Black History: DVDs to Check Out

Mamie Lang Kirkland was seven years old when she fled Ellisville, Mississippi in 1915 with her mother and siblings as her father and his friend, John Hartfield, escaped an approaching lynch mob. John Hartfield returned to Mississippi in 1919 and was killed in one of the most horrific lynchings of the era. Mamie had vowed for a century that she would never return to Mississippi. Yet with Tarabu's remarkable find, he urged his mother to finally confront her childhood trauma by returning to Ellisville. Mamie was 107 when they began the journey to connect her story to the larger impact of America's legacy of racial violence, which echoes today from Ferguson to New York, Atlanta to Los Angeles. Like many of the six million African Americans who left the Deep South, Mamie's story is a testament to the courage and hope of her generation. Her indomitable will and contagious joy of living are exceeded only by her ability to tell her story now 111 years later. In a time of great social divisions, it gives us the simple wisdom of an ordinary woman's extraordinary life.

Explores the life of Frederick Douglass and looks at how he rose to became a prominent statesman and leading abolitionist after escaping from slavery.

Explores the often-contradictory role played by Black soldiers throughout American history. Established by Congress, the 14th Amendment of 1886 promised citizenship in exchange for enlistment, prompting many African American men to serve.

t examines amazing Black women that shaped America and made it what it is today. Highlighting their accomplishments, dedication, and achievements, this program focuses on their place in American history, what their lives were like, what they did, and what they endured. Their common thread of determination, courage, and commitment is consistent as a universal theme in all their lives. It portrays some of the stories of these women that have made historic impacts in our nation and Worldwide. Featuring Yara Shahidi, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Fannie Lou Hamer, Diane Nash, Michelle Obama, Phillis Wheatley, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Maya Angelou, Kamala Harris and others.

Harlem Rising is a feature-length documentary tracing the fifty-year history of the Harlem Children's Zone through folks in the community who grew up with the organization.

The four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people beyond the reach of the "White gaze." The series recounts the establishment of the Prince Hall Masons in 1775 through the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure, and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders, and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today. It takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcased Black people's ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.

In this episode of the Black American Experience series, we explore the lives of African Americans who have themselves altered the course of American politics, education, justice, broadcasting and the arts based on MLK's dream. His message of peace and nonviolence is personified as we examine many of the issues facing America today; Black Lives Matter, Voting Rights, Inequality, and Education. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired countless individuals, groups and movements for the purpose of achieving a better life and an equal share of the American Dream. His impact on American life cannot be understated. His teachings informed a generation to love, not hate. His dream, although yet unrealized, will someday become a reality. Revisit the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from his days as a preacher to the violent and exhilarating days of the Civil Rights Movement. This is a look at the man who changed the nature of public discourse in America and whose legacy will live on.

Based on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard's resonant film explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Celebrate the vibrant jazz, R&B, and soul music of African American artists who, during segregation, created the foundation of modern American music. Like many other Black Americans, they relied on Victor Hugo Green's Negro Travelers' Green Book, a directory of lodgings, restaurants, and entertainment venues where African Americans were safe and welcomed. Now explore the history of this essential guide with vocalists, musicians, historians, and others who reflect on living through segregation.

In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary, part music film, part historical record, created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture, and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten, until now. This documentary shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past, and present. The feature includes concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension, and more.

The youngest of King Triton's daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life and her father's crown in jeopardy.

Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. A misstep takes him from New York City to The Great Before, a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities before going to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human life. As Joe tries to show 22 what's great about life, he may discover the answers to the most important questions.

Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

After witnessing her mother's untimely death as a child and her brother's violent murder as a young teen, Vicaria is on a desperate quest to cure death.

The film centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain't no motherf****** game. Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like a Man, Barbershop), this film skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?

Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje, fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.

After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian a fighter who has nothing to lose.

Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, the movie tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America₂s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.

Based on the true story that will inspire the world, follow the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever.

Two siblings who run a California horse ranch discover something wonderful and sinister in the skies above, and the owner of an adjacent theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.

South Bronx teen Kadir is a gifted visual artist who loses his way following the death of his younger brother. Overcome with grief and struggling with the pressures of school and family, he escapes into the thrilling yet dangerous world of graffiti gangs, seeking an outlet for the creative force threatening to explode out of him. To prove himself and join his neighborhood's ruling gang, Kadir tries to rob no-nonsense MTA conductor Luis on the Story Ave subway platform. He is caught off guard when Luis agrees to give Kadir the cash if he'll sit down to a meal with him. Following their conversation and the delicate, transformative friendship that grows out of it, Kadir sees for the first time how his artistic talent could lead to a better life.

Till is a profoundly emotional and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. In Mamie's poignant journey of grief turned to action, we see the universal power of a mother's ability to change the world.

A feature film about the late musical icon, Whitney Houston.

The remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a ferocity unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, it follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and prepares them for battle against an enemy determined to obliterate their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for.

This moving, lyrical tale about the cost and fragility of freedom follows the life of a man who courageously shipped himself out of slavery.

At one point, the word "computer" referred to the people who used their knowledge, pencils, adding machines and paper to calculate complex equations needed for space travel. As one of these mathematicians at NACA's Langley laboratory, Katherine Johnson's skills were in high demand and she was trusted by administrators and astronauts alike to be accurate and reliable.

Audrey Faye Hendricks was confident and bold and brave as can be, and hers is the remarkable and inspiring story of one child's role in the Civil Rights Movement.