Angela Davis Movies

Since his incarceration in 1982 for allegedly shooting a Philadelphia policeman to death, Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal has awaited execution on Death Row, vociferously protesting his innocence; he now qualifies as one of the most famous Death Row inmates in the world. Currently an author of five tomes and an on-air personality who broadcasts over the phone from prison, Abu-Jamal carries the support of no less than Nelson Mandela and the administrators of Amnesty International, who believe in and fervently argue his innocence. Filmmaker Marc Evans's documentary In Prison My Whole Life witnesses William Francome, a British man who was born on the same day as the shooting, traveling to the prison where Abu-Jamal is held to investigate the details of the man's case. The film witnesses Francome learning about the initial events of that terrible night that led to Abu-Jamal's arrest and conviction, the allegations that the trial itself was unfair, and the city where it all happened - and investigating the moral and ethical dilemmas that have turned Abu-Jamal into a touchstone for the global crusade against capital punishment. Participants include belletrist Alice Walker, social activist Noam Chomsky and rapper Snoop Dogg. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Experience the true personification of courage as Russell Simmons' Higher Self Series brings home the tales of African-American icons who refused to take no for an answer and forever altered the course of American history. From Harry Belafonte's valiant efforts to reveal the truth during the civil-rights and anti-apartheid movements to the barriers that Vernon Jordan overcame to join America's elite circle of power, the stories are all here -- and told by the people who experienced the remarkable struggles firsthand. With ten other tales of triumph, including the remarkable stories of Nikki Giovanni, B.B. King, and Angela Davis, this inspirational release shows that even in the face of insurmountable odds, the will to overcome will always triumph. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Frontline correspondent and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. examines the widening gap between the upper and lower classes of black America while exploring just how we could simultaneously have the largest black middleclass and largest black underclass in the history of the United States. As black success continues on the upswing, Gates highlights how that positive trend is offset by deepening black despair. Could it be that the upper black classes share more in common with their white neighbors and colleagues than the friends and family they abandoned in the inner cities? Three decades after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., many American blacks have gained middle class status thanks to the civil rights movement and affirmative action. But numbers indicate that just as many were left to contend with poverty in the ever-expanding underclass as well. By intertwining his own life story against that of young African Americans coming of age in the early 21st Century, Gates compares the choices that he was faced with as a young man against the choices that the youth of today are faced with. Interviews with prominent blacks and civil rights veterans reveal that a large number of black leaders believe that issues of economic deprivation and class divide must first be addressed before any substantial improvement can be seen, while a study of the relationship between structural and behavioral issues that cause lower class blacks to fall further behind leads to a candid discussion about personal responsibility and the devastating effects of violent gangster culture. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi