|
African-American
History, Culture and Current Issues Filmography
updated
(12/01)
4
little girls. 1998. 1 videocassette (102 min.). The campaign for civil rights in Birmingham
was launched in 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. and
other activists were soon jailed but it was the
participation of the children that advanced the
momentum of the Birmingham movement as they marched
alongside the adults and were taken to jail with
them as well. Because the 16th St. Baptist Church
was close to the downtown area, it was an ideal
location to hold rallies and meetings. On Sunday
morning, Sept. 15, 1963, dynamite planted by the
Ku Klux Klan, exploded in the building killing four
young girls - Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins,
Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley. Uses archival
film footage, home photographs and comments by surviving
family members to document one of America's most
terrible crimes and the impact it made on the civil
rights movement. VHS 5459
Africans in America: America's journey through slavery. 1998. a 4 videocassettes (360
min.). Considers the contradictions that lie at
the heart of the founding of the American nation.
The infant democracy pronounced all men to be created
equal while enslaving one race to benefit another.
Portrays the struggles of the African people in
America, from their arrival in the 1600s to the
last days before the Civil War. VHS 5561-5564
Afrocentricity. 2000. 1 videodisc (160 mins.). A compilation of seven short films, in-depth
interviews and commentary by emerging African American
film directors. "Meet here the next generation
... unadulterated by the Hollywood filmmaking process.
". DVD 166
Afros, Macks, 'n zodiacs: A compilation of some of the best black action
films of the 1970's. 1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 91 min.). Features clips and trailer attractions
from several black action motion pictures that were
filmed and released in the 1970s.
Among the films sampled include Shaft, Cotton
comes to Harlem, Super fly, Black Caesar, Blacula,
Disco godfather, Foxy Brown, Let's do it again,
Truck Turner, and many more. VHS 3615
Against the odds: The artists of the Harlem Renaissance. 1995. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
Documentary, based on the Newark Museum exhibit
of the same name, tells of the struggle of Black
visual artists in the 1920s and 1930s to show and
sell their work. It describes the influence of the
Harmon Foundation in creating an artistic home where
Black visual artists flourished and developed a
wide range of talent. Features more than 130 rarely
seen paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures
by black artists and also archival footage of these
artists at work. VHS 4984
Ain't gonna shuffle no more 1964-1972. Eyes on the prize II: America at the racial
crossroads. 1990. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
Covers the black consciousness movement throughout
the country through the mid 1960's and early 1970's.
Discusses Muhammad Ali's political battle over the
Vietnam War. Explores the rise of black politicians
and activists. Describes the student movement for black studies
at Howard University. VHS 829
Ain't scared of your jails (1960-61). Eyes on the prize. 1986. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Series that look as the history of the
civil rights movement in the United States using
archival footage and interviews with participants
in the movement. This segement depicts the changing
focus of black protest during the early 1960s from
legal challenges to specific laws to personal and
group challenges to a broad range of racial and
economic inequities. Links four stories of the period:
the lunch counter sit-ins, the formation of SNCC
by the students who led the sit-ins, the impact
of the sit-ins on the 1960 presidential campaign,
and the freedom rides. VHS 247
Alice Walker. Lannan literary series. 1989. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Alice
Walker, Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award winning
writer, reads poems and excerpts from her novels
at the Los Angeles Theatre Center on Jan. 9, 1989.
Journalist Evelyn White interviews Walker at her
home in Mendocino County, Calif. on June 22, 1989.
VHS 3214
Alice Walker. 1992. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Afro-American writer Alice Walker discusses
her life, the civil rights movement, and the "womanist"
perspective, that of a Black woman whose spirit
has been reawakened. She explores how writing has
helped her to stave off depression and understand
herself better and she reads from her poetry. VHS
3987
Almos' a man. The American short story video series. 1985? 1 videocassette (39
min.). Dave, a black teenage farm boy, is ridiculed
by his elders because he wants to be treated like
a man. While
practicing with a cheap pistol he accidentally shoots
a mule which subjects him to more ridicule.
At nightfall he runs away, jumping onto a
passing freight train. VHS 2082
America in black and white. 1996. 1 videocassette (21 min.). The program explores
the guidelines for crime reporting at WPVI (Philadelphia)
and KVUE (Austin) and asks whether extensive coverage
of crime affects public opinion about Afro-Americans.
VHS 4053
Amiri Baraka. Lannan literary series. 1991. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Amiri
Baraka, poet, playwright, novelist, and essayist,
reads from Boptrees and unpublished work. He is
interviewed by Lewis MacAdams. VHS 3226
Among brothers: Politics in New Orleans. 1986. 1 videocassette (58 min.).
