BMA: Black Media Archive

By The BMA

Society & Culture Education History Higher Education

What's BMA: Black Media Archive about?

The Black Media Archive is a multi-media collection of African and African-American history, including speeches, archival video, movies, music, and more. It exists as a central resource of Black history in multi-media formats.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

BMA: Black Media Archive episodes:

04.09.2018
Episode 353: "Farrakhan Speaks: The Alex Jones Interview" (part 2)
In the conclusion of "Farrakhan Speaks: The Alex Jones Interview" the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan sits down for a dialogue with Alex Jones of InfoWars. Presented by Final Call Broadcasting, this wide-ranging interview was recorded on January 4, 2016.
04.06.2018
Episode 353: "Farrakhan Speaks: The Alex Jones Interview" (part 1)
In this episode of "Farrakhan Speaks: The Alex Jones Interview" the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan sits down for a dialogue with Alex Jones of InfoWars. Presented by Final Call Broadcasting, this wide-ranging interview was recorded on January 4, 2016.
03.20.2018
Episode 352: "A Knocking at the Gate"
The film "A Knocking at the Gate" (1964) was the second part of the documentary series "Minority Report." Produced by the North Carolina Film Board for the North Carolina Intercollegiate Council for Human Rights, the series stated the opinions and...
02.27.2018
Episode 351: "Goodbye to Carolina"
The film "Goodbye to Carolina" (1964) was a part of the documentary series "Minority Report." Produced by the North Carolina Film Board for the North Carolina Intercollegiate Council for Human Rights, the series stated the opinions and experiences of Negro...
02.21.2018
Episode 350: "Art in the Negro Schools"
The educational silent film "Art in the Negro Schools" parts 1 and 2 (1940) surveys the instruction of the fine and performing arts at leading African American institutions, including Calhoun, Dillard, Fisk, Hampton, and Howard. The film argues that in...
02.14.2018
Episode 349: "Leenya : Daughter of the Noble Blacks of Surinam"
This episode is the 1973 documentary "Leenya" which looks at the life of Leenya, a young woman of Surinam. Leenya uses the term "Bush Negro" to describe her people. Generally, women are topless, while men wear polo shirts. Shows peeling...
02.08.2018
Episode 348: "The Black Woman" (part 2)
This episode is the second part of the documentary titled, "The Black Woman" (1970) featuring poetess Nikki Giovanni, singer Lena Horne, Bibi Amina Baraka (wife of poet-playwright Leroi Jones), a performance by Roberta Flack and other Black women discussing the...
02.06.2018
Episode 348: "The Black Woman" (part 1)
This episode is the first part of the documentary titled, "The Black Woman" (1970) featuring poetess Nikki Giovanni, singer Lena Horne, Bibi Amina Baraka (wife of poet-playwright Leroi Jones), a performance by Roberta Flack and other Black women discussing the...
02.01.2018
NEW MAN DOWN SOUTH by William Gordon, Sr.
By supporting this project, you can help make this compelling historical narrative a reality. I’m sure you’re going to love this story deeply rooted in the South. Visit the Kickstarter page to order your copy: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/384717895/new-man-down-south-by-william-gordon-sr. For more information, visit...
01.31.2018
Announcement: New Man Down South
Visit http://newmandownsouth.com for more information, then visit the Kickstarter page to donate: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/384717895/new-man-down-south-by-william-gordon-sr.
01.28.2018
Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 4)
The conclusion of this episode is the fourth part of the documentary, "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (1970) portraying the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968. Compiled entirely from archival and news footage, it...
01.24.2018
Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 3)
Continuing this episode is the third part of the documentary, "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (1970) portraying the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968. Compiled entirely from archival and news footage, it presents an...
01.19.2018
Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 2)
Continuing this episode is the second part of the documentary, "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (1970) portraying the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968. Compiled entirely from archival and news footage, it presents an...
01.15.2018
Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 1)
Happy Martin Luther King Day! This episode is the first part of the documentary, "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (1970) portraying the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968. Compiled entirely from archival and news...
01.08.2018
Episode 346: Rev. C. L. Franklin
In this episode, Reverend C. L. Franklin delivers a sermon titled "Let Your Hair Down". This sermon was recordeded in 1972 at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan.
01.03.2018
Episode 345: "History of the Negro People: The New Mood"
