Local, USA
MONDAYS 9/8c
LOCAL, USA is a series that features fascinating stories of diverse people, culled from public television stations and independent producers, and curated around a single theme for each program. These “untold” local stories are shared with a national audience.
Episodes
About Season 9
Culled from public television stations and independent producers, LOCAL, USA shows the depth and diversity of people in fascinating short stories.
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Episode
Road Scholars
In 2009, twelve at-risk Black teenage boys set out to interview Black men from all walks of life. The kids hoped that what they learned might keep them from the streets. Today, they are young men coming of age in an America trying to turn back the clock on tolerance and race. When they reunite with the older generation, can the wisdom of the past help keep them from becoming yet another statistic?
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Episode
HBCU Week: Changemakers
HBCU Week: Changemakers illustrates the power and success of peaceful protests led by students. Witness how Morehouse College's youth leaders exemplify social grace during demonstrations against social injustices in the U.S., and at Morgan State University, the untold story of how this HBCU became one of America's fastest growing universities following the largest student-led protest in Maryland.
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Episode
HBCU Week: Innovation
HBCU Week: Innovation explores how HBCU programs are changing and saving lives. Howard University is making history with the only Division One swim program at an HBCU while also teaching the Black community to swim. Claflin University's SmartHOME technology connects a person's physical state to actions to help mitigate health risks, hoping to combat healthcare disparities in minority communities.
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Preview
Linnentown
The last living descendants of a once-thriving Black neighborhood in Athens, GA come together to fight to preserve the memory of Linnentown and to seek redress for what was lost. Their family homes were razed in a 1960s urban renewal program and they, along with civic-minded neighbors, unite to try to reclaim their forgotten history and forge a path toward reconciliation.
About Season 8
Culled from public television stations and independent producers, LOCAL, USA shows the depth and diversity of people in fascinating short stories. Hosted by Tina M. McDuffie.
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Preview
Legacy of Love
LEGACY OF LOVE reveals the meeting, romance and intellectual relationship between Coretta Scott and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With historical dramatizations and exclusive interviews, the film shows the surprising differences between their backgrounds. Featuring brief commentaries by Christian, Jewish, Moslem, Asian-American, African-American and Latin-American community leaders.
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Episode
In the Bubble with Jaime
In South Carolina, African American candidate Jaime Harrison faces incumbent Lindsey Graham for U.S. Senate. As COVID-19 disrupts, Harrison confronts not only the pandemic but deep-rooted racial prejudice. But, in a state with a significant African American population, his campaign against Graham becomes a symbol of hope in a time of crisis, intertwining politics, and race and health challenges.
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Episode
FIRSTHAND: Segregation
In Chicago, segregation has a profound impact. From disparities in housing, education and healthcare to economic inequality, FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION illustrates the high cost of division, not just in dollars, but in lives lost and unrealized potential. Through stories, witness the power of individuals to effect positive change as residents strive for a more integrated and equitable community.
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Episode
HBCU Week: Beyond the Field
HBCU Week: BEYOND THE FIELD takes you inside the heart of HBCUs. Experience the CIAA in Maryland, a cornerstone of Black athletics history, and feel the electrifying atmosphere of Louisiana's Bayou Classic - an annual showdown between Grambling State and Southern University. The episode offers a unique look beyond sports, highlighting the culture, history, and community spirit that define HBCUs.
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Episode
HBCU Week: Tradition and Competition
HBCU Week: TRADITION AND COMPETITION dives into HBCU football culture. Witness the rivalry of Hampton & Howard, a testament to tradition and spirit, and appreciate the intensity of an NC A&T vs. NC Central game, a match steeped in proximity and pride. The episode showcases the blend of camaraderie and competition that defines HBCU sports, highlighting their impact on African American communities.