Examines the 1986 mayoral election campaigns in
New Orleans where the two leading candidates, Sidney
Barthelemy and William Jefferson, were both black.
Interviews with voters and politicians demonstrate
the complexities of politics in black-majority American
cities. VHS 767
Among equals. Curriculum Materials Center: Childhood. 1991. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Explores the importance of peer relationships
in middle childhood development. Children are seen
working out moral dilemmas, social relationships
and developing strong self identity. Participation
in youth groups and team sports become rehearsals
for life. Also discussed are the lifestyles of runaway
or rejected children in Brazil and the historical
effects of American slavery. VHS 2262
The Amos 'n Andy show. 1995. 1 videocassette (53 min.). The Secretary: Kingfish
hires a secretary when the Mystic Knights of the
Sea inherit $1,200. This doesn't go over too well
with Sapphire. -- Andy gets a telegram: Sapphire's
plan to rid the Kingfish of bad associates backfires.
VHS 4132
The Art Ensemble of Chicago: live from The Jazz Showcase. 1990. 1 videocassette (50 min.).
Founded in 1967, the Art Ensemble is an advocate
of avant-garde jazz. Film captures them in a representative
show which touches on be-bop, New Orleans jazz,
1960's funk and a ballad, amid percussion interludes.
VHS 4460
At the jazz band ball: Early hot jazz, song and dance, 1925-1933. 1993. 1 videocassette (ca.
60 min.). A collection of early film clips (1925-1933),
featuring song, dance, and instrumental performances
of some of the giants of the Jazz Age, including
Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Paul Whiteman,
the Dorsey Brothers, and Bill "Bojangles"
Robinson. Features clips of Bessie Smith's only
screen performance, Bix Beiderbecke's sole appearance
in a sound film, and an early Lee DeForest sound
film of Ben Bernie's orchestra in which Jack Pettis
plays what is probably the first jazz solo on film.
VHS 3630
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. 1993. 1 videocassette (ca. 110 min.). Presents
the story of the long life of Miss Jane Pittman,
who began her life as a slave in the South and who
marched for her civil rights in the 20th century
at the age of 110. VHS 3247
Awakenings (1954-56). Eyes on the prize. 1986. 1 videocassette (60 min.). History of
the civil rights movement in the United States.
Uses archival footage and interviews with participants
in the movement. This segment tells the story of
two events that helped to focus the nation's attention
on the civil rights of black Americans: the 1955 lynching
in Mississippi of 14-year old Emmett Till and the
1955-56 Montgomery, Ala. boycott. Also shows southern
race relations at mid-century and witnesses the
awakening of individuals to their own courage and
power. VHS 245
Back to the movement 1979-mid 1980s. Eyes on the prize II: America at the racial
crossroads. 1990. 1 videocassette (62 min.).
The series concludes with an examination of two
cities -- one Southern, one Northern. In Miami,
Florida, viewers witness the destruction of Overtown,
a once-thriving community, as it was ravaged by
urban renewal and the construction of an interstate
highway. Politically powerless, the community's
economic plight was worsened by the steady arrival
of another minority group -- Cuban immigrants. In
the north, frustrated by an unresponsive city administration,
black Chicagoans successfully organized for political
change through a reform candidate and brought about
the election of Harold Washington, Chicago's first
black mayor. The series ends with a look back at
people who made this movement a force for change
in America. VHS 832
Bamboozled. New Line platinum series. 2001. 1 videodisc (136 min.). In a searing
parody of American television, it takes a humorous
look at how race, ratings and the pursuit of power
lead to a network executive's stunning rise and
tragic downfall. DVD 220
Basquiat.
1997. 1 videocassette (106 min.). Film looks at
the 1980s New York art world through the life of
Jean Michael Basquiat. Basquiat was a graffiti artist
living on the street who became an art world superstar
(and a protge of Andy Warhol) while still in his
20s. VHS 5412
Bell hooks: Cultural criticism & transformation. Race and diversity series.
1997. 1 videocassette (66 min.). bell hooks makes
a compelling argument for the transformative power
of cultural criticism. She demonstrates how learning
to think critically can play a role in students'
quest for a sense of agency and identity. VHS 2547
The Beulah show. Black artists of the silver screen. 1996. 1 videocassette (51
min.). In the first episode Beulah and Bill show
the Henderson's ten-year-old son how to do "with-it"
dancing. His
dancing teacher is upset, but the girls his age
are impressed. In episode two Bill is talked into babysitting
for a seven-year-old girl and Oriole has a new boyfriend.
