Celebrating Black History Month – Library Streaming Films Available

Each Monday during the month of February,  the Library will list from our online collections* the titles of documentaries and films that focus on Black History and the Black American Experience.  Whether it’s for educational purposes, leisure, or just general curiosity; there’ll be something new to discover for everyone throughout the entire month. Viewers will have a choice of films to choose from.

Film Selections for the week of Monday February 15^th 2021 - Civil Rights Protest and Progress: 1955–1971

The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer: Never Turn Back
We witness the moving story of a valiant heroine of the Civil Rights struggle in Mississippi. Her courage inspired the poor and voiceless to demand the vote and to finally achieve political power. Her triumph is measured by the Black men and women who now take their rightful seats in City Halls, State Legislatures, and the U.S. Congress.

The Powerbroker: Whitney Young's Fight for Civil Rights
The Powerbroker portrays the life of Whitney Young, once called “the inside man of the black revolution.” As Executive Director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, he helped thousands of people struggling against discrimination. Unique among black leaders, Young took the fight directly to the powerful white elite, gaining allies in business and government, but often arousing disdain from the very people he was trying to help. The Powerbroker chronicles the public and private trials of a man navigating a divided society in an explosive time.

Early Student Movement Philosophy and Activism
Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) 50th Anniversary Conference Volume 2 - Early Student Movement Philosophy and Activism FEATURED SPEAKERS Muriel Tillinghast (SNCC Field Secretary) David Dennis (Congress of Racial Equality aka CORE) Joan T. Mulholland (student, Tougaloo College) Johnny Parham (Atlanta Student Movement) While deep dissatisfaction was a major factor mobilizing the young people who would engage in direct action protests, often the first steps into activism led to a greater-than-anticipated commitment. David Dennis who would later become CORE's Mississippi director recalls that on his first sit-in he thought police would give him the choice of leaving the restaurant. And he planned to leave when ordered. Instead, he was immediately arrested. Adult mentoring played a large role; adults who had long been struggling for change supported young activists and helped expand their view of the world...

Awakenings 1954–1956: Eyes on the Prize—America’s Civil Rights Movement 1954–1985
Individual acts of courage inspire black Southerners to fight for their rights: Mose Wright testifies against the white men who murdered young Emmett Till, and Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Distributed by PBS Distribution.

*To access the films users will need their CUNY login credentials:  Username= firstname.lastname##@login.cuny.edu; Password = your CUNY login password. If you need assistance with your CUNY login credentials please refer to this link. For inquiries please email carl.andrews@bcc.cuny.edu  

New list next week!