Birth of a Movement

Overview

In 1915, Boston-based African American newspaper editor and activist William M. Trotter waged a battle against D.W. Griffith’s technically groundbreaking but notoriously Ku Klux Klan-friendly The Birth of a Nation, unleashing a fight that still rages today about race relations, media representation, and the power and influence of Hollywood. Birth of a Movement, based on Dick Lehr's book The Birth of a Movement: How Birth of a Nation Ignited the Battle for Civil Rights, captures the backdrop to this prescient clash between human rights, freedom of speech, and a changing media landscape.

Trailer

Cast

Danny Glover

Narrator (voice)

Spike Lee

Self

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Self

Reginald Hudlin

Self

Where to Watch

Stream

Rent

Buy

Availability for the US. Data from JustWatch.