VHS 4135
Big timers. 1995. 1 videocassette (36 min.). When a poor girl from Harlem falls in
love with an army officer, she lets him believe
she is a high society girl from a wealthy family
living in "Sugar Hill." Her mother borrows
a fancy apartment to entertain the fiance and his
family. VHS 5044
Bill Robinson: Mr. Bojangles. 1998. 1 videocassette (45 min.). Reviews the legendary
life of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, his
contribution to tap dancing, his "Uncle Tom"
image and his struggle against discrimination. Features
film clips, outtakes and behind-the-scene footage.
VHS 5899
Black Americans and the military. America's defense monitor. 1989. 1 videocassette
(29 min.). The black experience in the military
from 1776 to the modern era. The program surveys
the military's role in civil rights reforms. VHS 3023
Black English as an American dialect. The InterChange series. 1998. 1 videocassette
(30 min.). John Rickford, Professor of Linguistics
at Stanford University, who has been studying Black
English as an American dialect for 25 years, clarifies
the issues surrounding the "ebonics" controversy.
VHS 5184
Black Georgetown remembered. 1989. 1 videocassette (40 min.). A documentary based
on the recollections of the Black community of Georgetown
from the 1930s to the 1950s. VHS 1579
Black history lost, stolen or strayed. Of black America: Black history series.
1991. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). A Bill Cosby
guided tour through a history of attitudes - black
and white - and their effect on the black
American. Cosby reviews black American achievements
omitted from American history texts, the absence
of recognition of Africa's contributions to Western
culture, and the changing Hollywood stereotype of
the black American. VHS 3949
Black in white America. 1989. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Interviews with
Black people from a diversity of backgrounds reveal
contemporary Black life in America and show that
little progress has been made against racism, stereotyping
and alienation in the last two and a half decades.
VHS 682
Black is-- black ain't a personal journey through black identity. 1995. 1 videocassette (88 min.).
American culture has stereotyped black Americans
for centuries. Equally devastating, the late Marlon
Riggs argued, have been the definitions of "blackness"
African Americans impose upon one another which
contain and reduce the black experience. In this
film, Riggs meets a cross-section of African Americans
grappling with the paradox of numerous, often contradictory
definitions of blackness. He shows many who have
felt uncomfortable and even silenced within the
race because their complexion, class, sexuality,
gender, or speech has rendered them "not black
enough," or conversely, "too black."
The film scrutinizes the identification of "blackness"
with masculinity as well as sexism, patriarchy and
homophobia in black America. VHS 3135
Black like who? 1995. 1 videocassette (30 min.). In this painfully honest documentary,
filmmaker Debbi Reynolds explores her racial identity
as a black who grew up in a white neighborhood,
went to white schools, had white friends, and did
not think about being black. She explores the themes
of assimilation, internalized racism
and self hatred in interviews with her parents
and her black college friends as she questions what
it means to be black.
VHS 4600
Black Panther: San Francisco State : on strike. Archival series: Archival
series. 1998. 1 videocassette (35 min.). Black
Panther: Film used by the Black Panthers to promote
their cause. Interviews with founding members Huey
P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, and Bobby Seale. Examines
origins, appeal to black community and the Panther
10 Point Program. Includes documentary footage of
the organization's meetings and marches. -- San
Francisco State: on strike: Recounts how students
of color led a six month long strike in the fall
of 1968 at San Francisco State to make their university's
curriculum and admission policies more relevant
and succeeded in creating the establishment of the
first Ethnic Studies department in America. VHS
5942
The black press: Soldiers without swords. 1998. 1 videocassette (86 min.).
"Too long have others spoken for us".
A History of African-American newspapers and journalism
from the mid-19th century through the 20th century.
Film chronicles the history of the black press and
it role in the construction of modern African American
identity. With commentary by historians, journalists,
and photojournalists, tells of the struggles against
censorship, discrimination and for freedom of the
press. VHS 5357
Blacks & Jews. 1997. 1 videocassette (85 min.). Early in the 20th century black and
Jewish Americans joined forces against bigotry and
for civil rights but in the late 1960s, each group
turned inward and the coalition fell apart. This
film examines the history of this collaboration
and recent racial conflicts between Afro-Americans
and Jews and attempts at understanding and reconciliation,
with particular emphasis on events in New York City
and Oakland, California. VHS 4681
Bloody island. 1998. 1 videocassette (42 min.). In the early part of the century, thousands
of African Americans migrated from the rural South
in search of a better life in the northern industrial
cities. This black migration was an important event
in U.S. history. It fueled the factories of the
North, but hurt an already weakened southern economy.
In East St. Louis, Ill., trouble was brewing as
black workers were being hired to replace striking
white workers. It all came to a head on the night
of July 1, 1917 when two white men shot randomly
into homes in a black neighborhood. As the riot
escalated, the militia was called in. In the ensuing
trials, black rioters were punished more severely
than their white counterparts. Uses eye witness
testimony and also academic and journalist commentary.
