A new documentary examining the life and legacy of scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois is set to premiere later this month on PBS.
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, directed by Peabody Award-winning Chicago filmmaker Rita Coburn, debuts May 19 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS as part of the American Masters series. The two-hour film is narrated by Viola Davis, with dramatic readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance and Jeffrey Wright.
The documentary traces Du Bois's life chronologically, including, from his birth on Feb. 23, 1868, just five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, to his death on the eve of the March on Washington in 1963. Along the way, the film explores his role in shaping the Civil Rights Movement, his co-founding of the NAACP and his contributions to the founding of the United Nations.
Du Bois authored more than 20 books and pioneered the use of data and infographics to expose the roots of systemic racism. His 1903 work, The Souls of Black Folk, remains among the most influential texts in American history. In it, Du Bois wrote prophetically: "The problem of the 20th century is the color line.
"Rebel With A Cause draws from his books, articles, speeches and archival audio to illuminate the depth of his scholarship and the force of his activism. The film also examines his personal struggles, including the loss of his infant son, and how those experiences shaped his worldview and his fight for racial justice.
Commentary is featured from leading scholars and historians including Henry Louis Gates Jr., Nikole Hannah-Jones, Eric Foner, Eddie Glaude Jr. and Imani Perry, among others.
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause premieres May 19 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS. Check local listings.