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Episode
Minnesota's Alt-Meat Revolution
As the demand for plant-based alternatives to meat grows, so does the demand for new methods of farming and food production. In Dawson, MN, “alt-meat” is not new - soybean processing dates back to the '50s. Now, PURIS, one of the largest manufacturers of pea protein, has moved in to revolutionize the agricultural system. What impact will it have on the town's residents and surrounding communities?
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Episode
Fire Tender
Yurok people have been putting fire on the land since time immemorial...but this practice has been disrupted by California settlers. Catastrophic fires in the West, however, has policymakers rethinking their commitment to fire suppression. FIRE TENDER shares the work of Margo Robbins, a Yurok knowledge keeper, seeking to return practices to Yurok territory, and to restore the land and its people.
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Preview
Against the Current: Life on the Eastern Shore
AGAINST THE CURRENT provides a powerful look at how residents of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, like many coastal towns, are subject to rising sea waters and the challenges it has on their lives and livelihood. Through resilience and perseverance, they learn to co-exist and celebrate their rural home. How can this community shed light on conversations happening around these issues of climate change?
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Episode
Chinatown Auxiliary
For decades, Chinese residents have patrolled Manhattan's Chinatown as NYPD volunteer police to protect the few blocks they call home while finding belonging in a foreign, unwelcoming country. From the savage tribulation in the '70s to “Asian Hate” during the pandemic, these stories remind us of the hope the U.S. represented to the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to belong.
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Episode
Public Enemies, Private Friends
On December 30, 1994, a man entered two abortion clinics in Brookline, MA. By day's end, two women were dead, five wounded, and a community was left mourning. Thus began a clandestine dialogue between leaders of the pro-choice and pro-life movements and the beginning of the most unlikely friendship.
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Episode
American Problems, Trans Solutions
In the U.S., Black trans people are among the most marginalized of marginalized Americans. Award-winning journalist Imara Jones shares the stories of trans leaders Kayla Gore, Breonna McCree, and Oluchi Omeoga who, despite the record-breaking number of anti-trans bills passed in 2023, are addressing critical issues surrounding economic empowerment and human dignity with heart and vision.
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Episode
Silence in Sikeston
The story of how the 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright - and the subsequent failure of the first federal attempt to prosecute a lynching - continues to haunt the small city of Sikeston, Missouri. Then, in 2020, the community is faced with the police killing of a young Black father. The film SILENCE IN SIKESTON explores the necessary questions about history, trauma, silence and resilience over 78 years.
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Episode
Segregation Scholarships
The untold story of Black Americans in pursuit of higher education in the North when Southern graduate schools were white-only. The academics, who left during the Great Migration, returned to the Jim Crow South to strengthen their communities and to help end segregation. SEGREGATION SCHOLARSHIPS highlights the trailblazers while illustrating the role of education in transforming social conditions.
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Episode
Inundation District
In a time of rising seas, one city spent billions of dollars erecting a new waterfront district - on landfill, at sea level. Unlike other places imperiled by climate change, this community with some of the world’s largest companies was built well after scientists began warning of the threats. The city called its new neighborhood the Innovation District. Others are calling it INUNDATION DISTRICT.
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Episode
Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw Salmon People: Preserving a Way of Life
Despite wildfire smoke and a depleting fishery, Lummi families fish for sockeye salmon. The film, which explores the deep spiritual and cultural connection between the Lummi and salmon, lifts values of respect, gratitude and sharing as they are passed onto the next generation. Through the Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw, the Salmon People, we learn that protecting salmon and this lifeway is a full-time job.
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Episode
Firelighters: Fire is Medicine
For centuries, most landscapes in North America were shaped by fire between lightning strikes and Indigenous burns. Indigenous people had deep knowledge of the art of using fire, and still do today. FIRELIGHTERS follows the work of women leaders from the Yurok and Karuk Tribes who are building resources to share indigenous practices and create policies to take back indigenous burning rights.
