Making Black America: Through the Grapevine
This four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people-beyond the reach of the "White gaze." Gates takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcases Black people's ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.
- 2022-2022
- 1 season
- Documentary
This four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people-beyond the reach of the "White gaze." Gates takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcases Black people's ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.
Season 1 Episode Guide
4 Episodes
Episode 1
Episode 1
As Black people fought for full citizenship, hour one explores how free African Americans exercised their self-determination by building communities, establishing schools, and creating associations that would become the foundational pillars of Black America. Host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the organizations, networks and artistic impression created by and for Black people.
Episode 2
Episode 2
Hour two explores how African Americans turn within, creating a community that not only sustains but empowers. From HBCUs to Black businesses to the Harlem Renaissance to political organizations, Black life flourished.
Episode 3
Episode 3
To survive economic disaster, hour three shows how African Americans relied on informal economies, grassroots organizations and cultural innovations behind the color line to dismantle the oppressive realities of Jim Crow.
Episode 4
Episode 4
Despite the gains of legal desegregation, hour four reveals how Black political and cultural movements - from Black Power to Black Twitter - provide a safe space to debate, organize and celebrate.