This episode is the seventh part of the documentary series "History of the Negro People" titled "The New Mood." Narrated by Ossie Davis this documentary explores the decade of events between the 1954 Supreme Court school desegregation ruling and the...
12.28.2017
Episode 344: "History of the Negro People: Free At Last"
This episode is the fifth part of the documentary series "History of the Negro People" titled "Free At Last." Narrated by Ossie Davis this dramatization looks at the decades after emancipation, focusing on the lives of Frederick Douglass, Booker T....
12.20.2017
Episode 343: "History of the Negro People: Slavery"
This episode is the third part of the documentary series "History of the Negro People" titled "Slavery." Starring Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee alongside The Voices, Inc. this dramatization is adapted "from actual testimony of former slaves." This episode in...
12.14.2017
Episode 342: "History of the Negro People: The Negro and the South"
This episode is the second part of the documentary series "History of the Negro People" titled "The Negro and the South." Narratred by Ossie Davis the documentary explores the meaning of 'the Southern way of life.' This episode in the...
12.08.2017
Episode 341: "History of the Negro People: Heritage of the Negro"
This episode is the first part of the documentary series "History of the Negro People" titled "Heritage of the Negro" featuring Dr. John Henrik Clarke and narratred by Ossie Davis. This episode in the series first aired October 10, 1965.
11.29.2017
Episode 340: "The Great Adventure: Go Down Moses" (part 2)
The conclusion of this episode of "The Great Adventure" titled "Go Down Moses" (1963) Ruby Dee portrays the escaped slave Harriet Tubman and her attempts to rescue enslaved family members and friends through the pre-Civil War Underground Railroad. Produced by...
11.28.2017
Episode 340: "The Great Adventure: Go Down Moses" (part 1)
In this episode of "The Great Adventure" titled "Go Down Moses" (1963) Ruby Dee portrays the escaped slave Harriet Tubman and her attempts to rescue enslaved family members and friends through the pre-Civil War Underground Railroad. Produced by CBS, the...
11.21.2017
Episode 339: Della Reese
This episode features Della Reese performing the songs "In the Still of the Night" and "Melancholy Baby" during an appearance on the June 27, 1956 broadcast of the variety program "Stage Show" hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and their...
11.16.2017
Episode 338: "FBI Intelligence Assessment: Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated to Target Law Enforcement Officers"
This episode is the report, "Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated to Target Law Enforcement Officers" dated August 3, 2017 and compiled by the FBI Domestic Terrorism Analysis Unit. The document states in its executive summary: "The FBI assesses it is...
11.10.2017
Episode 337: "Rufus Jones for President"
"Rufus Jones for President" (1933) is a highly entertaining all-black musical short starring Ethel Waters, and introduced the world to eight-year-old Sammy Davis, Jr. in his first screen appearance. In the film, Rufus Jones, a black child, is elected President...
11.06.2017
Episode 336: "The Warren Years: The Great Decisions"
"The Warren Years: The Great Decisions" (1969) examines the major Supreme Court rulings in the areas of school desegregation and civil rights, reapportionment, and criminal procedure in light of the consequences of the decisions. Presents an evaluation of these decisions...
10.29.2017
Episode 335: "The Intruder" (Part 2)
Movie: The conclusion of "The Intruder" also known as "I Hate Your Guts" and "Shame" a 1962 film directed by Roger Corman starring William Shatner as a racist mystery man sent to stir trouble in a southern town that is...
10.27.2017
Episode 335: "The Intruder" (Part 1)
Movie: "The Intruder" also known as "I Hate Your Guts" and "Shame" is a 1962 film directed by Roger Corman starring William Shatner as a racist mystery man sent to stir trouble in a southern town that is about to...
10.26.2017
Episode 334: Fats Domino
This episode includes two performances by Antoine "Fats" Domino, Jr. The first is the song "Wait and See" (recorded in 1957) and the second is his performance of "Ain't that a Shame" from the film "Shake, Rattle & Rock!" (1956).
10.22.2017
Episode 333: "The Black Cop"
The film "Black Cop" (1969) explores the relationship of the Black policeman to other blacks by interviewing those on both sides in New York City and Los Angeles. Points out that some see Black police officers as representing a white...
10.15.2017
Episode 332: "Lay My Burden Down" (Part 2)
Part two of "Lay My Burden Down" (1966) surveys the accomplishments of the civil rights movement - one year after the dramatic Selma-to-Montgomery march and the ensuing voting rights act of 1965. The documentary observes the status of tenant farmers...
10.15.2017
Episode 332: "Lay My Burden Down" (Part 1)
Part one of "Lay My Burden Down" (1966) surveys the accomplishments of the civil rights movement - one year after the dramatic Selma-to-Montgomery march and the ensuing voting rights act of 1965. The documentary observes the status of tenant farmers...
