"The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song" (2021 release; 2 episodes of 110 min. each) brings the extraordinary story of the Black church in this country. As Episode 1 opens, Henry Louis Gates Jr. welcomes us and is in effect the MC of this journey we are to embark on. We learn that the roots of the Black church from Africa's many different religious practices including Christianity but also Muslim, voodoo, and others. Many slaves in the early years entered this country in either Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. A visit to Sapelo Island, GA reminds us of the Muslim presence. "But that didn't last long. Why?" asks Gates Jr. We get the answers from the many scholarly experts in these matters... At this point we are 15 min. into Episode 1.
Couple of comments: as someone who is neither African-American or a US native (I arrived in the US from Belgium when I was 23), this documentary series was an eye-opener on so many levels. This series provides a thorough review of the origins and history of the Black church, including the essential role of gospel singing and celebration. As a general observation, I was aware of the intricate connection between the Black church and politics, going back to even before the Civil War, but to see it laid out and presented like this only sheds new light on it. There is no question that this series was researched painstakingly and meticulously. Episode 1 us through the end of the 19th, and Episode 2 takes us from the Great Migration to today, including of course its key role in the civil rights moment. Along the way we learn of things like "preaching on wax" (of which Aretha Franklin's dad was a big star apparently). Kudos to the film makers for unearthing so much rarely before seen archive footage. including at one point a protest march shot in B&W from the early 20th century with someone carrying a sign that says "Stop Police Brutality"--here we are a century later and still dealing with the same issue, just amazing.
"The Black Church: This Is Our Song, This Is Our Story" premiered earlier this week on PBS with the two episodes showing on consecutive nights. This documentary series is now available from PBS On Demand and other streaming services, as well as on DVD/Blu-ray. If you have any interest in the origins and history of the Black church in this country, either because you already know much about or because (like me) you don't know much about it, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
