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.
Henrietta Lacks: The Woman with the Immortal Cells
In February 1951, a young African-American woman by the name of Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer.…
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…
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…
Convict Leasing
Although the 13th Amendment passed the Senate in 1864 and the House in 1865, the loopholes that exist continue to wreak havoc on the…
Lynching
Lynching was an action used to terrorize the black community for generations, with the first known public display of this injustice taking…
Freedman’s Bank
In 1865, after the north won the Civil War, the government opened the Freedman’s Bank. This institution was geared towards nearly four…