African-American History

AMISTAD (30095 plus)
1997, Color, 155 minutes, Rated R. 
Starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, and Nigel Hawthorne.
Depicting the real-life events that followed the 1839 insurrection aboard the slave ship Amistad.

AN AMAZING GRACE (SV10326)
1978, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR.
Documentary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and role in the events that surrounded the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s.

BLACK HISTORY: LOST, STOLEN, OR STRAYED (SV11550)
1968, Color and B&W, 60 minutes, Rated G. 
Narrated by Bill Cosby.
Program examines the role historians played in distorting the social perceptions of blacks in America.

BLACK LIKE ME (SV10330)
1964, B&W, 107 minutes, NR. 
Starring James Whitmore, Will Greer, Roscoe Lee Browne, Clifton James, and Sorrell Booke.
Based on a true story and best-selling account by John Howard Griffin, this film tells of the virulent racism plaguing America in the 1960s.  This controversial drama is about a white magazine reporter who changes the color of his skin and moves to a series of small southern towns so he can experience life as a black man.

BUFFALO SOLDIERS (SV26026/SV25531/26027)
1997, Color, 95 minutes, NR. 
Starring Danny Glover, Lamont Bentley, Tom Bower, and Timothy Busfield.
An all-black horse cavalry squad hunts an Apache warrior who menaces settlers in the New Mexico territory in the turbulent times following the Civil War.  A fictitious, made-for-cable story based on historical fact.  This film depicts the moral dilemma, honor, bravery and pride of the Buffalo Soldiers, African-American cavalrymen who helped secure the American West.

EYES ON THE PRIZE
Documentary, six-part series.  Eyes on the Prize is the most comprehensive documentary on the American Civil Rights struggle from 1954 to 1965.

1. AWAKENINGS (1954-1956) (SV5174)
1987, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR.
From grass-roots protests to Supreme Court victories this video tells the stories that launched the modern fight for civil rights.  It takes us through the legal basis for segregation and inequality.  Covering the murder of Emmett Till, the courage of Rosa Parks, the growing Black Rights Movement, and the formation of the Southern Leadership Conference and the introduction of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. FIGHTING BACK (1957-1962) (SV5175)
1987, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR.
In the years that followed the first victories of the Civil Rights Movement, many would try to stop the tide of change, using local laws and state troops to block integration.  From the schoolhouse to the White House, the confrontation between state and federal government marked an escalation from which there was no turning black.  Emphasizes the critical 1954 Supreme Court Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

3. AIN’T SCARED OF YOUR JAILS (1960-1961) (SV5176)
1987, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR.
As the movement’s front lines moved from the courts to confrontations in daily life, college students led the way.  This video follows the effort to integrate society beyond the campus.  This program zeroes in on four related stories:  the lunch counter sit-ins of 1960; the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC; the impact of the movement on the 1960 presidential campaign; and the freedom rides of 1961.  Considerable attention is given to the Federal vs. States’ Rights Issue that was prominent during the period.

4.  NO EASY WALK (1962-1966) (SV5177)
1987, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR.
This program places the issue of civil rights into a broad historical context, describing the growing commitment of activists to nonviolent tactics.  This video captures a time when many people chose sides in the struggle and paid the highest price.  The civil rights struggle became a “mass movement” during this period.  Federal policy shifted in response to the marches and demonstrations.  This program highlights the involvement of the federal government and various political tactics utilized.

5.  MISSISSIPPI: IS THIS AMERICA? (1962-1964)(SV5178)
1987, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR.
Central to the Civil Rights Movement was the fight for the right to vote.  This video chronicles the voting rights efforts of activists like the NAACP’s Medgar Evers, and the pivotal Freedom Summer of 1964.  And it captures the signs of hope – support from the White House and the signing of the Civil Rights Bill – that planted the seeds of political reform.  Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, Robert Moses, Fannie Lou Hamer, and others are featured.  Profiles of the NAACP, SCLC, SNCC and COFO are provided.  The role of Northern whites and their participation in the Freedom Summer of 1964 is also highlighted.
 

