Green River LibGuides: ENGL 248 African American Literature: Find Multimedia

Stream Videos from the KCLS libraries - for free as a GRC student!

As a student at Green River College, you automatically have access to online library resources at King County Library System.

Use the links below to find streaming videos!

Username to Log in: use GRC (all capital letters) + your student username. (The part before the @ in your GRC email address. Must be in lowercase letters)
- Example: GRCsmith.jane.23
- Wrong: GRCSmith.Jane.23. (must use lowercase for the username.)
PIN number: your pin is the last four characters of your log in. Example: e.23

King County Library System (KCLS): College Student Accounts
Click on the "all the online resources" link to see all the resource available to students through the KCLS Online Library

Search for print books, ebooks, and videos available at the library and online.

Use filters on the left to limit by specific source type, date range, and more.

Search Films on Demand for streaming documentaries and educational videos.

Films on Demand
Search or browse for films on many topics, such as Anthropology, Biology, Business & Economics, Careers, and many more.

You will find many other relevant videos in Films on Demand. Search by artist, issue, or era.

Hughes' Dream Harlem
Known as “Harlem’s poet laureate,” Langston Hughes was one of the most prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance. This lyrical program celebrates Hughes’ life and work, offering a vision of the esteemed poet in present-day Harlem and making a case for his impact on hip-hop music and the contemporary spoken-word community. Narrated by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, the multilayered presentation includes roundtable discussions of Hughes’ contributions with poet Sonia Sanchez, music producer Damon Dash, and others, and a tour of his New York City haunts. (61 minutes)

Africa to America to Paris: The Migration of Black Writers
This program traces the path of African-American literature from the shores of the U.S. to the Left Bank of Paris at the end of World War II through the late 1960s. The program provides context by first exploring the New Orleans salon poetry of Desdunes and discussing the historic suppression of black activists in the U.S. After the Harlem Renaissance, an increasingly hostile climate drove writers James Baldwin and Richard Wright to Paris, where liberal racial attitudes allowed for greater artistic expression. This program traces their lives in France through remembrances of fellow artists and readings from their diaries and works.
from Films on Demand streaming video

By River, By Rail: History of the Great Black Migration
"In the early 20th century, blacks moved north in hope of a better life with little more than a prayer and the shirts on their backs. In this program, poet Maya Angelou, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, and a host of other African-Americans recount the story of the migration, of separated families, and of the hardships, prejudice, and struggle for acceptance in the North that resulted in disillusionment. Black luminaries include James Cameron, author of A Time of Terror; Jacob Lawrence, artist and creator of The Black Migration series; and Dr. Julius Garvey, son of Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Back to Africa movement of the 1920s."

Because they...

can be valid sources for research!!
give you a visual and emotional understanding of your topic.
allow you to hear important talks or lectures at your own convenience.
can provide authentic, first-hand accounts of events from participants or witnesses in the film.
are great for presentations you must give in front of a class - keep your audience interested and engaged!
need to be evaluated to determine if they are of good quality.

Linked below are some sources for Radio Programs or Podcasts.

National Public Radio (NPR)
Independent and topical radio news. Be sure to check the long list of programs distributed through NPR.
TED Talks
Talks that cover the gamut of current issues. Explore talks by Topic, including Science, Technology, and Business - Or search for a TED Talk on a specific subject. Be sure to assess: Is the speaker an expert on this topic?
Academic Earth
Online lectures on many subject areas from university professors around the world.

Documentaries are non-fiction films and programs about real-life people and events. These can be fantastic sources of information for your research!

Frontline
Documentaries from PBS on a variety of political and social topics. Use search box in upper right-hand corner.
NOVA
Documentaries from PBS on a variety of science and technology issues.
Internet Archive: Moving Image Archive
Thousands of archived films and news footage. Great for historical research. To use:
Near the top of the page, click the drop-down arrow near "Moving Images" to search the different categories of films
Or, in the search box type documentary AND your search topic.