VHS 5881
Blues masters: History of the blues. 1993. 2 videocassettes (102 min.). Rare performances
and historical footage tracing the development of
American blues music. VHS 4145
The Bombing of West Philly. 1987. 1 videocassette (60 min.). "I could hear
the bullets all around me, hitting all around the
house. I was forced back by gunfire," says
Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of MOVE,
a small, violent, urban cult. Years of tension ended
May 13, 1985, when police bombed Africa's house.
The surrounding neighborhood burned out of control,
leaving 250 homeless. The bombing of West Philadelphia
by the police as a response to the MOVE situation
is graphically portrayed. The ensuing fires, the
deaths of members of MOVE, and the impact on the
community are presented through film footage and
conversations with community residents. VHS 4938
Boyz 'n the hood. 1992. 1 videocassette (112 min.). For three young men growing up in South
Central Los Angeles, "The Hood" is a place
of drive-by shootings, unemployment, drugs and pain.
But their reactions to the world around them vary
-- one is an unambitious drug dealer; his brother
is a college-bound teenage father; and the brother's
best friend is guided by a strong father who hopes
for a better life for his son. DVD 327, HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 1718
Breakthrough: The changing face of science in America. 1996. 6 videocassettes (342
min.). Intimate biographical profiles of 20 contemporary
Afro-American, Latino and Native American male and
female scientists and engineers who are making advances
in many scientific disciplines.
VHS 3941-3946
Bridge to freedom (1965). Eyes on the prize. 1986. 1 videocassette (60
min.). Series that look as the history of the civil
rights movement in the United States using archival
footage and interviews with participants in the
movement. Ten years after Rosa Parks refused to
give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery,
Alabama bus and after the Supreme Court decreed
that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional,
Black Americans were still fighting for equality.
But millions had now joined the movement and in
Selma, Ala. thousands of blacks and whites came
together to march fifty miles for freedom. VHS 250
Bright like a sun. I'll make me a world. 1999. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Presents
the history of African-American arts through the
depression and World War II, when artists were expanding
their creative visions, producing work with new
energy and autonomy. Paul Robeson, the legendary
singer and star of stage and screen, uses his artistry
and fame to fight for social justice in the US and
abroad. Sculptor Augusta Savage builds a vibrant
art school in Harlem where young African-American
talent can be nurtured, although she risks her own
career to do so. An on the music scene, Dizzy Gillespie,
Charlie Parker and other young musicians begin to
play bebop, the innovative jazz style that becomes
the hallmark of American "cool," and a
recognized musical genre. VHS 5843
The Brother from another planet. 1996. 1 videocassette (108 min.). An extraterrestrial
who resembles an African-American flees slavery
on a distant planet and crash lands in New York
City. He blends in with the earthling residents
of Harlem, makes friends, and helps bring down a
drug lord while avoiding capture by a pair of alien
bounty hunters. VHS 5500
Brother minister: The assassination of Malcolm X. 1995? 1 videocassette (115
min.). This story is told through the eyes and voices
of Malcolm X's friends, his former enemies, assassination
experts, dramatic re-enactments, rare archival film
footage and photographs, and the disclosure of recently
declassified FBI and NYPD counterintelligence documents. Includes only 11 minutes of narration. VHS 3716
Brotherly love. Africans in America. 1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.). A four
part series portraying the struggles of the African
people in America, from their arrival in the 1600s
to the last days before the Civil War. In this third
episode, during the first 50 years of the new nation,
freedmen and fugitive slaves in Philadelphia push
the country to live up to the promises made in its
Constitution. But with the invention of the cotton
gin, slavery expands into America's western frontier,
and a revolution in Haiti inspires slave rebellions
throughout the southern United States. VHS 5563
Buffalo soldiers. 1984? 1 videocassette (49 min.). A photographic history of the two black
cavalry regiments that served to keep peace on the
frontier from 1867 to 1891. Also shown is the dedication
ceremony at Fort Leavenworth of a monument to the
Buffalo soldiers by sculptor Eddie Dixon, with speeches
by Gen. Colin Powell and other high-ranking black
officers of the U.S. Armed Forces. VHS 2284
Bukka White & Son House. Masters of the country blues: The Bernice Johnson
Reagon Collection. p1991. 1 videocassette (60
min.). Son House (born Lyons, Miss., 1902) and Bukka
