Eyes on the Prize: Two Societies (1965-1968) [Part 8 of 14] (1990)

Starring:

• Julian Bond
• Eugene 'Bull' Connor

PBS.org
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) come north to help Chicago's civil rights leaders in their nonviolent struggle against segregated housing. Their efforts pit them against Chicago's powerful mayor, Richard Daley. When a series of marches through all-white neighborhoods draws violence, King and Daley negotiate with mixed results. In Detroit, a police raid in a black neighborhood sparks an urban uprising that lasts five days, leaving 43 people dead. The Kerner Commission finds that America is becoming "two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal." President Lyndon Johnson, who appointed the commission, ignores the report.

Transcript for "Two Societies": PBS.org

Eyes on the Prize: The Time Has Come (1964-1966) [Part 7 of 14] (1990)

Starring:

• Julian Bond
• Eugene 'Bull' Connor

PBS.org
After a decade-long cry for justice, a new sound is heard in the civil rights movement: the insistent call for power. Malcolm X takes an eloquent nationalism to urban streets as a younger generation of black leaders listens. In the South, Stokely Carmichael and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) move from "Freedom Now!" to "Black Power!" as the fabric of the traditional movement changes.

Transcript for "The Time Has Come": PBS.org

Eyes on the Prize: Bridge to Freedom (1965) [Part 6 of 14] (1987)

Starring:

• Julian Bond

IMDB.com
"Eyes on the Prize" is an exceptional series--mostly because instead of the typical hour or half hour documentary, it's VERY thorough and very detailed---covering not just an event but the civil rights movement from 1954 through 1965--and a LOT happened during that time. This isn't surprising, as PBS has made tons of interesting and well-crafted documentaries over the years.

This is the final episode of the series. Much of it has to do with marches and especially police brutality in Selma, Alabama. While the show did not cover this, it was VERY interesting how later in life the state's governor, George Wallace, DID change significantly and did a lot to make up for his evil ways--and was seen, at his death, as a man very friendly towards Blacks! It's a shame this isn't in the film because it does say a lot about hope and redemption--but that really wasn't the purpose of the film, so I can understand it not being included. The episode concludes with the signing of the voting rights bill in 1965. Overall, it's pretty typical for the series--well done, interesting and very educational. Well worth seeing.

Transcript for "Bridge to Freedom: PBS.org