Stream it Now!
- Part One, now available to view on-demand on CPTV streaming platforms.
- Part Two, now available to view on-demand on CPTV streaming platforms.
THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG
Hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.—takes us on a journey through the rich and complex history of the Black Church to reveal its profound impact on our nation's culture and history. Explore the untold story of this uniquely American institution and its lasting influence on nearly every chapter of the African American story.
Featuring: Oprah, TD Jakes, Shirley Caesar, and John Legend.
About the Series
THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG (“THE BLACK CHURCH”) is a four-hour documentary series that will premiere nationwide this February 2021. This intimate two-part series is from executive producer, host, and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Watch Part One Now
Part One traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, beginning with the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the extraordinary ways enslaved Africans preserved and adapted their faith practices under the brutal realities of human bondage.
Watch Part Two Now
Part Two focuses on the role of the Black church in addressing social inequality and ministering to those in need, from the exodus out of the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration to the heroic phase of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and ‘60s.
The series examines the church as a living institution, and the changing nature of worship spaces. The churches Gates visits are both a world within a world, where Black Americans could be themselves, and the epicenter of the freedom struggle.
Major corporate support for THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG is provided by Johnson & Johnson. Major support is also provided by Lilly Endowment, Inc., Ford Foundation, and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and public television viewers.
Download These Interactive Guides
The Black Church Bible Study Guide
The Black Church Dine and Dish Recipe Book
The Black Church Our Song Playlist
The Black Church Our Story Coloring Book
Host, Henry Louis Gates Jr. standing in front of stained glass at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago
Recording artist Yolanda Adams talks to host, Henry Louis Gates Jr
Host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., poses with Bishop Vashti McKenzie, at Mother Emanuel AME (Charleston, SC)
Host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., speaks to recording artist John Legend
Host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., poses with actress Jennifer Hudson