Back to Show
Independent Lens
I Am Not Your Negro - "The Future of the Negro" - Clip
In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film I Am Not Your Negro, writer James Baldwin speaks on 1963's “The Negro and The American Promise” about the "the future of the Negro in this country," which is "precisely as bright or as dark as the future of the country." The central question he asks is aimed at American white people, asking them to address why they created the idea of "the nigger."
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By

41:44
An elusive photographer uses street art tactics to share his previously unknown work with the world.

1:23:38
See how the Philippines' tense race for president in 2022 became the nation's fight for its soul.

Unlock with PBS Passport
54:20
Three families are transformed when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

1:24:21
How public libraries shaped a nation and remain a beloved sanctuary for Americans today.

1:22:07
The syncopated story of funk music, from its roots to the explosion of '70s urban funk and beyond.

1:24:52
The coming-of-age story and rise of Ashley Chea, a Cambodian American basketball prodigy.

Unlock with PBS Passport
1:24:55
Father and son bond on an ambitious 350-mile bike ride in this portrait of familial love.

Unlock with PBS Passport
1:25:02
How the turbulent history of her architect father's iconic building reflects Brazil's own struggles.

Unlock with PBS Passport
1:23:21
A filmmaker returns to her hometown on the U.S.-Mexico border to reflect on growing up fronterizo.

Unlock with PBS Passport
1:24:40
How a small hunger strike against solitary confinement turned into a massive statewide protest.

Unlock with PBS Passport
1:25:25
A champion grass dancer returns home after 13 years to reconnect with his Indigenous culture.

Unlock with PBS Passport
1:16:04
The rise and fall of the NFT phenomenon that transformed the art world.