Truxal Library Exhibit: Black History Month 2025, Black Joy: An Agent of Change

Painter, muralist, teacher of at-risk youth, key organizer involved in community projects - Hershell West is a black man brought up in the rural south in the days before the end of segregation. Neither his family nor his community, nor the larger society expected him to become a professional artist. Defying these expectations, he triumphed over the odds and in this hour-long documentary, we examine both his art and the ways in which artists contribute to society - through their artistic creations, and also through their teaching, and advocacy for the arts.

The 14th Amendment promised citizenship in exchange for enlistment, prompting many African American men to do so. These “Buffalo Soldiers” participated in the subjugation of Native peoples and went up against Filipinos in the Spanish-American War. The film examines their role in U.S. history, how they fought in military conflicts abroad, and their civil rights struggles at home.

"Charles Fuller is the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his drama A Soldiers Play. "

"In the 1960s, Ruby Bridges became the first African-American student to integrate into an entirely white public school system in New Orleans. She joins Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who followed in Bridges' footsteps 60 years ago and desegregated the University of Georgia along with Hamilton Holmes, to discuss racism and civil rights in the modern era."

"Before Denzel and Halle won the Oscar. Before Jamie Foxx riveted audiences with his spot-on portrayal of Ray Charles, there was a time when Black actors and actresses were limited in what they could portray in motion pictures. In many roles they were reduced to subservient roles such as maids, cooks and nannies. But even as Jim Crow pervaded in the mainstream film industry, there were more than 400 Black-produced motion pictures made between 1915 and 1950. And one man, Oscar Micheaux, was responsible for more than 10 percent of them. Enjoy the powerful story of how Micheaux dared to defy the stereotypes at a time when many Blacks lacked basic civil rights. "

"This documentary explores the history and scope of the Hip-Hop dance style. The movement is also studied as a global marketing phenomenon: despite its popularity, Hip-Hop struggles to define its historical lineage, concept, origins, aesthetics, and generational acceptance."

"In the wake of protests against systemic racism in the U.S., many industries are reexamining past practices and facing questions about their own racial biases. One new effort puts a spotlight on the world of publishing. Jeffrey Brown reports and talks to Simon & Schuster’s Dana Canedy, the first Black person to head a major publishing house, for our ongoing series about arts and culture."

Langston Hughes was one of the most prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance and is often referred to as Harlem's poet laureate. This film shows how Hughes successfully fused jazz, blues and common speech to celebrate the beauty of Black life. Hughes' Dream Harlem presents a vision of the esteemed poet in present-day Harlem and makes an important case for Hughes' impact on hip-hop and the spoken-word community. This multi-layered documentary includes roundtable discussions of his contributions and a tour of Hughes' Harlem hang-outs. The distinguished actor/activist Ossie Davis offers the narration in his soulful baritone, while his wife and collaborator, the renowned Ruby Dee, reflects on Hughes' life with such notable personalities as poet Sonia Sanchez and music industry icon Damon Dash. The artists testify to his continuing impact on their work and his steadfast racial pride and artistic independence. Hughes' Dream Harlem will inspire students to discover Hughes' work while encouraging them to pursue their own writing.

"Documents the dramatic life and turbulent times of the pioneering African American journalist, activist, suffragist and anti-lynching crusader of the post-Reconstruction period."

"Inside Buffalo, an Award-winning feature film documentary, tells the story of the 92nd Buffalo Division, the all African American segregated combat unit that fought with outstanding heroism in Italy during the Second World War, those who survived found that their contributions went unnoticed upon their return to the United States of America."

Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.

The artist behind Barack Obama’s presidential portrait, Kehinde Wiley is known for his larger-than-life classical paintings of Black men. In “An Economy of Grace,” Wiley sets out to create his first portrait series centering Black women.

"Who was the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? The answer is Ralph Bunche. As the United Nations Undersecretary General, Bunche successfully negotiated armistice agreements between Israel and four neighboring nations and developed peacekeeping strategies and operations around the globe. "

The first Black newspaper editor in the history of the United States, Mary Ann Shadd Cary spoke out to champion the cause of freedom in an era when the voices of African Americans were rarely heard.

"The first African-American female principal dancer talks about her incredible rise, the challenges of overcoming stereotypes, and her experiences performing in some of the most coveted roles of ballet."

A New Color joyfully profiles the life and work of celebrated artist Edythe Boone whose colorful murals portray some of the major events of our time and illustrate the transformative power of art. Long before Black Lives Matter became a rallying cry, septuagenarian Boone embodied that truth as an accomplished artist and educator. From humble Harlem roots, the indefatigable Boone pursued her love of art and her dream of someday creating a new color – "a color that no one had ever seen before."

"First popularized as a genre of literature in the 1920s, for decades science fiction was dominated by white male authors. That is until Octavia Butler, an African American woman, rewrote the script."

How do the stories we tell shape the boundaries of our beliefs about what is possible? From the dawn of time, stories are how humans have made sense of the world. Episode three emphasizes the fundamental role stories play in our lives, our inclination towards dystopian narratives, and the potential for bigger, better stories to unleash the power of human imagination and creativity moving forward.

"Shirley Chisholm, the first African American Woman elected to Congress, addresses the US House of Representatives to argue in support of a controversial women’s rights bill; the Equal Rights Amendment."

"You hold in your hands a backstage pass to one of the most extraordinary concert events ever filmed. Featuring musical legends James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, and a host of others, SOUL POWER documents the three-night Zaire '74 music festival planned to coincide with the now-legendary and epic "Rumble in the Jungle" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman."

In 1963 Michigan State Head Coach Duffy Daugherty and 23 African American young men seized the opportunity of a lifetime. The daughter of Minnesota Vikings football legend Gene Washington deepens her connection to her father as she uncovers how the first fully integrated college football team in America changed the game forever.

"BIOGRAPHY uses archival footage, period accounts and interviews with family members and colleagues to chronicle the monumental life of the first African-American to sit on the Supreme Court."

"Tupac Shakur's image is known around the world. He was one of hip hop's most photographed figures. But could just a handful of photos uncover new truths about someone we think we know? This episode throws a unique lens onto an extraordinary life, focusing on ten defining pictures, from iconic shots to private snaps. Their secrets are revealed by those who were there and those who knew Tupac best."

"This is a biography of Madame C.J. Walker, the child of slaves freed by the Civil War, who became America's first self-made millionairess."

"According to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the first Black Attorney General of the United States, There is a "direct line" from the 1960 lunch counter sit-in that took place in Greensboro, North Carolina to the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. "

"Willa Beatrice Brown, the first African- American woman in the U.S. to be a licensed pilot, earned her license in 1937. "