OWN’s New Documentary Spotlights Black Women Who Made Volleyball History

"We Belong Here: The Story of Team Dream" follows 12 Black women who came together to compete at the USA Volleyball Open National Championship.

OWN is spotlighting Black women athletes with a new documentary about the groundbreaking volleyball team Team Dream.

We Belong Here: The Story of Team Dream follows 12 Black women who came together in 2018 with limited practice time but a shared belief in one another as they prepared to compete in the USA Women’s Volleyball Championship. Led by NCAA champion Haley Eckerman, the players discovered they were making history as the first all-Black women’s professional volleyball team. Their story unfolds against a backdrop of limited representation in the sport, with the athletes using the volleyball court as a platform to challenge expectations and create a legacy.

The documentary is told entirely through the women’s own voices, without an external narrator. That approach puts their experiences — from the challenges they encountered to the joy, humor, friendship, pride, and determination that fueled the team — at the center of the story.

“Team Dream’s origin story is a powerful reminder of what happens when Black women step into their strength together,” Tina Perry, president of OWN, said in a press release.

Perry added that the women’s unity reflects “their power, their joy, and their unwavering belief in one another,” while describing their story as representative of the spirit of OWN Spotlight.

For audiences interested in the intersection of sports, representation, and Black women’s leadership, the documentary offers a look at how a group of athletes transformed a shared opportunity into a historic moment.

The film previously premiered at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival before its OWN debut. The documentary is also available through OWN’s digital and streaming platforms, including HBO Max, Discovery+, WatchOWN.tv, and connected TVs.