Racism

by Gregory Alan-Williams

(Academy Press)

Gregory Alan-Williams talks about rescuing a Japanese-American man who was being beaten during the L.A. riots in 1992, places this story against the backdrop of his own life as an African-American man who has grappled with the complexities of violence and power. He recalls his experiences with racism, as well as his own violent behavior in the Marines. He also offers insight into the meaning of rage, the larger implications of the L.A. riots, and the obligations we all have as citizens to minimize the violence in our society.

53 minutes

Abercrombie & Fitch refused to hire Samantha Elauf because she wears a headscarf. Nineteen-year-old Elauf is a community college student from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is Muslim, and covers her head for religious reasons. When Elauf applied for a position at a Tulsa Abercrombie Kids store in June of 2008, she was turned down, and later found out from a friend who works at the store that “the headscarf cost her the job.” The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed suit against Abercrombie on Elauf’s behalf.

4 episodes, 90 minutes each on 4 VHS or 2 DVDs
Source: PBS Video

Africans in America considers the contradictions that lie at the heart of the founding of the American nation. The infant democracy pronounced all men to be created equal while enslaving one race to benefit another. In four 90-minute programs, this series explores the impact of slavery on Americans—black and white—from the first English settlement in 1607 to the brink of civil war in 1861.

1. The Terrible Transformation (1607-1750)