Special Feature - Juneteenth Production Documentaries
10 Episodes
24 years before the declaration of the federal holiday, Juneteenth Productions chose its name to symbolize its mission to tell little known and untold stories of human struggle, strength and perseverance. Founded in 1997 by Judith McCray, the media production company develops and produces non-fiction narratives that engage, inspire and empower social justice and systemic change.
In celebration of both the true freedom from enslavement for African Americans and Juneteenth Productions’ quarter century of social justice media making, featured are some of its short and feature length films.
Judith McCray, Founder, CEO and Creative Director is a multiple Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist, documentary filmmaker and media activist with over 30 years in television and media production. She’s also written, directed and produced independent documentaries for PBS Primetime and national public television. Her passion for finding the “ah-hah” moment in every story that can inspire and compel deeper understanding has taken her to the Sudan, Egypt, Kenya, Switzerland, Brazil and across the U.S. to uncover hidden truths, the unheard and little recognized. Born and raised on a family farm in eastern Iowa, on land her grandfather purchased after fleeing Jim Crow racism in Mississippi, she has long embraced using media as a vehicle to examine social justice issues and advocate social change.
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Mississippi, America (60 min, 1996 | American Bar Assoc. Silver Gavel Award)
Episode 1
American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award
In the summer of 1964, a handful of Mississippi attorneys issued a nationwide call for assistance as they struggled to defend imprisoned civil rights activists. This classic documentary examines the work of local and out of state lawyers who answered th... -
For My People: The Life & Writing of Margaret Walker (30 min, 1998)
Episode 2
Combining conversations with Margaret Walker, selections of her reading and commentary from leading scholars, this film gives long-overdue recognition to one of the seminal figures of 20th century American literature. At the heart of her poetry are the rhythms of African and
African American spee... -
Nubia and the Mysteries of Kush (30 min, 2002 | Telly Award)
Episode 3
Hidden away in the Butana region of northern Sudan lie the ruins of ancient Nubia, a once-great African civilization that for many centuries was the rival of ancient Egypt. This film follows archeologists, scientists and art historians race against time and nature to preserve and document the re...
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Tracking Syphilis: Countdown to Elimination (30 min, 2002)
Episode 4
In the year 2000 Chicago lead the nation in new cases of infectious syphilis, with a rate nearly three times higher than the national average. This documentary follows disease control investigators and their efforts to track, treat and eliminate this age-old scourge.
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Tal Como Somos: Just As We Are (71 min, 2008)
Episode 5
This feature length film candidly examines the lives of six Latino gay men, one transgender woman, and the ties that bind them: their culture, families, upbringing, and experiences as adults in a Latino culture that frequently condemns and rejects their sexual orientation.
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Tal Como Somos (30 min educational video, 2008)
Episode 6
Latino culture is celebrated for its rich traditions, close-knit families, and strong faith, but being Latino and gay, bisexual, or transgender is often seen as unforgivable. This educational version of the feature length documentary examines the lives of six Latino GBT men and women, with incisi...
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Beating Breast Cancer (15 min, 2011 Telly Award)
Episode 7
In Chicago, African American women in Chicago are dying from breast cancer at twice the rate of white women. It doesn’t have to be this way. This short film explores the experiences of five Black women diagnosed with breast cancer and their roads to treatment.
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27:27Episode 8Change Agents (30 min, 2011)
Episode 8
Change Agents (30 min, 2011)
A first-of-its kind documentary film showcasing one facet of community colleges - the economic impact on the American workforce. By offering a few representative stories of real people in real situations, this film intends to broaden the understanding and appreciatio... -
SEIU Homecare 30th Anniversary (15 min, 2013)
Episode 9
This short film explores the unionization of home care workers in Illinois from 200 members in 1983 to 800,000 members today and how their efforts have changed the face of the U.S. labor movement.
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Chicago’s True Nature (60 min, 2016 Chicago Midwest Region Emmy Award)
Episode 10
Nearly 70,000 acres of ancient prairies, pristine wetlands, marshes, and forest weave in and around Cook County, Illinois. This documentary explores the vastness of this natural wonderland through the eyes and experiences of the people who take care of it, and its known – and little known – bene...