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Episode
UNVEILED: Joyce Tenneson and the Heroine's Journey
As a groundbreaking female photographer pursues her artistic vision, she struggles to navigate diverging roles as mother and artist. UNVEILED explores Tenneson’s life as she fights to express her voice while suffering the fallout of a 45-year-old secret. In watching the film, audiences must contemplate the compromises that are inevitably made in seeking to live a full creative life.
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Episode
With Peter Bradley
When filmmaker Alex Rappoport met Peter Bradley in 2020, the abstract artist hadn't had a major show in over four decades - yet he still painted every day in relative obscurity. The pair recorded Bradley's life story and artistic process, both deeply inspired by modern Jazz music, over the course of changing seasons. In this intimate portrait, Bradley’s is the sole voice and figure on screen.
About Season 7
Culled from public television stations and independent producers, LOCAL, USA shows the depth and diversity of people in fascinating short stories. Hosted by Tina M. McDuffie.
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Episode
Girl Talk: A Local, USA Special
Set in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of high school debate, GIRL TALK tells the compelling story of five girls on the diverse, top-ranked Massachusetts team at Newton South. Often talked over, underrepresented and judged differently than their male counterparts, each girl learns to navigate gender biases, reminding us that equal rights and freedom of expression are worth fighting for.
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Episode
Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond Volume 1
Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond reflects the complexities of Asian American experiences: Queer filmmaker Quyên Nguyen-Le recovers and articulates the legacy of their mother's nail salon for their refugee family, and Filipino-American filmmaker Frances Rubio captures the experience of being distanced from her sick father, who has been isolated in his facility during the pandemic.
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Episode
Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond Volume 2
Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond reflects the complexities of Asian American experiences: Filipinx filmmaker Bree Nieves and her cousin grapple with what remains of their dreams, after losing one of their fathers during the pandemic; and Chanthon Bun, who lost his legal protection to live in the U.S. after conviction, must tread carefully after being released - ICE could deport him.
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Episode
Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts
Established by Congress, the 14th Amendment promised citizenship in exchange for enlistment, prompting many African American men. They were denied due to Jim Crow laws but still served. The film examines the profound and often-contradictory roles played by Buffalo Soldiers in U.S. history, and how they fought on two sets of front lines: military conflicts abroad and civil rights struggles at home.
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Episode
Generations Stolen
Native American communities are grappling with the fallout of government policies which separated Native children from their families and stripped them of their culture - first at boarding schools, and later in white adoptive and foster homes. On June 15, 2023, the Supreme Court rejected challenges to ICWA, a victory for Native communities working to overcome generations of trauma.
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Episode
The Power of a Pardon
For five formerly incarcerated individuals who served their time, the only path to redemption and chance to pursue their purpose is through the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. Through intimate and, at times, nerve-racking stories, THE POWER OF A PARDON follows these individuals as they show how life-altering a pardon and criminal justice reform can be when trying to build a life after prison.
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FIRSTHAND: Gun Violence
The number of gun violence victims in Chicago may fluctuate, but the psychological trauma in many neighborhoods is constant. How do wounded communities heal? FIRSTHAND: GUN VIOLENCE explores the personal stories of people whose lives have been affected and how each, in their own way, is transforming pain and struggle into hope and action.
About Season 6
Culled from public television stations and independent producers, LOCAL, USA shows the depth and diversity of people in fascinating short stories. Hosted by Tina M. McDuffie.
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Episode
Heaven: Can You Hear Me?
In Philadelphia, gun violence is the leading cause of death for young Black men. HEAVEN: CAN YOU HEAR ME? explores the impact on families through the eyes of mothers like one woman whose youngest of four sons was murdered. The film demonstrates the challenges gun violence prevention advocates confront while allowing viewers to understand the often-untold trauma and resilience of survivors.
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Episode
A Tale of Three Chinatowns
A TALE OF THREE CHINATOWNS explores the survival of urban ethnic neighborhoods in three American cities: Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Boston. Through the voices of residents, community activists, developers, and government officials, the film looks at the forces altering each community and the challenges that go with them, including the pressing issue of urban development and gentrification.