6.  BRIDGE TO FREEDOM (1965) (SV5179)

1987, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR.
After ten years of effort, what had changed?  From Selma to Montgomery, this program captures some of the movement’s most crucial protests, and follows the fight for voting rights to the highest corridors of power.  Climaxing with the signing of the Voting Rights Act, the program celebrates the promise that the movement made famous:  “We Shall Overcome.”  The various strategies employed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the SCLC are seen in the nonviolent street protests utilized to generate nationwide sympathy and federal intervention.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS (SV11318)
1983, Rated G. 
Starring Robert Hooks.
This story examines his life and the significant contributions this outstanding African-American made toward the abolition of slavery in America.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS (BLACK AMERICANS OF ACHIEVEMENT) (SV11826)
1992, Color, 30 minutes, NR.
This video biography contains interviews with leading authorities on Douglass' life, accompanied by fascinating archival footage, photographs, and period music.  Viewers will enjoy learning about this outstanding African-American and his accomplishments.

FREEDOM SONG (30723)
2000, Color, 117 minutes, NR. 
Starring Danny Glover, Vondie Curtis Hall, Loretta Devine and Vicellous Shannon.
The story of the Civil-Rights Movement as seen through the eyes of a teenage Owen Walker growing up in bigotry laden Mississippi in the 1960s at a time when Jim Crow segregation laws were legal.  Based on accounts of actual Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee members.

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER (SV11827)
1992, Color, 30 minutes, NR.
This video biography contains interviews with leading authorities on Carver's life, accompanied by fascinating archival footage, photographs, and period music.  Viewers will enjoy learning about this outstanding African-American and his accomplishments.

THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR (SV10700)
1984, Color, 116 minutes, NR. 
Starring Howard Rollins, Jr., Moses Gunn and Shavar Ross.
This eerie ghost story with a twist reaches back to the days of slavery and the Underground Railroad.  Spooky antics begin when a modern-day black family moves into a historic old house that seems to be haunted by murdered abolitionist Dies Drear.

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS (SV18599)
1978, Color, 96 minutes, Rated PG. 
Starring Ruby Dee, Esther Rolle, and Diahann Carroll.
Based on the best-selling autobiography by the extraordinary Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is adapted with genuine, loving care and moving performances by an all-star cast.

IN REMEMBRANCE OF MARTIN (SV5170)
1986, B&W and Color, 60 minutes, NR. 
Corretta Scott King, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Julian Bond, Former President Jimmy Carter, Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Jesse Jackson, Senator Edward Kennedy, John Lewis, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Andrew Young join together to provide a remarkable documentary honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dramatic archival footage traces King’s leadership in the Civil Rights Movement.  The powerful and moving “I Have a Dream” address is documented in this program.  Also included is King’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; the violence that marked the March 7th Bloody Sunday in 1965; and King’s speeches against the Vietnam War.

THE JOURNEY OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN ATHLETE (25249)
1996, Color, 119 minutes, NR.
The African American athlete is today a much-loved hero in American sports.  In fields as diverse as tennis, football, baseball, track and more, the men and women who led the way, and those who followed, have become icons the world over.  Featuring:  Boxing:  Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali; Basketball:  Harlem Globe Trotters, Dr. J., and Michael Jordan; Tennis:  Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe; Baseball:  Negro Leagues and Jackie Robinson; and Olympics:  Jesse Owens and Tommie Smith.

A LESSON BEFORE DYING (29149)
1999, Color, 101 minutes, Rated PG-13. 
Starring Don Cheadle, Cicely Tyson, Mekhi Phifer, and Irma Hall.
A tale of a black man in the 1940’s South who is wrongly accused of killing a white man.  Based on the novel by Ernest J. Gaines.

THE LORETTA CLAIBORN STORY (32736 plus)
2000, Color, 90 minutes, Rated PG. 
Starring Kimberly Elise, Camryn Manheim, Tina Lifford, and Nicole Ari Parker.
The true story of Loretta Claiborne, an African-American girl who suffers from disabilities until she learns to tap into her own abilities and eventually becomes a championship athlete.  A touching inspirational story, originally seen on the Wonderful World of Disney.

MALCOLM X, part 1 & 2 (15017)
1992, Color, 201 minutes, Rated PR-13. 
Starring Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Spike Lee, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo.
The controversial chronicle of the life of spiritual and political leader, Malcolm X, assassinated at age 39 by black extremists.

MALCOLM X - EL HAJJ MALIK EL SHABAZZ (SV10327/SV11549)
B&W, 60 minutes, NR.
Malcolm X was considered to be one of the 20th century's most charismatic and controversial civil rights leaders.  This program traces Malcolm X's incredible odyssey from a Harlem street hustler to a self-made world leader.

