized in the Oscar-winning film, “Mississippi Burning.” Although Klansmen bragged about what they did in 1964, no one was held accountable until 2005, when the State indicted preacher Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old notorious racist and mastermind of the murders. Through exclusive interviews with Killen, intimate interviews with the victims’ families, and candid interviews with Black and White Neshoba County citizens still struggling with their town’s violent past, the film explores whether the prosecution of one unrepentant Klansman constitutes justice and whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth.
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Trailer, Videos | 
Tags: African American, American Civil Rights Movement, Andrew Goodman, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, conspiracy, cover up, Edgar Ray Killen, James Chaney, Klansmen, Ku Klux Klan, Michael Schwerner, Mississippi, Mississippi Burning, MURDER, Neshoba County, Neshoba: The Price of Freedom, race relations, Racism, reconciliation, The Price of Freedom | 
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PBS: Freedom Riders (Documentary)
February 28, 2016
Wow. Another moment in American History that just so happens to fall into the Black History category. You know how when someone gets in over his head and exclaims, “I did not sign up for this!” Well, in the first few minutes of this film you see that these young adults knew EXACTLY what they signed up for… and they went anyway. Civil Rights fighters of the highest caliber. Man, the courage it must have taken for CORE (Council On Racial Equality) to get on those buses.
Watch the story of the “Freedom Riders” – expertly told by PBS.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Television, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, C.O.R.E., Civil Rights, CORE, Council On Racial Equality, Freedom Riders, John Lewis, PBS | No Comments »
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (Documentary Series)
February 27, 2016
Five centuries of history… Black History… our history. Encapsulated in an outstanding documentary mini-series you’ve gotta watch if your Black History Month is to be truly complete. Dr. Robert Louis Gates already does fine work helping celebs learn about their ancestries and themselves on “Find Your Roots.” But to teach a people, a nation, a WORLD about itself through something like this? Outstanding!
(Above is Episode 1 to get you started. Hit the jump for Episodes 2-6.)
Posted in Activism, Education, History, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: African Americans, American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Many Rivers to Cross, PBS, Public Television, Robert Louis Gates, The African Americans, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross | No Comments »
4 Little Girls: Spike Lee Speaks On The Heart-Wrenching Decision He Had To Make (Video)
February 26, 2016
Another must-see before the focus on Black History for 2016 is lost…“4 Black Girls” (a real gut punch; but you still MUST watch). It will be hard to watch. Let Spike tell you (as he tells Oprah, above): It was hard to make.
In 1997, Spike Lee released “4 Little Girls,” a moving documentary about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four African-American girls. The film went on to earn an Oscar nomination for best documentary. Watch as Spike discusses one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever made as a director and how the birth of his daughter, Satchel, changed his perspective.
You can see a trailer for the actual documentary here.
Posted in Activism, Education, History, Interview, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: 16th Street Baptist Church, 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, 4 Little Girls, American Civil Rights Movement, Birmingham, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN, Spike Lee on a Pivotal Moment in the Civil Rights Movement | No Comments »
The Murder of Fred Hampton (Documentary Trailer)
February 26, 2016
‘All Power To The People’ as a concept should not scare us. Fred Hampton’s stance in the above trailer comes through just as plain and clear on grainy archival footage as it would were he standing flat-footed saying it to our faces today: ‘If you are scared of socialism…you are scared of yourselves.’Â How deep is that?!
This trailer was made before Fred Hampton’s death when the film was to be called “Black Panther.” It shows Hampton (August 30, 1948 — December 4, 1969) giving a speech on revolution and racism in front of a large audience. Includes glimpses of Panthers Bobby Rush and Bobby Seale and filmmaker Howard Alk. This trailer is not included in the DVD release of the film.
– Chicago Film Archives
Black History is OUR history, all of ours (not just Black people’s). You should watch this; even after February 29th.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Speech, Trailer, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, Black Panther, Black Panthers, Bobby Seale, Chicago Film Archives, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Fred Hampton, The Murder of Fred Hampton | No Comments »
Nine From Little Rock (Documentary)
February 25, 2016
“Nine From Little Rock” is the Academy Award-winning (1965) documentary short that chronicles the experiences of the nine students selected to integrate Central High School in Little Rock (Arkansas, USA) in 1957. One of those nine students, Jefferson Thomas is the narrator. Famed doc director Charles Guggenheim helmed the storytelling effort. Though scripted, Thomas’ polish does not prevent viewers from understanding the realness of what the nine – Ernest Green (b. 1941), Elizabeth Eckford (b. 1941), Terrence Roberts (b. 1941), Carlotta Walls LaNier (b. 1942), Minnijean Brown (b. 1941), Gloria Ray Karlmark (b. 1942), Thelma Mothershed (b. 1940), and Melba Pattillo Beals (b. 1941), and Thomas himself (1942–2010, RIP) – went through.
Sure, first days at school can make you nervous. But how about riding there and being walked in by armed military escort; being eyeballed by the overly curious and malicious haters alike. Then imagine the pressure to perform! Folks already thinking you should not be there; expecting you to fail!
Watch. Make your Black History Month OFFICIAL!
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Videos | Tags: Academy Award, American Civil Rights Movement, Arkansas, black history, Black History Month, Bobby Seale, Central High School, Charles Guggenheim, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Documentary Short Subject, Integrate, Jefferson Thomas, Little Rock, Nine From Little Rock, Short Subject | No Comments »
The Black Power Mixtape (1967-1975) [Trailer]
February 24, 2016
Another must-see for your Black History Month experience: “The Black Power Mixtape” (1967-1975). That’s right man. We wouldn’t lead you wrong. A mixtape, before we really recognized the term for the most part, of powerful stuff on the Civil Rights Era struggle. Peep the trailer above ( rent/buy link below), teasing footage of Black Pathers co-founder Bobby Seale, reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., activist Angela Davis, and others; with commentary from contemporaries (like Talib Kweli).
The Black Power Mixtape is an award winning compilation feature documentary that displays the story of the African-American community 1967-1975, the people, the society and the style that fueled a change. Told with sparkling, beautiful and deep footage, lost in the archives in Sweden for 30 years.
WATCH THE FULL FILM NOW: THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE (IFC FILMS)
Posted in Activism, Film, Hip-Hop, History, Trailer, Travel, Videos | Tags: 1967-1975, African American, American Civil Rights Movement, Angela Davis, black history, Black History Month, Bobby Seale, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Goran Hugo Olsson, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr., Sweden, TALIB KWELI, The Black Power Mixtape, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 | No Comments »
Eyes on the Prize Parts 1 & 2 (Documentary Series)
February 23, 2016
Not to say that any print, audio, or audio-visual work is the end-all of what Black History Month should be… But if you have not watched the PBS American Experience documentary “Eyes On The Prize,” you have NOT had Black History Month! Above, you have your chance: Part 1 (“Awakenings”) and Part 2 (“Fighting Back”) are ready for your viewing and enrichment. Arguably, the best series on the decades-long American Civil Rights Movement. Filmmaker Henry Hampton and PBS have, no doubt, taken tremendous pride in bringing this presentation to the masses over the years.
Watch. Now.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, american experience, Assassination, Awakenings, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Fighting Back, Henry Hampton, March, marches, PBS, PBS American Experience, Protest, Protests, Public Television, rallies | No Comments »