White (born Grenada, Miss., 1909) were passionate
purveyors of their native Mississippi delta music
and of slide guitar. Considered seminal figures
in the rise of blues as the dominant medium for
Black musical expression and entertainment. VHS
4346
Cabin in the sky. 1992. 1 videocassette (99 min.). Little Joe Jackson (Eddie Anderson)
is a good-hearted gambler with a weakness for dice
and a shameless hussy named Georgia Brown (Lena
Horne). But his wife, Petunia (Ethel Waters), is
a good woman with a powerful gift for prayer. She
loves him and wants to save him. In this musical
fantasy, the soldiers of heaven struggle with the
devil's henchmen over Little Joe's soul. VHS 1839
The Cause, 1861. The Civil War. 1989. 1 videocassette (99 min.). Beginning with
a dramatic indictment of slavery, this first episode
evokes the causes of the war, from the cotton kingdom
in the South to the abolitionist movement in the
North. Here the major characters are introduced,
along with a host of less well-known but equally
vital characters. Shown are events immediately preceding
the outbreak of hostilities to the disastrous Union
defeat at Manassas, where both sides learned it
would be a long war. VHS 1255
Chicago blues. The Bernice Johnson Reagon Collection. 1991. 1 videocassette (50
min.). Traces the evolution of blues music from
its origins in the rural south and focuses on its
development in the urban environment of Chicago. Told with performances by and interviews with
famous bluesmen. VHS 4351
The cinematic jazz of Julie Dash. 1997. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Afro-American filmmaker,
producer, writer and director Julie Dash talks about
her life and work and the difficulties she has had
getting her films distributed and accepted. Interspersed
with her comments are clips from three of her films,
Daughters of the dust, Illusions, and Diary of an
African Nun, and she talks about the making of a
fourth film, Four women. One of her principal aims,
she says, is "to redefine images of black women
on the screen.". VHS 6679
Civil rights issues: White House travel domestic trip. 1993. 1 videocassette (31 min.).
President Clinton's speech at the Mason Temple Church,
the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final sermon,
describes the aims of his administration and recent
Afro-American achievements, all of which are threatened
by the breakup of family and community relations,
the growing use of drugs and violence, and the disappearance
of jobs. He recommends a new sense of social and
moral responsibility, gun control, education, and
concern for child welfare. VHS 2500
Color adjustment. 1991? 1 videocassette (88 min.). Analyzes the evolution of television's
earlier, unflattering portrayal of blacks from 1948
until 1988 where they are depicted as prosperous,
having achieved the American dream, a portrayal
that is inconsistent with reality. Black actors
Esther Rolle, Diahann Carroll, Denise Nicholas,
and Tim Reid and Hollywood producers Norman Lear,
Steve Bochco and David Wolper reveal the behind-the-scenes
story of how prime time was "integrated."
Revisiting such popular hits as Amos and Andy, Beulah,
The Nat King Cole Show, Julia, I Spy, Good Times
and Roots, viewers see how bitter racial conflict
was absorbed into the non-controversial formats
of the prime time series. VHS 1394
The Color of freedom. Tony Brown's journal. 1986. 1 videocassette (104 min.). Tony Brown
investigates why did other ethnic groups win at
the money game in America and Blacks do not. The
answer he points out can be found in the historical
look at the economic development of Black America.
As he says, "The only color of freedom in America
is green.". VHS 2803
Cooley High. 1991. 1 videocassette (107 min.). A fun-loving upbeat film about the
class of '64 at Chicago's Cooley High. Many facets
of high school life are illustrated including hanging
out, romances, pranks, and studying. VHS 3133
Cornbread, Earl and me. 1996. 1 videocassette (96 min.). The story of Nathaniel
"Cornbread" Hamilton (Wilkes), a black
teenage basketball star, who is about to leave his
neighborhood for college when he is shot down by
police pursuing a psychopath. An elaborate police
cover-up follows. When Hamilton's family hires a
lawyer (Gunn), the court case must depend on the
testimony of eleven-year-old Wilford (Fishburne)
to set the record straight. VHS 5089
Creole Giselle. Ballet series. 1988. 1 videocassette (88 min.). A performance
of the Dance Theatre of Harlem's acclaimed interpretation
of the classic ballet Giselle. Making only minor
changes in the story, music and traditional choreography,
DTH founder Arthur Mitchell has set the ballet in
1841 Louisiana, where social status among freed
blacks was measured by how far removed one's family
was from slavery. Thus in this version, Giselle
faces the same social obstacles and heartbreaking
rejection by Albert and his family as their classical
counterparts. VHS 1387
Critical thinking in nursing lessons from Tuskegee. Educational horizons videos.