MALCOLM X:  MAKE IT PLAIN (SV34422)
1994. Color and B&W, 136 minutes, NR. 
Narrated by Alfre Woodard.
Political philosopher and visionary, husband and father, dynamic orator and militant minister, Malcolm X was both loved and despised, revered and feared – until an assassin’s bullet cut him down in 1965.  This video is an in-depth film portrait that goes straight to the heart, the mind and the message of one of the modern era’s most complex figures.  His story is told through the memories of people who had close personal and working relationships with Malcolm X, from prominent figures, to Nation of Islam associates, to Malcolm’s own family members.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: A PERSONAL PORTRAIT (SV3741, SV3742, SV3743)
Color and B&W, 53 minutes, Rated G.
A documentary using rare footage of the personal life of Dr. King.  Featured are many conversations never before available.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: THE SPEECHES COLLECTION (SV11543/SV34417)
1990, Color and B&W, 60 minutes, NR.
Follow Dr. King’s electrifying speeches from his early days as a young pastor in Montgomery to the great march on Washington, including the final prophetic speech in Memphis just days before his tragic assassination.

MICHAEL JORDAN TO THE MAX (31937)
2000, Color, 46 minutes, NR.
This film shows off the glittering life and career of arguable the greatest basketball player ever, Michael Jordan.  See this living legend from his childhood in North Carolina to his college days and his professional career, including his foray into baseball and culminating in the Chicago Bulls’ 1998 championship.

ONCE UPON A TIME…WHEN WE WERE COLORED (22107)
1996, Color, 113 minutes, Rated PG. 
Starring Al Freeman, Jr., Phylicia Rashad, and Paula Kelly.
This film provides a slice-of-life glimpse into black history as it follows a young boy named Cliff growing up in the segregated South.  The story begins in 1946, when Cliff is born.

THE QUEST FOR FREEDOM: THE HARRIET TUBMAN STORY (SV19557)
1992, Color, 40 minutes, NR. 
Starring Reg Grant, Summer Selby, and David King.
In The Quest for Freedom we meet Harriet Tubman through the eyes of a young present-day man who has lost his courage to dream.  One day he enters a mysterious library.  Suddenly he’s trapped in the past – a slave on a plantation with Harriet.  And he discovers that without courage, there are no dreams…and without dreams, there is no future.

ROOTS – SIX VOLUMES (5197)
1977, Color, 90 minutes per segment, Rated PG. 
Starring LeVar Burton and others.
The Roots saga is the story of an African boy kidnapped from his homeland by slave traders and brought to the United States.  Each tape traces the descendants of Kunte Kinte through one hundred years of American history from the Old South through the 1920s and ‘30s.  Central to the series is one family’s struggle for dignity and real freedom through unbelievable odds.  For viewers young and old, of every race and creed, Roots is a modern classic – a reminder of our common American heritage.

• ROOTS:  VOL.  I
  Kunta Kinte, a young African boy, is captured by slave traders and taken from his homeland and family.  This program presents an outstanding insight into tribal life in Africa and the strong family and religious bonds that were central to their existence.  The second part of this program depicts the voyage to America on the slave ship.  This film is thought provoking and provides insights into the slaves as human beings.
   

• ROOTS:  VOL. II
  The saga continues with the last days on the slave ship.  Kunta is sold at public auction and brought to live on a plantation in Virginia.  This segment features his younger days and his never-ending desire for freedom.  Vividly depicts plantation life and harsh conditions of slavery.
   

• ROOTS:  VOL. III
  The story continues as Kunta grows into manhood as a slave, marries, and fathers a child.  The feature vividly depicts slave life and the difficulty of maintaining a family unit.
   

• ROOTS:  VOL. IV
  The adult years of Kunta are shown in this part.  The life of a slave is vividly portrayed.
   

• ROOTS:  VOL. V
  The grandson of Kunta is born and gains his freedom as a sporting man.  The story covers the period of the Civil War and its effects on the South and the family of Chicken George.
   

• ROOTS:  VOL. VI
  The South is defeated, the Ku Klux Klan rides and Chicken George returns.  The final chapter of the saga of Roots. 

 

• ROOTS:  THE NEXT GENERATION
  1978, Color, 100 minutes/segment, NR. 
  Starring George Stanford Brown, Debbie Allen, Irene Cara, Marlon Brando, Ruby Dee, Olivia de Havilland.

