A New Lens on a Civil Rights Icon: PBS Announces ‘W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause’
If you think you know the full story of W.E.B. Du Bois, a new documentary coming to PBS might just make you think again. American Masters is gearing up to release W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, an expansive new film that dives deep into the life, legacy, and undeniable genius of one of America’s most prolific scholars and civil rights pioneers.
Set to premiere on May 19, this two-hour documentary promises to be a must-watch event. Directed by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn, who previously helmed stellar documentaries on Maya Angelou and Marian Anderson, the film takes a chronological journey through Du Bois’s monumental life.
Born just five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Du Bois lived through the collapse of Reconstruction, two World Wars, and the dawn of the modern Civil Rights Movement, passing away on the very eve of the 1963 March on Washington.
The film is narrated by EGOT-winner Viola Davis. Because Du Bois was a master of the written word, authoring more than 20 books and famously penning The Souls of Black Folk, the film also features dramatic readings of his speeches, articles, and books by heavy hitters like Common, Courtney B. Vance, and Jeffrey Wright.
The historical commentary is just as robust, featuring insights from some of today’s leading scholars and writers, including Henry Louis Gates Jr., Nikole Hannah-Jones, Eddie Glaude Jr., and Eric Foner.
What makes Rebel With A Cause stand out is how it highlights Du Bois’s role as an innovator. Long before modern data journalism, Du Bois was using groundbreaking infographics and sociological data to expose the harsh realities of systemic racism. He fused his scholarship directly with his activism, co-founding the NAACP, launching The Crisis magazine, and fearlessly challenging contemporaries like Booker T. Washington.
The film also explores the deeply personal struggles that shaped his worldview, from his lifelong battle against the status quo to the heartbreaking loss of his infant son.
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause premieres Tuesday, May 19, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (be sure to check your local listings) and will also be available on the PBS app.
Check out the trailer below.
