black History in Two Minutes (or so)

Black History in Two Minutes (or so) is the new way to immerse yourself in Black History. The digital video series features dozens of short, engaging and factually accurate videos about important historical events or people who have shaped American history. Like never before, people of all ages, backgrounds and educational levels can learn more about the African American experience.

Launched in 2019 by visionary Executive Producer Robert F. Smith, who is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, the media platform has covered topics from the beginning of American history to the present day. To ensure historical accuracy, the episodes are well researched and narrated by renowned historian and Executive Producer, Henry Louis Gates Jr. Teaching guides for educators also accompany some of the episodes, affording teachers the ability to incorporate the information from the videos, and the videos themselves, into their lessons.

As an award-winning series, Black History in Two Minutes has received numerous accolades, including two Webby Awards in 2020, 2 more in 2021 and yet again, 1 more in 2022.

Check out some of the episodes for yourself below.


Black Power and the Birth of Black Studies

Black Power and the Birth of Black Studies

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination not only further ignited the civil rights movement, but it also inspired students in the…

Oscar Micheaux: The First Black Indie Filmmaker | Black History in Two Minutes (or so)

Oscar Micheaux: The First Black Indie Filmmaker

Transitioning from job to job as a teenager, Oscar Micheaux was able to write a story that was inspired by his experience on a farm. The…

Black Power | Black History in Two Minutes

Black Power

In 1965, one of the last traceable remnants of Jim Crow ideology were thought to be taken off the books with the passage of the Voting…

Jack Johnson: Winner of the 1910's

Jack Johnson: Winner of the 1910’s ” Fight of the Century”

Jack Johnson entered the world ready to fight in the most non-conventional way. As the son of slaves, he worked many unskilled jobs, before…

Free Black Americans

Free Black Americans Before the Civil War

Even though slavery ended in the 1860s, free Black Americans made up 10% of the United States Black population. While the rest of the…

Brenda Travis

Brenda Travis

Brenda Travis of McComb, Mississippi, encountered the dangers of merely existing in Jim Crow’s America as a child after witnessing her…