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.


The Red Summer | Black History in Two Minutes (or so)

The Red Summer

The events unfolding across the United States today in the wake of the brutal murder of George Floyd, are an eerie repetition of events…

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…

The Tulsa Race Riots | Black Wall Street

The Tulsa Massacre | Black Wall Street

Fresh off an oil-boom, the black residents of Greenwood, Okla. built a booming community known as The Negro Wall Street. But in May of…

19th Century Black Discoveries

19th Century Black Discoveries

Black innovators and creators have a long history of studying the framework and exploring new ways of advancing modern technology. Take…

Maya Angelou: 20th Century Renaissance Woman

Maya Angelou: 20th Century Renaissance Woman

Maya Angelou, who was born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil…

The Harlem Renaissance | Black History in Two Minutes

The Harlem Renaissance

With a Jim Crow south alive and well, many black Americans migrated north. This migration resulted in the formation of a creative urban hub…