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.


Obama's 2008 Election | Black History in Two Minutes (or so)

Barack Obama’s 2008 Election

During the 2004 Democratic National Convention, a first-term senator named Barack Obama from Illinois delivered a speech that exuded…

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…

The Black Church

The Black Church

Religion as we know it infiltrated the black community during slavery. While the objective leaned on pacifying slaves, black people rose…

W.E.B. Du Bois: The New Negro at The 1900 Paris Exposition | Black History in Two Minutes (or so)

W.E.B. Du Bois: The New Negro at The 1900 Paris Exposition

At the turn of the twentieth century, W. E. B. Du Bois curated an exhibit at the Paris Exposition in France entitled “The Exhibit of…

Ella Baker | Black History in Two Minutes

Ella Baker – ‘The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement’

After graduating from Shaw University, Ella Baker moved to New York City and began her career as a grassroots organizer. Joining the NAACP…

Robert Smalls: A Slave Who Sailed Himself to Freedom | Black History in Two Minutes

Robert Smalls: A Slave Who Sailed Himself to Freedom….

Robert Smalls was born into slavery and pushed into fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War. However, at the age of 23, he took a…