Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state of black America—and our nation as a whole.

In the late 1970s, Reagan perpetuated the myth of African Americans taking advantage of the welfare system, and advocated cutting social services to aid the economy. Learn about the impact of this divisive rhetoric in Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise, Nov. 15 & 22 on PBS.

In 1965, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committie (SNCC) sent activists to rural Lowndes County, Alabama. Among them was 23-year-old Stokely Carmichael. The activists helped create an independent political party for black voters to counteract suppression. The symbol used was a black panther. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.

On October 16, 1995, the Million Man March took place in Washington, D.C.. It rose the central question facing black America at the time. Were the problems internally created or part of the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement? Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22 on PBS.

The Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in 1954, yet two decades later, many children still attended segregated schools — because they lived in segregated neighborhoods. The reality was white neighborhoods were wealthier, with better-funded classrooms. Boston was one of many cities where schools were separate and deeply unequal. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Nearly 100,000 people found themselves stranded without food or shelter, revealing the deep vulnerability of the poorest black communities. The disaster was compounded by the government's slow response and relief efforts were hampered by media reporting of crime sprees. Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise airs Nov. 15 & 22.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes a personal journey through the last 50 years of black history. Premieres November 15 & 22 at 8/7c on PBS.

In the 1970s, backlash against affirmative action was in full swing, driven by a growing sense that the nation had done enough to redress centuries of racism. Yet racism was still a factor in American life, and, despite the progress, many African Americans were still struggling. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22 on PBS.

As black America re-defined itself, the civil rights struggle was far from over, and as the 1960s wore on, many young black activists came to see Martin Luther King as out of step with the times. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.

In the mid-1980s, the success of black celebrities and public figures encouraged America to think differently about race. Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise airs Nov. 15 & 22 on PBS.

White flight was the sign of a much larger problem. It illuminated profound anxieties in the overlap among class, culture, and race, suggesting that, for all the signs of progress, America was still not ready for real integration. Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise Nov. 15 & 22.

Are there more incidents of violence against black people by the police, or are we just more aware of it because of digital media? Explore this question and more in Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise, Nov. 15 & 22.