Sociology


New! The Big Payback 85 min.

Evanston, Illinois Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons leads the passage of the first tax-funded reparations bill in U.S. history for Black Americans. What follows is conflict as she and her community struggle with the burden to make repair and restitution for Black Americans harmed by centuries of slavery, systemic injustice, and exploitation while racial and social crisis engulfs the country.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! The Busing Battleground 114 min.

On September 12, 1974, police were stationed outside Boston schools as Black and white students were bused for the first time to comply with a federal court desegregation order. Shocking violence, directed mostly at children, ensued. The Busing Battleground illuminates the volatile effort to end school segregation, and the decades-long struggle for educational equity that preceded the crisis.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 1: Hidden Kin (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates explores the remarkable roots of actors Edward Norton and Julia Roberts—using DNA analysis and genealogical detective work to travel generations into the past, tracing lineages that run from Northern Europe to the American South. Along the way, Norton and Roberts reimagine their family stories and discover their hidden connections to our nation’s history—and each other.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 10: Out of the Past (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates uncovers the roots of actors Billy Crudup and Tamera Mowry-Housley, traveling back generations into the past to trace lineages from the Europe and Africa to the shores of the New World. With Gates’ guidance, his guests re-imagine significant events in history—from the American Revolution to the journey of the Mayflower—and encounter surprising ancestors they never knew they had.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 2: Salem's Lot (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates takes actors Claire Danes and Jeff Daniels on a journey into their roots, uncovering primal scenes from our nation’s past. Weaving together stories of soldiers and settlers, immigrants and entrepreneurs, Gates travels from World War One battlefields to Civil War prison camps to America’s most infamous witch hunt—offering his guests insight into what made them who they are today.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 3: Secret Lives (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates helps comedians Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash decode scandals and secrets that have lain hidden within their roots for generations, revealing stories that their ancestors went to great lengths to conceal. Along the way, Gates and his guests also explore the larger meaning of family bonds—and celebrate the virtue of accepting one’s relatives, whoever they may be.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 4: Far From Home (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates explores the family trees of pop star Cyndi Lauper and actors Jamie Chung and Danny Trejo, introducing them to ancestors whose stories were lost when their families immigrated to the United States. Drawing on long-lost records from Italy, Korea, Mexico, and Switzerland, Gates helps his guests to re-imagine their families and connect to history in a deeply personal way.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 5: Rising from the Ashes (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates traces the roots of actors Brian Cox and Viola Davis—two people who overcame traumatic childhoods, revealing that they aren’t the first in their families to face enormous odds. From workhouses in Scotland to slave plantations in South Carolina, long-lost records reveal the stories of ancestors who laid the groundwork for Brian and Viola’s success by fighting so hard to survive.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 6: Family: Lost and Found (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates uses DNA detective work to solve haunting family mysteries for actor Joe Manganiello and football star Tony Gonzalez. Sifting through stories of the Armenian Genocide, the rise of Nazi Germany, the Jim Crow South, slavery, and the American Revolution, Gates unravels deep secrets and uncovers lost ancestors--compelling each of his guests to rethink their own identities.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

New! Episode 7: Chosen (Finding Your Roots, Season 9) 53 min.

Henry Louis Gates helps actors David Duchovny and Richard Kind trace their roots from Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and the Middle East to the United States. Telling stories of triumph and tragedy, Gates reveals how his guest’s ancestors tested the limits of luck and familial love as they battled to escape oppression and build a better life for future generations.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023