1993. 1 videocassette (43 min.). Critical thinking
in nursing: lessons from Tuskegee sets two goals:
first, it explores the theory and practice of critical
thinking, defined in a wide, social, political and
ethical sense. Second, it focuses this critical
attention on a specific and uniquely provocative
case of nursing practice--the participation of nurse
Eunice Rivers in the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis
Experiment. VHS 3235
Crooklyn: a Spike Lee joint! 1999. 1 videodisc (114 min.). Director Spike Lee fashions
a bold, flavorful picture of family life in a crowded
but cozy Brooklyn neighborhood nicknamed "Crooklyn"
by the Carmichaels, who experience one very special
summer in their hometown under difficult but often
wonderful circumstances. DVD 149
Culture shock. 2000. 4 videocassettes (247 min.). Series of four documentaries explores
why particular works or forms of art became (and
some remain) controversial, gives points of view
on the effects of the arts on individuals and on
society, and addresses censorship, and education.
Each also is a self-contained documentary that analyses
the particular form or work and presents the cultural
milieu in which it was created. VHS 6693-6696
D.C: divided city. The Koppel report. 1989. 2 videocassettes (ca. 47 min. each).
Ted Koppel reports from the black ghetto area in
Washington, D.C. showing the conditions and problems
of the people living there. Interspersed are interviews
with government officials, business leaders, community
workers and others. VHS 638
Dance Black America. 1990. 1 videocassette (87 min.). Documents a four-day festival of dancers
and dance companies held at the Brooklyn Academy
of Music. GV1624.7 .A34
793.3 11. VHS
1030
Dance Theatre of Harlem. 1989. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Features 4 full-length
works: Fall River Legend, Agnes de Mille's rendition
of the Lizzie Borden ax-murders; Troy Game, Robert
North's satire of machismo attitudes in sports;
The Beloved, Lester Horton's vignette of violence
and fanaticism between a minister and his wife;
and John Henry, Arthur Mitchell's retelling of the
legendary folk hero's story. Includes narration
by company members and Artistic Director Arthur
Mitchell. VHS 1023
Dancing in one world. Dancing. 1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program was made
with dancers from the Pacific Rim Area including
the United States (Afro-Americans, American Indians,
and Hawaiians), Polynesia, Australia, and Indonesia.
These dancers also took part in the Los Angeles
Festival. Includes archival film footage. VHS 2298
Daughters of the dust. 1992, orig 1992. 1 videocassette (113 min.). In 1902,
the Gullah Peazant family, descendants of slaves,
live on the Sea Islands off the coast of Georgia
and South Carolina. The family's plan to move to
the mainland and to the North causes upheaval within
the extended family. VHS 2039 and DVD 111
David, Moffett & Ornette. 1988. 1 videocassette (26 min.). In the spring of 1966
in Paris, Ornette Coleman wrote and recorded the
soundtrack for a Living Theater project called "Who's
crazy?." This film is a record of the three
days Ornette and his two collaborators spent in
the studio making music. It is also an eloquent
description of the price to be paid for freedom,
not just the freedom of collective improvisation,
but also the freedom to be yourself. VHS 4463
The Deadly deception. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). This program investigates the "Tuskegee
Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male,"
a medical experiment conducted in Alabama from 1932-1972
in which Afro-American men believed they were receiving
free treatment for syphilis, but were given worthless
medicines by government physicians. The experiment
was periodically written up in mainstream medical
journals. The program outlines the history of the
study, offers testimony from survivors and from
doctors who administered it, and looks at what many
consider the perversion of medical ethics and the
doctor/patient relationship involved in carrying
out such an experiment. VHS 2040
A Delicate balance. Breakthrough, the changing face of science in America. 1996. 1
videocassette (60 min.). Profiles scientists Valerie
Taylor, Freda Porter-Locklear and Richard Tapia.
Emphasis is placed on their efforts at outreach
and their positions as role models as teachers and
researchers in the fields of computer science and
mathematics. VHS 3946
Democracy in a different voice with Lani Guinier. 1995. 1 videocassette (37 min.).
Lani Guinier lectures and answers questions giving
her views on race and diversity, and the meaning
of democracy. VHS 3486
The Devil's music: 1920s jazz. Culture shock. 2000. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
"In its early years, jazz faced resistance
across America. Like rap today, jazz music was considered a
dangerous influence on young people and society. It featured improvisation and the liberating
rhythms of the black American experience instead
of classical music forms. As jazz's popularity grew, moralists fought
to suppress the music before it finally won acceptance
as an art form"--Packaging. VHS 6694
Do the right thing. 1990. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Film traces the course of a single
day on a block in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of
Brooklyn. It's the hottest day of the year, a scorching
24-hour period that will change the lives of its
residents forever. VHS 859
Documenting the black holocaust. 1994. 3 videocassettes (279 min.). Lecture on the African
holocaust and genocide which started 500 years ago.
