"Highly Recommended. This effort by two educators, Howard Shelf II and Phil Garcia, commemorates black history and refocuses the positives in the rap genre." -National Media Review Howard Shelf II and Phil Garcia are two talented educators and musicians who combine their talents to offer viewers an uplifting introduction to famous African Americans. Performed to the contemporary beat of rap music, this lively animated program identifies important...

Homecoming is the first film to explore the rural roots of African American life. It chronicles the generations-old struggle of African Americans for land of their own which pitted them against both the Southern white power structure and the federal agencies responsible for helping them. Director Charlene Gilbert weaves this history together with a fond portrait of her own Georgia farming family into what she calls, "A story of land and love." Like...

1.2 million African Americans served in World War II in some capacity, and although largely forgotten by history, nearly 2,000 African Americans were among the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy.

In the hot and deadly summer of 1964, the nation could not turn away from Mississippi. Over 10 memorable weeks known as Freedom Summer, more than 700 student volunteers joined with organizers and local African Americans in a historic effort to shatter the foundations of white supremacy in one of the nation's most segregated states -- even in the face of intimidation, physical violence, and death.

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. The final hour brings the story up...

Understanding one’s own cultural heritage is crucial to high self-esteem. This program is designed to raise students of all races to a level of self-respect and understanding about the African nation. It combines an overview of African history with tips for improving the self-esteem of African-American students and encouraging them to celebrate their African-American heritage..

"This landmark four-part 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 post-Civil War 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 the remarkable stories of individual slaves, SLAVERY AND THE...

In Black and White is the first video series devoted to the life and work of contemporary African American authors. It introduces students and general readers to six of America's most talented and challenging writers: Charles Johnson, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman and August Wilson.. These authors' work is helping to define a new multi-cultural American literary canon for the 21st Century. As Nobel Prize- winning novelist...

This episode examines the experiences of African Americans on both sides, addressing, among other topics, black soldiers in US military forces, the experience of hundreds of thousands of black refugees in the South, the weakening of the bonds of slavery in much of the Confederacy, and Confederate debates over emancipation late in the conflict.

In the turbulent 1960s, change was coming to America and the fault lines could no longer be ignored -- cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding, and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and it sought to drastically transform the system. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would, for a short time, put itself at the vanguard of that change. The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is the...