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Decolonizing Mental Health
The mental health field operates around a centre defined by a whiteness of theory and practice. It’s a colonization that has rarely been questioned. By focusing on the work of therapists and individuals of color, DECOLONIZING MENTAL HEALTH calls for a redressal of the ways in which we define psychiatric illness while discussing what a more responsive mental health care system should look like.
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The Conversation Remix
THE CONVERSATION REMIX explores the present catharsis we are living in, following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Through three character-driven films that present a vibrant collage of people’s lives and experiences, we dive into how the current uprising is impacting communities, and how we can contribute to discussions about racial justice reform.
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Episode
Breach of Trust
Told from the point of view of women advocating for accountability and change, BREACH OF TRUST examines the sexual assault scandal at the University of Southern California and details crimes committed by former gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall, as well as exposing the active cover-up on the part of the administration.
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Caretakers
CARETAKERS looks at the history of Filipinos in care work and profiles Filipino Americans on the front lines today. The film shows, as filmmaker Geena Rocero says, “Filipinos as we are," while telling the stories of all people providing vital care. Meet caretakers like nurse Belinda Ellis, therapist Aleksa Manila, Chef Channing Centeno, and phlebotomist Angel Bonilla.
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Extremism in America
According to government officials, domestic terrorism by white supremacists is the nation's most urgent threat. EXTREMISM IN AMERICA, from Retro Report and The WNET Group’s Exploring Hate initiative, shows how the spread of extremist beliefs and violence was downplayed for decades by policymakers and law enforcement even as this dangerous ideology, fueled by racism, grew into a potent force today.
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In Their Element
IN THEIR ELEMENT spotlights Indigenous leaders rising up to meet the challenge of the climate crisis. The film features four communities across the United States, each working to protect a different natural resource: earth, air, fire, and water. For people whose existence is inseparable from their native land, climate change is not a tale of the future - it is the present.
About Season 5
Culled from public television stations and independent producers, LOCAL, USA shows the depth and diversity of people in fascinating short stories. Hosted by Tina M. McDuffie.
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Episode
Metcalfe Park: Black Vote Rising
On April 7, Wisconsin held its primary election at the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S. An estimated ~16% of Black voters were disenfranchised in Milwaukee. Danell Cross and Melody McCurtis are determined to prevent this from happening again. Follow the mother-daughter activist team as they organize their Black community to prepare for the 2020 presidential election and its challenges.
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Preview
Pandemic19
On January 20th, 2020, the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in the United States; today those numbers have ballooned with millions infected and hundreds of thousands dead. PANDEMIC19 follows three brave doctors working to save lives during the first wave of the outbreak. Using intimate video diaries, the film encapsulates the historic times in which we live.
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Episode
Entangled
There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales in the world, making them among the most endangered species. Threatening their survival are vessel strikes and millions of lobster lines. ENTANGLED chronicles the efforts to protect the whales, the impacts of those efforts on the lobster industry, and how the National Marine Fisheries Service has struggled to balance the vying interests.
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Legal Lens
Twelve Harvard Law students from six countries explore how laws and regulations can both disrupt lives and encourage constructive change. With intimate and powerful profiles of people -- either caught in or helped by the levers of the law -- these short films examine the jeopardy to people's homes and lives.
About Season 4
Culled from public television stations and independent producers, LOCAL, USA shows the depth and diversity of people in fascinating short stories. Hosted by Tina Martin.
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Episode
States of America: Relocation
States of America: Relocation explores what it means to be from a place and how the states we live in help us to form our identities. Featuring Wisconsin, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and West Virginia.
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States of America: Connection
States of America: Connection looks at the bonds of community and what makes us feel rooted to a place and its people. Featuring Maryland, Virginia, Maine, Nebraska and Iowa.
