Some of the greatest talents within Black Hollywood have lent their voices to a new documentary on W.E.B. Du Bois.
Legendary actors such as Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, Courtney B. Vance, and Common took part in the new trailer for PBS’s “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause.” The latest installment in the educational network’s American Masters documentary series focuses on the life of the trailblazing scholar and historian.
According to Blex Media, the film will center its narrative on the personal and professional journey of Du Bois, who dedicated his life and scholarship to Black progress and socio-political equity across the world. Davis narrates the film as her fellow actors dramatize some of Du Bois’ speeches and writings featured in the documentary.
“I very early got the idea that I was going to prove to the world Negroes were just like other people,” recited Common, Wright, and Vance to begin the trailer.
A pioneer of what would become a global movement for racial equality and justice, Du Bois vocalized the plight of Black people in the late 19th century. Challenging the restrictive norms of what society regarded as Blackness, the NAACP founder championed the humanity and character of the Black community.
Historian Chad Williams also proclaimed, “W.E.B. Du Bois is arguably the greatest Black intellectual scholar-activist in American History.”
A formidable scholar, Du Bois became the first Black man to receive a Ph.D from Harvard University. He later used his platform to advocate for equality efforts for Black people in general society and politics. He also used his writings, including his 1903 volume of essays titled “Souls of Black Folk,” to further explain the dual-lived reality of Black people in America, a concept popularized as “double consciousness.”
A writer, scholar, and voice for Black advancement, Du Bois’s speeches and work will gain a modern spotlight with “Rebel With A Cause.” Directed by acclaimed documentarian Rita Coburn, the film will span Du Bois’s 95 years of life, including archival footage and dramatized readings from its star-studded cast.
Du Bois later expanded his advocacy to the Black diaspora, becoming a voice for the Pan-African movement across Ghana and several African nations. Du Bois continued his fight for progress throughout the early 20th century, dying in Accra just one day before the 1963 March on Washington.
Alongside its recognizable voices, the feature will also include modern-day historians and sociologists, lending their expertise to how Du Bois’ groundbreaking work still shapes commentary and scholarly advancements
regarding race today. As an American revolutionary in his own right for his work for the global recognition of Blackness, Du Bois’s work now has an American media revival in this new documentary.“Rebel With A Cause” will premiere Tuesday, May 19th at 9 p.m. ET on PBS.
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