Black History Month Collection

They fought to liberate Germany from Nazi rule, as racism reached unfathomable levels. Their fight would continue back home on American soil. This is the story of the one-million-plus African Americans who fought in World War II. Discover their encounters with hatred, from the enemy and from within their own ranks. Explore this paradoxical chapter in American history through interviews with war heroes, including Colin Powell, Tuskegee ace pilot Roscoe Brown, and Charles Evers, brother of Civil Rights activist and WWII veteran Medgar Evers.

From the barnstorming era through World War II and into the jet age, the worlds of aviation and race relations intersect in these fascinating stories of courage and innovation.

Relive an unspeakable tragedy detailed with unforgettable images, videos, and recordings only recently rediscovered.

Witness the story of four young men who stood up to racism and social injustice by taking a seat. This is the story of the Greensboro Four.

Hip Hop has evolved from a musical genre into one of the most influential movements of the 21st Century, affecting the way people dress, speak, and even think. Follow the journey from its birth in the Bronx in the '70s, to the time when rap, DJ-ing, break dancing, and graffiti took over New York City and defined a generation. See how the music and its message expanded to inner cities all over the world, including Paris, Berlin, Dakar and the Palestinian territories, and how it became the universal language for people who didn't have a voice.

Huddie Ledbetter was born into poverty, battled racism, and did time, but in spite of his early hardships, or perhaps because of them, he became one of the great musicians of the 20th century. We trace the life and career of Lead Belly, a man praised by critics and revered by artists, whose unique music crossed a host of genres and influenced countless industry legends, from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Nirvana and beyond. See how his talent, humanity, and determination defeated all that stood in his way to make his voice heard, then and now.

They poured into Mississippi a thousand strong, activists and volunteers, intent on ending racial repression through the Freedom Summer Project. The effort's success relied on local black landowners, families who offered shelter and a degree of economic independence in the form of dirt and deeds. In part one of this two-part series, Danny Glover narrates this untold chapter of American civil rights history, chronicled through archival footage and interviews with the men and women who literally stood their ground against injustice.

For African-American landowners and the activists they supported, change finally came to Mississippi in the 1960s. After beatings, arrests, fire bombings, and murder, congress passed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed racial discrimination nationwide. But the fight for constitutional rights was far from over. Danny Glover narrates the untold story of the courageous black landowners who brought change to Mississippi, leading to the Voting Rights Act, school desegregation, and, ultimately, seats in public office.