06.12.2013
Episode 331: "AFRS Jubilee!"
As part of its innovative program schedule to meet the entertainment needs of American soldiers serving in World War II, the Armed Forces Radio Show (AFRS) developed "the Jubilee!", an all-black variety show employing the most famous musicians and comedians...
06.04.2013
Episode 330: "AFRS Jubilee!"
As part of its innovative program schedule to meet the entertainment needs of American soldiers serving in World War II, the Armed Forces Radio Show (AFRS) developed "the Jubilee!", an all-black variety show employing the most famous musicians and comedians...
05.28.2013
Episode 329: "Munda Outpost"
The Army-Navy Screen Magazine was produced by the U.S. Army Signal Corps Pictorial Service, under the supervision of Col. Frank Capra, who came up with the idea. It was released twice a month and shown to military troops as a...
05.23.2013
Episode 328: "Felicia"
This episode is the short film "Felicia" (1965). Produced by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith the film shows the life of a negro girl in Watts in suburban Los Angeles in the spring of 1965, a few months before...
05.02.2013
Episode 327: An Interview with Bruce Gordon
In this episode Bruce Gordon, a 22-year old field secretary for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Gommittee is interviewed on October 10, 1963 in Selma, Alabama, during the height of a drive to register Negro voters.
01.22.2013
Episode 326: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Happy Martin Luther King Day! On June 5, 1966, Dr. King delivered this sermon on the subject of "Guidelines for a Constructive Church" at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
12.06.2012
Episode 325: Marian Anderson
This episode features a Christmas performance by the beautiful contralto Marian Anderson. Recorded in 1944, Ms. Anderson performs "Ave Maria" accompanied by the Westminster Choir led by Leopold Stokowski and the US Army orchestra.
10.25.2012
Episode 324: Mary McLeod Bethune
On November 23, 1939, Mary McLeod Bethune - a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and a director of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office of Minority Affairs in the National Youth Administration - took part in a panel discussion as part...
10.09.2012
Episode 323: "Body and Soul" (part 2)
Movie: The conclusion of "Body and Soul" (1925) a silent "race film" produced, written, directed, and distributed by the filmmaking pioneer Oscar Micheaux and starring a 27-year-old Paul Robeson in his motion picture debut. In the film Robeson portrays a...
10.08.2012
Episode 323: "Body and Soul" (part 1)
Movie: "Body and Soul" (1925) is a silent "race film" produced, written, directed, and distributed by the filmmaking pioneer Oscar Micheaux and starring a 27-year-old Paul Robeson in his motion picture debut. In the film Robeson portrays a minister, malevolent...
09.28.2012
Episode 322: Rev. Jeremiah Wright
In this episode, Reverend Jeremiah Wright delivers a sermon titled "How God Uses Music". This sermon was devilered in 2006 at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois.
09.12.2012
Episode 321: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On May 17, 1957 in Washington, D.C. hoping to prod the federal government to fulfill the promise of the three-year-old Brown v. Board of Education decision, national civil rights leaders called for a rally on the steps of the Lincoln...
08.31.2012
Episode 320: "Lucky Ghost"
Movie: In the 1942 film "Lucky Ghost" F.E. Miller and Mantan Moreland star as two down-on-their luck friends who suddenly hit the "jackpot" when they win the clothes, car and chauffeur of a rich man in a game of dice....
08.05.2012
Episode 319: Dr. Boyce Watkins
In this episode author, economist, political analyst, and social commentator Dr. Boyce Watkins delivers a lecture at Kansas City Kansas Community College on the subject "The Importance of a College Education". This lecture was recorded on February 21, 2008.
06.27.2012
Episode 318: "Rock 'N' Roll Revue"
In this episode Master of ceremonies Willie Bryant hosts an eventful evening of music and comedy captured live at the Apollo Theater and featuring such popular artists as Nat 'King' Cole, Duke Ellington, the Clovers, Dinah Washington, Martha Davis, and...
06.22.2012
Episode 317: Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
This episode includes two recordings by Louis Jordan & his Tympany Five, "I Want You To Be My Baby" and "The Nearness of You". These were most likely recorded in the mid to late 1940s when Jordan was at...
06.02.2012
Episode 316: Washboard Sam and His Washboard Band
Washboard Sam (Robert Brown) and his Washboard Band perform "Just Got To Hold You" and "Yes I Got Your Woman" in this recording made in Chicago on August 5, 1940. From the original 78rpm disk.
05.22.2012
Episode 315: "Tin Pan Alley Cats"
This episode is the cartoon "Tin Pan Alley Cats" (1943), directed by Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions as part of Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies series. A follow-up to Clampett's successful "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs", released earlier...

