Movi Hub

7.1

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

2004

The story of Jack Johnson, the first African American Heavyweight boxing champion.

7.1

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris

1971

In 1970, a British film crew set out to make a straightforward literary portrait of James Baldwin set in Paris, insisting on setting aside his political activism. Baldwin bristled at their questions, and the result is a fascinating, confrontational, often uncomfortable butting of heads between the filmmakers and their subject, in which the author visits the Bastille and other Parisian landmarks and reflects on revolution, colonialism, and what it means to be a Black expatriate in Europe.

0.0

Black Is the Color: African-American Artists and Segregation

2016

Black Is the Color highlights key moments in the history of Black visual art, from Edmonds Lewis’s 1867 sculpture Forever Free, to the work of contemporary artists such as Whitfield Lovell, Kerry James Marshall, Ellen Gallagher, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Art historians and gallery owners place the works in context, setting them against the larger social contexts of Jim Crow, WWI, the civil rights movement and the racism of the Reagan era, while contemporary artists discuss individual works by their forerunners and their ongoing influence.

0.0

The Musicians' Green Book: An Enduring Legacy

2022

Stories and music of Black artists who relied on an underground travel guide to navigate the injustices of racial segregation while on the road. The Negro Travelers’ Green Book was a directory of lodgings, restaurants, and entertainment venues where African Americans were welcomed. Features performances and interviews with vocalists, musicians, activists, historians, and others.

0.0

New Orleans That Was

2022

A ride on the Zephyr at Pontchartrain Beach, a ride on the Canal Street streetcar, a journey along the New Basin Canal, exploring Lincoln Beach, watching the New Orleans Pelicans play ball, seeing the Mardi Gras Indians on tree-lined North Claiborne Avenue or just going to the neighborhood movie theatres. Visit some of the special places from New Orleans’ recent past.

0.0

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

2008

A descendant of the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history, filmmaker Katrina Browne explores the contemporary legacy of slavery by traveling with fellow descendents from Rhode Island to Ghana and Cuba, retracing the Triangle Trade route. Along the way, Browne and her companions meet with similarly interested travelers and discover the considerable importance slavery once had for Northern commerce.

6.0

Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches

2022

Acclaimed actors draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America as well as a different stage of Douglass’ long and celebrated life, while famed scholars provide context for the speeches, and remind us that Frederick Douglass’ words about racial injustice still resonate deeply today.

7.8

Not Black Enough

2017

A deep look at the class warfare and the contradictions that African-Americans face within their own community when many of them are ostracized because they are “not black enough.” An analysis of the reasons behind these absurd acts of hatred.

0.0

Target: St. Louis Vol. 1

2018

TARGET ST. LOUIS Vol. 1© tells the story of how the United State Military conducted secret chemical testing on citizens of St. Louis's Northside. Told through the eyes of the survivors who bravely share their experiences of being unwitting test subjects. Long before the current scandal of lead poisoning of the water supply of Flint, Michigan, the United States Army conducted secret experiments on unknowing residents of northern St. Louis using toxic chemicals. The predominantly African American residents of northern St. Louis are the focus of this film. "Target: St Louis Vol. 1" shares their disturbing story of how these Cold War experiments occurred and the film examines the actions of the US Military that extended beyond the guarantees of public safety promised to US citizens by the Constitution.

6.6

The N Word

2006

An exploration of the history of the word throughout its inception to present day. Woven into the narrative are poetry, music, and commentary from celebrities about their personal experiences with the word and their viewpoints. Each perspective is unique, as is each experience... some are much more comfortable with the word than others.

5.6

Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People

1984

An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. This short film has become essential for discussions of racism, African American cinema, and empowerment.

5.7

In Search of Bass Reeves

2024

By the end of his illustrious career, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves may well have been the preeminent lawman of the Old West. He brought upwards of 3,000 outlaws to justice and served in law enforcement for 32 years during Reconstruction after the Civil War. His story is one of an escape to freedom and the dangers of the West for a former slave who rose to become a legend of the law. Join us as we go in search of Bass Reeves.

0.0

Gentrified: Ethnic Cleansing American Style

2017

The first in-depth analysis of the unspoken ethnic component behind the most devastating socio-economic movement in America today.

0.0

The Body of Emmett Till

2016

Emmett Till was brutally killed in the summer of 1955. At his funeral, his mother forced the world to reckon with the brutality of American racism. This short documentary was commissioned by "Time" magazine for their series "100 Photos" about the most influential photographs of all time.

0.0

Raising Tennis Aces: The Williams Story

2003

The lives and careers of the tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams are documented, with special attention paid to the training techniques of their father Richard Williams.

0.0

Hambone Griot

2025

Shot in part at 10,000 feet at Gross Reservoir in Colorado over a span of 12 years, this short film, featuring the indomitable Rennie Harris, shares a dreamscape glimpse into the vernacular dance form, hambone, or “Patin’ Juba.” This work positions the powerful resilience of the Black male body in the face of white surveillance and the survival and evolution of the dance/music form of hambone within and beyond the histories of enslavement.

0.0

Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom

2022

A Black American is troubled by the legacy of American slavery and the misuse of Christianity to justify it. He travels throughout Texas discovering how the Juneteenth reveals faith and a fight for freedom in an unjust society.

4.0

The Story of Doctor Carver

1938

The story of Dr. George Washington Carver (1864-1943), black educator and horticulturist. He is perhaps most well known for developing over 140 products from all parts of the peanut plant, including the shells and husks. He also developed products based on sweet potatoes and soybeans, and developed a cotton hybrid that was named after him.

10.0

The Journey of the African-American Athlete

1996

Documentary feature exploring the rise of African-Americans to positions of greatness in American sports. Stories are told of boxers, tennis players, runners, and basketball players, athletes who either suffered the indignities of racism, helped break down its walls, or enjoyed the opportunities afforded by past struggles.

8.0

Hope Has A Name

2017

In urban America, the bush of Africa, the war zone of the Congo, and in closed nations there are women who are living outside their own cultures, society, and comfort level to care for orphans, build schools, liberate addicts, feed the poor, and love the broken. These ordinary women are reaching into hopeless situations of people and creating hope.

Genre	Documentary
Production Companies	WTTW/Chicago
Production Ccountries	United States of America

DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis

Related Movie

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris

Black Is the Color: African-American Artists and Segregation

The Musicians' Green Book: An Enduring Legacy

New Orleans That Was

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches

Not Black Enough

Target: St. Louis Vol. 1

The N Word

Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People

In Search of Bass Reeves

Gentrified: Ethnic Cleansing American Style

The Body of Emmett Till

Raising Tennis Aces: The Williams Story

Hambone Griot

Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom

The Story of Doctor Carver

The Journey of the African-American Athlete

Hope Has A Name