Recent Comments
Judith Trojan on Remembering Elie Wiesel (… Anonymous on Remembering Elie Wiesel (… Anonymous on Ken Burns Revisits The America… Anonymous on Ken Burns Revisits The America… Judith Trojan on HBO’s Country Doctor Cas… Anonymous on HBO’s Country Doctor Cas…
Tag Archives: African-American Studies
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise Debuts on PBS
I think it would be virtually impossible to make a lackluster film about writer, singer, dancer, actress, poet, director and social activist Maya Angelou. An electrifying presence in every medium she mastered, Dr. Angelou passed away in 2014. She was revered especially in … Continue reading
John Lewis Inspires Us to Get in the Way
“I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate President,” said Civil Rights icon and longtime U.S. Congressman John Lewis. “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.” After … Continue reading
Find Out Who Makes All the Difference on POV
“It isn’t how you start, it’s how you finish,” says Robert Henderson, one of two African-American teenage boys whose hard-won journey from the South Side of Chicago through high school graduation and four years of college drive the five-year timeline in All … Continue reading
Mavis! Takes Us There on HBO
Need a little more sunshine in your life? If so, I encourage you to kick back and spend some quality time with Mavis!, the wonderful new documentary profile of singer Mavis Staples. You’ll come away with a smile on your face and a spring in … Continue reading
Tennis Legend Althea Gibson Profiled on American Masters
Sometimes it’s best to turn a blind eye to a film’s missteps and focus instead on the relevance and timeliness of its subject matter. That’s definitely the case with Althea, the latest installment in PBS THIRTEEN’s American Masters’ series premiering tonight, Friday, September 4, … Continue reading
Queen Latifah Is Red Hot as Bessie Smith on HBO
“I’m looking forward to people finding out who Bessie Smith is, if they don’t know about her already.”–Queen Latifah. You may come to HBO’s latest bio-pic, Bessie, knowing little or nothing about blues singer Bessie Smith (1894-1937). But by the end of … Continue reading
Posted in Cable, Film, Music
Tagged African-American Studies, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Bisexuality, Dee Rees, HBO, Ma Rainey, Mo'Nique, Music, Queen Latifah, Racism, Singers, The Blues, Women's Studies, Zanuck Company
Leave a comment
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Debuts on PBS
“He wrote about the frustration and the glory of being black.” This curtain-raising assessment of playwright August Wilson by his friend and colleague, actor/writer/director Ruben Santiago-Hudson, pretty much sets the tone for August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand. The latest installment in … Continue reading
Freedom Summer a Must-See on PBS
“I just wanted the right to vote.” How many of us take that right for granted? In his powerful and poignant new documentary, Freedom Summer, filmmaker Stanley Nelson reminds us that a mere five decades ago, voting was virtually off-limits to Mississippi’s … Continue reading
The Central Park Five Debuts on PBS Tonight
Tonight, I encourage you to DVR the latest installment of Ready for Love, Dancing with the Stars or NCIS and turn your attention instead to The Central Park Five which debuts on PBS at 9:00 p.m. EDT (Check local listings). The Central … Continue reading
Posted in Film, TV
Tagged African-American Studies, Central Park Jogger, Criminal Justice, David McMahon, Ken Burns, Racism, Rape, Sarah Burns, The Central Park Five, TimesTalks
4 Comments
FrontRowCenter 