What's BMA: Black Media Archive about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

BMA: Black Media Archive episodes:

Episode 353: "Farrakhan Speaks: The Alex Jones Interview" (part 2)

Episode 353: "Farrakhan Speaks: The Alex Jones Interview" (part 1)

Episode 352: "A Knocking at the Gate"

Episode 351: "Goodbye to Carolina"

Episode 350: "Art in the Negro Schools"

Episode 349: "Leenya : Daughter of the Noble Blacks of Surinam"

Episode 348: "The Black Woman" (part 2)

Episode 348: "The Black Woman" (part 1)

NEW MAN DOWN SOUTH by William Gordon, Sr.

Announcement: New Man Down South

Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 4)

Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 3)

Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 2)

Episode 347: "King: Montgomery to Memphis" (part 1)

Episode 346: Rev. C. L. Franklin

Episode 345: "History of the Negro People: The New Mood"

Episode 344: "History of the Negro People: Free At Last"

Episode 343: "History of the Negro People: Slavery"

Episode 342: "History of the Negro People: The Negro and the South"

Episode 341: "History of the Negro People: Heritage of the Negro"

Episode 340: "The Great Adventure: Go Down Moses" (part 2)

Episode 340: "The Great Adventure: Go Down Moses" (part 1)

Episode 339: Della Reese

Episode 338: "FBI Intelligence Assessment: Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated to Target Law Enforcement Officers"

Episode 337: "Rufus Jones for President"

Episode 336: "The Warren Years: The Great Decisions"

Episode 335: "The Intruder" (Part 2)

Episode 335: "The Intruder" (Part 1)

Episode 334: Fats Domino

Episode 333: "The Black Cop"

Episode 332: "Lay My Burden Down" (Part 2)

Episode 332: "Lay My Burden Down" (Part 1)

Episode 331: "AFRS Jubilee!"

Episode 330: "AFRS Jubilee!"

Episode 329: "Munda Outpost"

Episode 328: "Felicia"

Episode 327: An Interview with Bruce Gordon

Episode 326: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Episode 325: Marian Anderson

Episode 324: Mary McLeod Bethune

Episode 323: "Body and Soul" (part 2)

Episode 323: "Body and Soul" (part 1)

Episode 322: Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Episode 321: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Episode 320: "Lucky Ghost"

Episode 319: Dr. Boyce Watkins

Episode 318: "Rock 'N' Roll Revue"

Episode 317: Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five

Episode 316: Washboard Sam and His Washboard Band

Episode 315: "Tin Pan Alley Cats"