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Pandemic in Seattle
With exclusive access to Seattle and King County's public health director, get a behind-the-scenes look at how public health cared for it most vulnerable in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Witness how local officials scrambled to stop the spread of the virus, tracked and isolated those who became ill, and educated people about what they could do to help.
About Season 3
Culled from public television stations and independent producers, LOCAL, USA shows the depth and diversity of people in fascinating short stories. This season brings individuals together to talk about their slice of life - from the witnesses of a historic event that changed a neighborhood, and a nation, to the men and women finding themselves and their passion & place. Hosted by Tina Martin.
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Preview
K-Town '92: Reporters
K-Town '92: REPORTERS looks at the city-wide civil unrest that erupted in 1992. Journalists Hector Tobar, Tammerlin Drummond, and John Lee covered the story for the Los Angeles Times, providing in-depth reporting on the destruction and deaths that resulted. Twenty-five years later, they revisit their stories and impressions of those tumultuous events, and the media coverage they helped to create.
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Finding America 1
Before Courtney became an accidental baker and Jesus cooked the most beautiful hot dogs, they each had to search for their identity. The same can be said of Anthony, Cordelia and Tonia - these five men and women discovered who they are and then discovered their passion and purpose in their America.
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Preview
Finding America 2
We all come from some place...and that place can shape us for the rest of our lives. FINDING AMERICA looks across the United States at stories that celebrate and challenge the relationships between individuals and the communities they live in. In five locales, we hear warm memories, surprising discoveries, and deep worries about our changing American landscapes.
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Preview
The Guys Next Door
Erik and Sandro, like many married couples, hope to become parents. Their friend Rachel decides she can help by becoming a surrogate for them – even though she and her husband Tony have three biological children of their own. THE GUYS NEXT DOOR is a story that redefines choice, generosity, and what it means to be a family in today’s America.
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The Mayors of Shiprock
Meet THE MAYORS OF SHIPROCK – that’s what some people call The Northern Diné Youth Committee. These young Navajo leaders meet every week to learn about their Native culture, discuss community improvements, and work to bridge divides within their community. Some on the reservation say they don’t have the traditional knowledge and language needed to be real leaders…but the Mayors are not stopping.
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My Everyday Hustle
Meet five men and women chasing their versions of the American Dream. In New York, they are an integral part of everyday life and many people depend on them as a dog walker to street cart vendor. How do they make ends meet? MY EVERYDAY HUSTLE reveals the struggles, successes, and daily “hustle” for people we see every day, but don’t really know.
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Kū Kanaka: Stand Tall
At 15-years-old, Terry Kanalu Young took a dive into shallow waters, becoming a quadriplegic in a split second. Nonetheless he learned to value the life he lived rather than mourn the life he lost, using that insight to offer hope to those dispossessed. At the end of his life, Kanalu was able to inspire Native Hawaiians to reclaim their sense of worth.
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Mr. Connolly Has ALS
In New Hampshire, Concord High School Principal Gene Connolly was known for his non-stop energy and the innate ability to connect with the school’s 1,600 students. However, in 2014, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). MR. CONNOLLY HAS ALS follows his final year as principal, and invites students to ask questions - personal and tough - about living with the disease.
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Opioids from Inside
OPIOIDS FROM INSIDE follows the journey of three women, all mothers, who have served time in New York State jails for opioid-related crimes. Growing up, these women dreamed of having a family, a career. But these women are not simply addicts, they are mothers and daughters, they are loved and feared, they are abusers and victims, but most of all, they are humans.
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Preview
G is for Gun: The Arming of Teachers in America
Arming teachers was practically unheard of five years ago. But now after multiple incidents in schools across America, 13 states have adopted this practice. One such place is Sidney, Ohio where the school system has decided to take security into their own hands. Explore the complex and often divisive issue of school staff carrying guns in G IS FOR GUN.
