How do today's struggles mirror the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s? What can we learn from the past that will help us move forward in the current political climate?

When Henry Hampton started Blackside Productions, in 1968, he imagined new ways to tell stories from an African American perspective—and planted the seed that would grow into the landmark television series Eyes on the Prize. When the series first aired in 1987, it forever changed the public’s understanding of the American civil rights movement and introduced a generation of filmmakers and documentary practices that would shape the field for decades to come. 

Join us as we honor the thirtieth anniversary of Eyes on the Prize, and the release of Jon Else’s new book, True South. Includes a daylong screening of episodes from the series, followed by a roundtable with activists, storytellers, and documentarians on the influential series and its continuing impact. Greenlight Bookstore hosts a pop-up shop and book signing with Else from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in our Beaux-Arts Court.

Schedule of events:

11 am–2 pm: Screenings of Awakenings (1954–1956), Mississippi: Is This America? (1963–1964), and 1988 Academy Award nominee Bridge to Freedom (1965)

2–3 pm: Panel Discussion: John Else, author of True South, in conversation with Sabaah Foloyan, Sam Pollard, and Nikole Hannah-Jones

3–6 pm: Screenings of The Time Has Come (1964–1966), The Promised Land (1967–1968), and Ain't Gonna Shuffle No More (1964–1972)

Presented in partnership with the Ford Foundation. Free admission courtesy of the Ford Foundation, but please RSVP.