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