Includes the speakers' opinions regarding the role
Jews played in the subject during the last five
centuries. VHS 2780
Down in the Delta. 1999. 1 videodisc (ca. 111 min.). A troubled single mother from a tough
Chicago neighborhood is sent to spend a summer at
her family's home in rural Mississippi. DVD 60
Dr. Toer's amazing magic lantern show. Who built America? 1987. 1 videocassette
(20 min.). Part of the award-winning Who built America?
series, which explores the central role working
men and women have played in the key events and
developments of American history. This segment takes
a look at the Magic Lantern Show of J. W. Toer,
a Baptist minister and former slave who traveled
the rural South in the years following the Civil
War. The show featured music and stories of the
black people before, during and after the Civil
War. Especially focuses on the misrepresentation
by the North of the former slaves and the progress
of Reconstruction. VHS 354
The Dream keepers. I'll make me a world. 1999. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Looks at
African-American artists in the turbulent years
after World War II, as growing demand for equal
rights are met with intense resistance. Yet, while
racial barriers are being steadily broken, a stunning
series of African-American "firsts" in
the arts and other areas of society marks America
at mid-century. Lorraine Hansberry's remarkable
Broadway debut, "A Raisin in the Sun"
-- extremely popular with both black and white audiences
-- is one sign of the era's pro-integration impulse.
Some fields, however remain closed to African Americans,
as evidenced by the lives and bittersweet careers
of ballet dancers Delores Browne and Raven Wilkinson.
James Baldwin , the artist who epitomizes the conflicts
of the era, chooses exile in Paris as he struggles
to launch his literary career, but events in the
U.S. eventually compel his return to lend his presence
and voice to the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.
VHS 5844
Driving Miss Daisy. 1991. 1 videocassette (99 min.). Miss Daisy is white, Jewish, and no
longer able to be trusted behind the wheel of a
car. Hoke is the black man hired by Boolie, Miss
Daisy's son, to be her chauffeur. The film covers
their 25-year relationship in which they build the
friendship of a lifetime. VHS 4673
Duke Ellington's Washington: The rise, fall, and rebirth of a neighborhood.
1999. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Profiles the Washington,
D.C. African-American community in the early years
of the 20th century, with some biographical information
about Duke Ellington. VHS 6429
The Duke is tops. Black and tan. 1997. 1 videocassette (94 min.). Duke is tops: Lena
Horne, in her film debut, plays a successful singer
who very nearly loses her man because his career
as a producer is declining. Black and tan: Duke
Ellington's first film showcases his piano playing
genius with the story of a struggling musician's
wife who agrees to dance in his show in order to
assure its success, knowing that her heart condition
will not allow her to survive the performance. VHS
5047
Dutchman.
1992. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Story of a white
woman enticing, then humiliating and finally knifing
a black man while they ride a subway train in New
York City. She then moves on to look for her next
victim. Makes explicit the hatred, terror and psychology
of racial prejudice. VHS 1868
Emma Amos: Action lines. African American
artist series. 1996. 1 videocassettes (28 min.).
Emma Amos, an African American artist, talks about
her life and her art. Amos paints pictures based
on her feelings and fears. She includes materials
such as photographs, her own weaving, and African
cloth to help portray what is important to her.
VHS 5800
The Emperor Jones. 1980? 1 videocassette (72 min.). An ambitious black man deposes the local
ruler of a seldom-frequented Caribbean island and
declares himself emperor. VHS 122
Engineering from the inside out. Breakthrough, the changing face of science in America.
1996. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Profiles engineers
Hector Medina, Steve Gray, and Michael Spencer and
their development of new materials, reliable power
sources, bridge designs, and even amusement park
rides. VHS 3944
Equality and the individual. That delicate balance II, our Bill of Rights.
1992. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Segment of a series
of programs on the Bill of Rights and its effect
on the United States. Part of the Bicentennial Celebration
of the Bill of Rights. This program explores the
problems of racial imbalances in public institutions,
the constitutionality of all-black-male public schools,
and other issues from the current political debate.
VHS 2014
Ethnic notions. 1986. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Look at how racism is depicted in American
culture. Covering more than one hundred years of
United States history, traces the evolution of Black
American caricatures and their role in political
and social conflicts concerning race. Specific stereotypes
are examined in detail e.g., loyal Toms, carefree
Sambos, faithful Mammies, grinning Coons, savage
Brutes and wide-eyed Pickaninnies. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 377, DVD 1981
Eyes on the prize: America at the racial crossroads. 1990. 8 videocassettes (480
min.). The series follows the struggle to go beyond
the legislative victories of the mid-1960s to make
changes in the lives of Afro-Americans by improving
their economic circumstances and increasing their
political power. Although the civil rights movement in the 1960s
was non-violent, the reaction to it was often violent.
