Video

Animated Series

CORNERSTONES: FOUNDING VOICES OF THE BLACK CHURCH

Without people, there can’t be a church. So, who were the people who made the black church possible in America? In this short animated series, we look at just a few pivotal people who brought the reality of the right to gather, read, sing, worship, and share these truths that should have always been self-evident.

TED TALK | UGLY HISTORY THE US SYPHILIS EXPERIMENT

Afflicting nearly 1 in 10 Americans, syphilis was ravaging the U.S. in the 1930s. Many doctors believed syphilis affected Black and white patients differently, and the Public Health Service launched an experiment to investigate, recruiting 600 Black men to take part. But the study was centered on a lie: the men wouldn't actually receive treatment. Susan Reverby details the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

CRASH COURSE | SLAVE CODES

Slave codes were a method of protecting the investment of white enslavers in the Colonies by restricting the lives of enslaved people in almost every imaginable way. The codes restricted enslaved people’s ability to move around, or engage in commerce that could make them financially independent - they restricted the very opportunities that would allow them to live with even relative freedom. Today, we'll learn about how Colonies put laws in place to restrict the movement and freedoms of both enslaved people and free Black people alike.

TED TALK | UGLY HISTORY OF IQ TESTS

In 1905, psychologists Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon designed a test for children who were struggling in school in France. Designed to determine which children required individualized attention, their method formed the basis of the modern IQ test. So how do IQ tests work, and are they a true reflection of intelligence? Stefan C. Dombrowski explores how the tests have been used throughout history.

TED TALK | THE CHAOTIC BRILLIANCE OF JEAN-MICHAEL BASQUIAT

Like Beat writers who composed their work by shredding and reassembling scraps of writing, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat used similar techniques to remix his materials. Pulling in splintered anatomy, reimagined historical scenes and skulls, he repurposed present day experiences and art history into an inventive visual language. Jordana Moore Saggese explores the chaotic and prolific art of Basquiat.

TED TALK | CAN STEREOTYPES EVER BE GOOD?

In 2007, researchers surveyed 180 teachers to understand if they held stereotypes about their students. The most commonly held opinion was that Asian students were significantly more industrious, intelligent, and gentle. This might seem like a good thing, but treating this stereotype as reality can cause a surprising amount of harm. Densho and Sheila Marie Orfano dig into the model minority myth.

TED TALK | WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOST KINGDOM OF KUSH?

Along the Nile River, in what is now northern Sudan, lay the ancient civilization of Kush. Though they were once conquered by a powerful neighbor, the kings and queens of Kush would go on to successfully challenge two of the most dominant empires in history: the Egyptians and the Romans. So what happened to this African kingdom? Geoff Emberling details the rise and fall of the Kush empire.

Documentaries

THE BLACK CHURCH

In this intimate four-hour series from executive producer, host, and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., we trace how this came to be in the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, all the way down to its bedrock role as the site of African American survival and endurance, grace and resilience, thriving and testifying, freedom and independence, solidarity and speaking truth to power.

INDEPENDENT LENS | A RECKONING IN BOSTON

What happens when you discover that your assumptions are flawed? A white filmmaker starts his academic inquiry by documenting low-income, adult students of color at the Clemente Course in Boston. After time, he comes to terms with his own complicity in racism. Alongside students, a unique filmmaking collaboration forms to explore the area's history of racism and gentrification.

POV | UNAPOLOGETIC

Meet Janaé and Bella, two fierce abolitionists whose upbringing and experiences shape their activism and views on Black liberation. Told through their lens, Unapologetic offers an inside look into the movement and ongoing work that transformed Chicago, from the police murder of Rekia Boyd to the election of mayor Lori Lightfoot.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | JESSE OWENS

The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | MARIAN ANDERSON: THE WHOLE WORLD IN HER HANDS

Discover an international singer who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America. Watch rare archival footage and hear audio recordings exploring her life and career from the Metropolitan Opera to the State Department.

POETRY IN AMERICA | YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN, BILLIE, BY EVIE SHOCKLEY

Billie Holiday’s haunting song “Strange Fruit” winds beneath the unsettling, satiric humor of Evie Shockley’s poem “you can say that again, billie.” Shockley, jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, historian Robin D.G. Kelley, actor LisaGay Hamilton, novelist Beverly Lowry, and radio host Nick Spitzer join Elisa New to discuss the history of racism, violence, and artistic tradition in the American south.