Sidney Poitier, a successful actor, director, and activist, has died at age 94. He was well known for being the first Black man to win an Oscar in 1963. In this interview, a professor of African American studies explains the impact Poitier made on his own life and the world. He explains how Poitier’s dignified screen presence countered stereotypical images of Black men, and how his commitment to the causes he supported included a willingness to make personal sacrifices. Listen to hear more about Poitier’s life and his legacy in film and civil rights.
Story Length: 5:49
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February 6, 2020
4:25
More Hollywood films featuring Asian Americans are being made, with some hitting it big at the box office. According to one producer, the trend signals a change in the way Asian Americans are perceived and accepted by mainstream culture. Listen to hear a YouTube channel producer explain how digital media helps minority artists break through, and what the success of Awkwafina means for other Asian American performers.
Read MoreMay 9, 2019
6:52
Marsai Martin is Hollywood’s youngest executive producer. The 14-year-old pitched the idea for Little, a new comedy about a powerful executive who wakes up one morning in a child’s body, and she stars in the film as well. The teen actor got her acting breakthrough at age 10 on the hit sitcom Black-ish. She is not classically trained, but her colleagues say she is wise beyond her years. Listen to hear more about how Little came to be and how Marsai Martin became its executive producer.
Read MoreFebruary 26, 2016
4:21
The annual Academy Awards, Hollywood’s biggest and most glamorous event, will air this Sunday night. Amid the excitement, there is some controversy. For the second year in a row, there are no nominees of color in the acting categories. The lack of diversity in nominees could reflect a larger pattern in the industry since many of Hollywood’s most influential people, both in front of and behind the camera, are white. Listen to this story and debate with your students: Should there be more diversity at the Oscars?
Read MoreSeptember 2, 2015
7:00
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a famous speech at the March on Washington in 1963 known as the "I Have A Dream" speech. The year before, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech in Rocky Mount, N.C that anticipated the famous speech. A recording of the first known version of the "I Have A Dream" speech was recently discovered by a professor at North Carolina State. Listen to hear about this speech and the memories of someone who heard it first as a high school student in 1962.
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