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Episode
Crossing the Divide
5 reporters, 1 van. At a time of deep divisions in America, five young journalists travel together across the country to find hidden stories in every corner of the United States. From red states to blue states, the team explores the issues that divide us and discover the stories that unite us. A co-production of WGBH and The GroundTruth Project.
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Episode
Behind-the-Scenes - Beyond Graduation
Go behind-the-scenes of the production of BEYOND GRADUATION: Meet Latinx directors Alan Domínguez, Dez Hernández, Georgiana González, Carlos Valdivia and Carla Dauden as they produce short-form films that tell personal stories of Latinx youth transitioning from high school to life. Presented with the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.
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Beyond Graduation - DOCS!
A BEYOND GRADUATION collection of two short documentary stories that share the lives of Latinx youth dealing with life after high-school. Featuring Alan Domínguez's 'Turns in the Road' and Dez Hernández's 'AIM to Leap.'
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Preview
'63 Boycott
On October 22, 1963, more than 250,000 students boycotted Chicago Public Schools to protest racial segregation, calling for the resignation of the superintendent. Combining archival footage with reflections today, ’63 BOYCOTT connects the forgotten story of one of the largest northern civil rights demonstrations to contemporary issues around race, education, school closings and youth activism.
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The Seven Generation River
In a time when America’s natural resources are caught in the crossfire of deep divisions between Americans, the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians from the southwest corner of the Great Lakes might hold the key to healing our divisions, healing nature and healing ourselves.
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Veterans Coming Home - Health
VETERANS COMING HOME: HEALTH highlights the challenges veterans - those with physical and/or mental wounds - face in transitioning from military to civilian life. Stories include a program training veterans and dogs to work together to combat the effects of PTSD, TBI & Military Sexual Abuse, and the recovery of a veteran from after he was physically injured to today as a Taekwondo Grandmaster.
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Veterans Coming Home - Careers
VETERANS COMING HOME: CAREERS showcases veterans finding new career paths and adapting to the civilian work world. Many discover that the skills they learned in the military can help them. Stories include the successes and stumbling blocks of a post-military career, and how a former Rear Admiral is using her leadership skills to save her community from rising waters.
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Preview
Kids in Crisis: You're Not Alone
The mental health journeys of four young people, told entirely in their own words. Each share their story to let others know they’re not alone and that healing is possible. They have endured assault, bullying and discrimination...some thought about suicide. Through the pain, they found support. They now look towards the future with optimism, and encourage kids to seek support and community.
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25 Texans in the Land of Lincoln
Join the quest of 25 history students from Texas to a Springfield, IL museum asking to repatriate Gen. Santa Anna’s prosthetic leg. The mostly Mexican American group also honor Abe Lincoln’s support of Mexico with a Day of the Dead altar. With humor, humility and history lessons, these St. Mary’s University students explore our shared history across the border, and challenge how history is shaped.
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Tariq's Cube
Follow Tariq Ali into the world of Rubik’s cube competitions. His progress as a speedcuber mirrors his journey growing up - Tariq comes to terms with a family tragedy and his multiracial identity as a Muslim American in a country where hate crimes are on the rise. In the midst of it all, Tariq says “I just love cubing so much...I come to the competitions and I feel like I leave a better person."
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The Blackfeet Flood
More than fifty years after a devastating flood, Butch New Breast returns home to face the ghosts of his past. In 1964, Swift Dam broke and swept through Montana’s Blackfeet Reservation - uprooting homes, killing dozens, and signaling the end of a way of life for many Native families. Half a century later, Butch confronts the tragedy, and tries to remember “what it means to be Blackfeet.”
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A Dream Deferred: The Broken Promise of NYC Public Housing
In New York, residents of public housing moved in with the promise of affordable housing, and a stepping stone to financial stability and independence. But lack of oversight and political chaos have left them living in horrific conditions in the world's wealthiest city. A DREAM DEFERRED offers an intimate look at the lives of residents grappling with health, safety and quality of of life issues.
