Black Power and the Birth of Black Studies

February 11, 2022

|In Black History in Two Minutes (or so), Season 2

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination not only further ignited the civil rights movement, but it also inspired students in the collegiate setting to revolutionize the spaces that didn’t fully accept their existence.

From coast to coast, Black students demanded more, not only of their educational institutions, but also of themselves. Focused on self-determination and control, Black student activists followed the Black Power Movement and disrupted traditional “white” spaces while doing so. As a result, college admissions of Black people increased, Black faculty hiring rose, and a formal Black Studies curriculum was created.

In this episode of Black History In Two Minutes or So hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., with additional commentary from Peniel Joseph of The University of Texas at Austin, and Hasan Jeffries of Ohio State University, we celebrate a transformative movement led by Black students who sought to radicalize education and self-improvement along the way.

Black History in Two Minutes (or so) is a 4x Webby Award winning series.

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Archival Materials Courtesy of:
• Alamy Images
• Everett Collection, Inc.
• Getty Images

Additional Archival Material Courtesy of:
• University of California, Los Angeles

Executive Producers:
• Robert F. Smith
• Henry Louis Gates Jr.
• Dyllan McGee
• Deon Taylor

Senior Producer:
• William Ventura

Series Producers:
• Chinisha Scott
• William Ventura

Executive in Charge of Production:
• Robert L. Yacyshyn

Post Production Supervisor:
• Veronica Leib

Post Production Coordinator:
• Katherine Swiatek

Written By:
• Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Additional Writing:
• Kevin Burke
• Kelsi Lindus
• Chinisha Scott
• William Ventura

Editors:
• Margaret Metzger
• Anne Yao

Producer:
• Kevin Burke