Research Guides: Frederick Douglass Day 2025: Documentaries, Movies and Podcasts

Black History Movies & Documentaries

Roots (Movie)
A four-night, eight-hour event series, "Roots" is a historical portrait of one family's journey through American slavery and their will to survive and preserve their legacy in the face of unimaginable hardship.
Slavery By Another Name
Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, this program challenges one of Americans' most cherished assumptions: that slavery in this country ended with the Emancipation Proclamation.
True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight for Equality
This feature documentary follows Bryan Stevenson – lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative – through his experiences as a capital defense attorney and advocate for community-based reform.
Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement 1954–1985
Produced by Blackside, Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today.
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
Renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. presents the definitive history of the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself amidst profound loss, massive destruction and revolutionary social change.
0:52 / 1:45 Rare 1920s Footage: All-Black Towns Living the American Dream | National Geographic
By the 1920s, Oklahoma was home to some 50 African-American towns, in addition to a large and prosperous black community living in the city of Tulsa.

Podcasts

Teaching Hard History
Our mission is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy.

more... less...

Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.
Everyday Black History
Welcome to Everyday Black History! Where we highlight the contributions of Black Men and Women both Past and present. Here we celebrate Afro Appreciation, where Black American, Africans and Latinos of African descent are honored.
In Black America
IBA profiles a diverse selection of current and historically significant figures whose stories help illuminate life in Black America.
Noire Histoir
Noire Histoir features Black history facts, literature, and motivational stories from across the Black diaspora.

more... less...

Join Natasha McEachron as she celebrates Black pride, excellence, and power all 366 days of the year.
Historically Black
As part of The Washington Post's coverage of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture, people submitted dozens of objects that make up their own lived experiences of black history, creating a "people's museum" of personal objects, family photos and more. The Historically Black podcast brings those objects and their stories to life through interviews, archival sound and music.

more... less...

Objects hold history. As part of The Washington Post's coverage of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture, people submitted dozens of objects that make up their own lived experiences of black history, creating a "people's museum" of personal objects, family photos and more. The Historically Black podcast brings those objects and their stories to life through interviews, archival sound and music. The Washington Post and APM Reports are proud to collaborate in presenting these rich personal histories, along with hosts Keegan-Michael Key, Roxane Gay, Issa Rae and Another Round hosts Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton.
Black History Buff
Covering the full historical tapestry of the African Diaspora, you’ll hear tales covering everything from African Samurai to pistol-wielding poets.

more... less...

The Black History Buff podcast is a fun and thrilling journey through time.
Crossing Fences
Oral histories of African-American men in Pittsburgh as collected by African-American boys and young men in Grades 5 to 12.
Black and Education
You can also visit our website, BlackandEducation.com, to read the stories related to these podcasts, view our books and read more articles about education.

more... less...

Looking for stories that might inspire you about real-life people who faced challenging odds? Or for information you might want to share with children about their history? This podcast and these stories might be for you!
Witness Black History
Interviews with people who were there at key moments in black and civil rights history
Gullah/Geechee Nation
"Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio" is the Blog Tak Show hosted by Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation on behalf of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition.
Black History
The African diaspora is a rich tapestry weaving through the course of time, with not only a strong impact on the American society, but throughout the world. The “Black History” podcast ventures to each week introduce an innovative topic, influential person or present interesting aspects of history related to the African diaspora to those seeking knowledge and enlightenment.
History of Indian and Africana Philosophy
Peter Adamson teams up with Jonardon Ganeri and Chike Jeffers to represent the philosophical traditions of India, Africa and the African diaspora.

Documentaries about Race

Are You Racist?
Are racists born or made? Pioneering scientists have recently revealed that they can detect whether a person is subconsciously racist through a series of tests that are as ground-breaking as they are simple to do.
The Difference Between Us: Race—The Power of an Illusion
The video follows a dozen students, including African-American athletes and Asian-American violin players, who sequence and compare their own DNA, only to discover their closest genetic matches are as likely to be with people from other “races” as their own.
Black History Matters | Don John | TEDxSouthampton
Black History should not just be important to Black people but should be important to all peoples for a fuller understanding of the relationship between black & white people socially and politically.
The Dangers of Whitewashing Black History | David Ikard | TEDxNashville
What will hopefully become clear is that whites have as much to lose by whitewashing black history as their African American peers. David Ikard is a Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University.
White Fragility
University of Washington professor Dr. Robin DiAngelo reads from her book "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism," explains the phenomenon, and discusses how white people can develop their capacity to engage more constructively across race.