Dr. Earl Lewis, founding director of the Center for Social Solutions and Ford School professor, was featured in the PBS series, Making Black America: Through the Grapevine, directed by Stacey L. Holman.
This four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people-beyond the reach of the "White gaze." The series recounts the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today. Making Black America showcases the ability of the Black community to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy, and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.
In the series, Lewis contributes to the conversation on Black American history as a scholar in higher education. Prior to his involvement at Michigan, he served as president emeritus of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Emory University. Lewis continuously examines and addresses critical questions for our society including the role of race in American history, diversity, equity and inclusion, graduate education, humanities scholarship, and universities and their larger communities.
Making Black America can be watched on Amazon Prime or the PBS website. The trailer is available to view here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22383794/
