(Educational and Institutional orders only)

America’s Definitive Documentary on the Civil Rights Movement Returns!

New classroom compatible Educator's Edition highlights include:

• Rare interviews that add depth to the lives and legacies of famous and lesser-known figures
• Historical footage from more than 80 footage sources, 95 still archives, and 100 songs that sheds light on three decades of the movement for social change
• A comprehensive Study Guide focuses on key ideas, discussion points, and features primary resources
• A VHS version that provides a time-saving index that makes it easy to find relevant people, places, and events within the series
• DVDs featuring bonus learning materials—biographies, statistics, and more

Individual Episodes

• Awakenings (1954 - 1956)
Trace the events that exposed racial discrimination in America and shaped the leadership and tactics of the civil rights movement. Although the constitution promised “liberty and justice for all,” it took the questioning of the Jim Crow system, the murder of Emmett Till, and the arrest of Rosa Parks to inspire black Southerners, activists, and ordinary citizens to mobilize and stand up for freedom.

• Fighting Back (1957 - 1962)
Witness the clash between state and federal governments when black citizens reject the notion of “separate but equal” education. Battle lines are drawn in the South with unforgettable images of nine black teenagers who dare to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, AR, and in Mississippi, James Meredith’s challenge to the white-only enrollment policy of “Ole Miss.”

• Ain’t Scared of Your Jails (1960 - 1961)
See college students unite to overcome segregation. Watch as lunch counter sit-ins spread throughout the South, giving life to a new force—the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Traveling together at great risk to protest bus segregation, black and white Freedom Riders challenge the government to protect them from mobs and extremists.

• No Easy Walk (1961 - 1963)
Discover the power of mass demonstration with the national emergence of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as the most visible leader of the civil rights movement. King’s peaceful protests lead the way to the widely supported, historic march on Washington, D.C. In the wake of mounting national sentiment, President John F. Kennedy proposes the Civil Rights Act.

• Mississippi: Is This America? (1962 - 1964)
Mississippi becomes a testing ground of constitutional principles as civil rights activists focus their energies on the right to vote. Examine the state’s white resistance to the movement and the equally strong determination of black and white organizers to bring Mississippi’s black citizens into the political process and onto the floor of the Democratic National Convention.

• Bridge to Freedom (1965)
Consider the lessons of a decade and the role of national television in the struggle for civil rights. TV images of troopers gassing demonstrators on a Selma bridge fill living rooms. From across the nation, 25,000 people make the climactic march from Selma to Montgomery, helping to ensure the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

• The Time Has Come (1964 - 1966)
After a decade-long cry for justice, there’s a new sound on the horizon — the insistent call for power. Examine the influence of Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael and see how they helped transform the civil rights movement into a broader struggle for human rights.

• Two Societies (1965 - 1968)
Explore the color lines outside of the South. In Chicago, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership face off with mayor Richard Daley over segregated housing. In Detroit, tensions explode and more than 100 cities share the pain of racial violence. A presidential commission finds that America has become “two societies, separate and unequal.”

• Power! (1966 - 1968)
The call for “Black Power” mobilizes communities for change in strikingly different ways. Carl Stokes becomes the first black mayor of a major city. Tension in the streets of Oakland gives birth to the Black Panther Party. African-American and Latino residents in Brooklyn elect an interracial governing board to control their children’s education.

• The Promised Land (1967 - 1968)
Relive Martin Luther King, Jr.’s crusade to overcome a fragmenting civil rights movement and expand the struggle to include economic equality. In the midst of political organizing, King detours to lead striking Memphis sanitation workers in a peaceful protest. King’s assassination in Memphis horrifies millions of Americans from all walks of life.

• Ain’t Gonna Shuffle No More (1964 - 1972)
A call to pride and a renewed push for unity galvanizes African Americans. World heavyweight champion Cassius Clay challenges America to accept him as Muslim Muhammad Ali. Howard University students fight to bring their African heritage inside the halls of learning. Black officials and activists organize the National Black Political Convention in Gary, IN.

• A Nation of Law? (1968 - 1971)
Show students the sometimes violent and unethical response to black activism from local and federal law enforcement agencies. Urban rebellion, campus unrest, and the killing of two Black Panther Party leaders result in a “law and order” crackdown that has tragic results at New York’s Attica State Correctional Facility.

• The Keys to the Kingdom (1974 - 1980)
Reflect on the remedies to solve the problems of discrimination in schools and the workplace. For both blacks and whites in Boston, busing proves an unpopular means of integrating schools. Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard Jackson, proves affirmative action can work but the Bakke Supreme Court case challenges that policy.

• Back to the Movement (1979 - 1985)
Experience the power and powerlessness felt in black communities during the third decade of the struggle for social justice. Miami’s Overtown section explodes in rioting when a young black salesman dies after being beaten by police. Harold Washington becomes Chicago’s first black mayor. Eyes on the Prize concludes with a look back at the courageous people who made the movement a force for social change in America.

Looking for a profound learning experience? Eyes on the Prize

• Teaches the importance of diversity, economic empowerment, and democracy.
• Enriches understanding of the social fabric and priorities of America today.
• Presents thought-provoking lessons on race, leadership, and justice for all.