Series of Excellent Programs Now Available on PBS

The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Americans consider themselves a “nation of immigrants,” but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge. The film examines the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, the eugenics movement in the United States and race laws in the American south. The series sheds light on what the U.S. government and American people knew and did as the catastrophe unfolded in Europe. Did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? This is a history to be reckoned with.

The U.S. and the Holocaust dispels competing myths that Americans either were ignorant of the unspeakable persecution that Jews and other targeted minorities faced in Europe or that they looked on with callous indifference. The film tackles a range of questions that remain essential to our society today, including how racism influences policies related to immigration and refugees as well as how governments and people respond to the rise of authoritarian states that manipulate history and facts to consolidate power.

Click here to view the series.

Learn more about the diverse cultures and experiences of Hispanic and Latino Americans while exploring a special collection of stories that highlight their voices and contributions.

Premiering in 2013, The Latino Americans was the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape North America over the last 500-plus years and have become, with more than 62 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S.

This six episode series includes:

(1) Foreigners in Their Own Land – 1565-1880

(2) Empire of Dreams – immigrants influence on American population

(3) War and Peace – Latino service members experience discrimination at home

(4) The New Latinos – Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican Republic immigrants

(5) Prejudice and Pride – “Chicano” identity

(6) Peril and Promise – 30 years of immigration and transformation

In addition, there are many short and long films profiling notable Latino immigrants both famous and not famous and their contributions to American culture and society. Others explore Latino’s contribution to music and much more. Click here to go to the PBS specials for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Making Black America: Through the Grapevine is a four-part series from executive producer, host and writer Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that premieres October 4th. Professor Gates, with directors Stacey L. Holman and Shayla Harris, chronicle the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people beyond the reach of the “White gaze.”

The series recounts the establishment of the Prince Hall Masons in 1775 through the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today. Making Black America takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcased Black people’s ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.

Click here to view Making Black America.