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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state of black America—and our nation as a whole.
Introduction
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state of black America—and our nation as a whole.
Official Trailer
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes a personal journey through the last 50 years of black history. Premieres November 15 & 22 at 8/7c on PBS.
Lowndes County and the Black Panther Symbol
In 1965, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) sent activists to rural Lowndes County, Alabama. Among them was 23-year-old Stokely Carmichael. The activists helped create an independent political party for black voters to counteract suppression. The symbol used was a black panther. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.
White Flight
White flight was the sign of a much larger problem. It illuminated profound anxieties in the overlap among class, culture, and race, suggesting that, for all the signs of progress, America was still not ready for real integration. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.
MLK and Young Black Activists
As black America re-defined itself, the civil rights struggle was far from over, and as the 1960s wore on, many young black activists came to see Martin Luther King as out of step with the times. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.
The Black Panthers
The Black Panthers put their revolutionary rhetoric into action. They developed community programs, offering clothing and care to the needy, and free breakfast to the needy. Did the Panthers embrace a willingness to use arms to defend themselves? Absolutely. Unfortunately, that’s usually the only part of the story that we get. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.
Black Power
During it's rise, Black Power groups organized across the country — each with their own idea about what the phrase meant. At first, Dr. King and many of his allies saw Black Power as a challenge — both to non-violence and the goal of integration — that might speed the unraveling of the always fragile interracial civil rights coalition. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.
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