VHS 825-832
Eyes on the prize: America's civil rights years, 1954-1965. 1986-1987. 6 videocassettes
(360 min.). History of the civil rights movement
in the United States. Uses archival footage and interviews with participants
in the movement. VHS 245-250
Family across the sea. 1991. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A delegation of Gullah
people travels from the United States to Sierra
Leone to trace the roots of their heritage. VHS
2170
Fatal flood. 2001. 1 videocassette (approx. 60 min.). "In the spring of 1927,
after weeks of incessant rains, the Mississippi
River went on a rampage from Cairo, Illinois, to
New Orleans, inundating hundreds of towns, killing
as many as a thousand people and leaving a million
homeless. In Greenville, Mississippi, efforts to
contain the river pitted the majority black population
against an aristocratic plantation family, the Percys--
and the Percys against themselves."--http://shop.pbs.org.
VHS 6655
Fighting back (1957-62). Eyes on the prize. 1986. 1 videocassette (60
min.). Series that look as the history of the civil
rights movement in the United States using archival
footage and interviews with participants in the
movement. This segment examines the law both as
a tool for change and resistance to change, particularly
as it relates to education. Covers the court cases of the late 1940s that
led to the 1954 Supreme Court Brown vs. Board of
Education decision, the nine black teenagers who
integrated Little Rock's Central High School in
1957, and James Meredith's enrollment at the University
of Mississippi. VHS 246
The Fire this time. 1993. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Through interviews with civic leaders,
politicians and Los Angeles city residents film
examines conditions in inner city Los Angeles which
have led to violence and rioting in the past. Critiques
past governmental policies which have failed to
correct the problems and makes suggestions for future
solutions. VHS 3429
Fires in the mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and other identities. 1993. 1 videocassette (82 min.).
On Aug. 19, 1991, in Crown Heights (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
a Hasidic man accidentally ran over a Black boy
(Gavin Cato). Three hours later a young Jewish scholar
(Yankel Rosenbaum) was murdered by Black youths.
Four days of fire-bombing and riots ensued. Smith
acts out the roles of 18 persons involved in the
racial conflict, trying to present the differing
views of this serious problem. Includes actual film
footage of the riots and violence. VHS 2539
First person singular: John Hope Franklin. 1997. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
This documentary is a personal account of the life
of octogenarian John Hope Franklin, one of America's
leading historians, emeritus professor at both the
University of Chicago and Duke University, and recipient
of the Medal of Freedom and 105 honorary degrees.
Franklin leads viewers from a tiny black hamlet
in Oklahoma where he was born, through Tulsa's race
riots, his decision to pursue a doctorate at Harvard,
and a life spent teaching, writing trailblazing
studies of the realities of African-American and
Southern history, and participating in the civil
rights revolution. Summary taken from PBS online.
VHS 4783
Flying high. Biography (Television show). 1999. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.).
The Nicholas Brothers, Fayard and Harold, are the
children of stars of the black vaudeville scene
and came to fame as the "little princes of
Harlem," tap-dancing at the Cotton Club. 70
years later, they are still performing. Film follows
them from Harlem in the Roaring Twenties to the
present day, documenting their personal and professional
triumphs and struggles through extensive photos,
performance clips and interviews with fellow performers,
those they have inspired, friends and family. Includes
home movie clips plus clips from films like "Down
Argentina Way," "Sun Valley Serenade"
and "Stormy Weather." [summary taken from
A&E website: http://www.aande.com]. VHS 5906
For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf. 198? 1 videocassette (60 min.).
Intimately involves the audience in the lives of
American black women by means of dialogue, dance
and music. VHS 34
For us, the living: The story of Medgar Evers . 1995. 1 videocassette (88
min.). The true story of one man's courageous fight
for his people's dignity. Medgar Evers was one of
the first African-American leaders to achieve worldwide
recognition for his work. In 1958 Evers accepted
the job as a field director for the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Jackson, Mississippi. Determined to obtain
equality for African-Americans, he started a petition
to integrate the public schools and began a voter
registration project. Both measures met with hostility,
violence and death threats. VHS 6079
Forever free, 1862. The Civil War. 1989. 1 videocassette (76 min.). This episode charts
the dramatic events that led to Lincoln's decision
to set the slaves free. Convinced by July, 1862
that emancipation was morally and militarily crucial
to the future of the Union, Lincoln must wait for
a victory to issue his proclamation. But there is
no Union victory to be had until Antietam, the bloodiest
day of the war, followed shortly by the brightest--the
emancipation of the slaves. VHS 1257
Frederick Douglass: When the lion wrote history. 1994. 1 videocassette (90 min.).
Archival materials and Douglass' au |