PBS’s new documentary Driving While Black examines the historical danger Black people face while behind the wheel.
What We Know:
- Driving While Black will premiere on PBS on October 13. The film is two hours long and chronicles Black Americans’ mobility from slavery through the proliferation of highway driving.
- The film argues that there is still a pushback to Black people having the freedom to go where they like. White Americans have always feared Black mobility and that has manifested itself historically in the danger Black Americans face when they’re driving.
- The film uses archival footage and interviews. The film shows the stories of harassment that famous Black figures endured and modern clips of people being pulled over and harassed.
- The documentary is based on the book of the same name by Gretchen Sorin. Sorin is a historian who spent 20 years researching the topic of Black mobility, curating resources, and conducting interviews. Ric Burns, brother of Ken Burns, worked with Sorin on adapting the book as a documentary.
The film examines the life-threatening danger that Black Americans have always endured while on the road, but also celebrates the amazing things they have been able to do with their freedom to travel.