 

• ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATION VOL.  I (SV13484)  
  It’s 1882; 12 years after Kunta Kinte’s progeny came to Henning, Tennessee.  Although free,the family isn’t treated equally.  Tom Harvey has opened a school but faces many problems.  He knows education can help break the chains of second-class citizenship.
   

• ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATION VOL. II (SV13485)  
  An unfair literacy test impedes Tom’s right to vote.  The courtship of Tom’s daughter Cynthia by Will Palmer is a tender counterpoint to the existing violence.  Cynthia gives birth to Bertha George.
   

• ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATION VOL. III (SV13486)  
  It’s 1914.  Will sends Bertha to Lane College, where she meets Simon Haley.  Simon works on a Pullman to earn college money.  When America enters the War, Simon enlists.
   

• ROOTS:  THE NEXT GENERATION VOL. IV (SV13487)  
  This episode unfolds against a backdrop of military bias that shackles America’s World War I black troops.  Simon fights in France.  He returns to marry Bertha.  Their first child is Alex Haley.
   

• ROOTS:  THE NEXT GENERATION VOL. V (SV13488)  
  Grandfather Will shows young Alex the section of California Redwood charting the family history.  Now a professor, Simon emphasizes education.  And when Cousin Georgia and others recount stories of Africa, Alex listens intently.
   

• ROOTS:  THE NEXT GENERATION VOL. VI (SV13489)  
  Restless Alex leaves college and enrolls in the Coast Guard.  During World War II service in the Pacific, he discovers his gift for writing and decides to make journalism his livelihood.
   

• ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATION VOL. VII (SV13490)  
  Alex is a premier journalist.  He searches for 12 years to confirm his family’s story.  His search takes him to Gambia, where he hears the keepsake tale that his family preserved for generations.

ROSEWOOD (24645 plus)
1997, Color, 142 minutes, Rated R. 
Starring Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, and Michael Rooker.
In 1923, the residents of nearby Sumner destroyed the town of Rosewood.  This film tells the story of that destruction, in which poor whites indulged their prejudice and envy, avenging an accusation that they knew was a lie.

THE SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION (BILL MOYERS)
58 minutes/program.

SELMA, LORD, SELMA (30027 plus)
1999, Color, 88 minutes, Rated PG. 
Starring MacKenzie Astin, Jurnee Smollett, Clifton Powell, and Yolanda King.
In 1965 two schoolgirls decide they can no longer tolerate discrimination, and decide to join in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Based on the memoirs of Sheyann Webb-Christburg and Rachel West Nelson.

SHAKA ZULU (11204)
1986, Color, 292 minutes, Rated G. 
Starring Robert Powell, Edward Fox, Fiona Fullerton, Trevor Howard, Christopher Lee, and Henry Gele.
Shaka Zulu is the powerful true story of tribal Africa during the turbulent 19th century.  This mini-series follows the life of Shaka, a powerful and Mighty Zulu leader, from birth to the death of the mighty independent Zulu nation.

SOJOURNER TRUTH (SV11828)
1992, Color, 30 minutes, NR.
This video biography contains interviews with leading authorities on Truth's life accompanied by fascinating archival footage, photographs, and period music.

SOUNDER (SV187/SV5738/25330)
1972, Color, 105 minutes, Rated G. 
Starring Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, and Carmen Mathews.
Beautifully made film detailing the struggles of a black sharecropper and his family to make a subsistence living for them during the Depression.

THE STORY OF GOSPEL MUSIC:  THE POWER IN THE VOICE (32099)
1996, Color, 90 minutes, NR. 
Starring Aretha Franklin, John P. Kee, Mahalia Jackson.
Oh, happy day!  From Mahalia Jackson to Tramaine Hawkins, and Aretha Franklin to Shirley Caesar, these performances offer a fascinating look into the origins of gospel music.  Rare vintage recordings and modern performances highlight this song-filled extravaganza

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (THE HISTORY CHANNEL) (SV34418)
1998, Color, 100 minutes, NR. 
Hosted by Alfre Woodard.
This is the thrilling story of a 200-year struggle to break the bonds of slavery in the American South.  A story of secret codes, hidden way-stations and clandestine “conductors.”  A story not of a railway, but of a loosely organized network of runaway slaves, freed blacks and anti-slavery whites, all willing to risk their very lives in the name of liberty.  With dramatic re-creations of escapes and acts of selfless heroism, this moving account also chronicles the achievements of legendary abolitionist figures Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison.