The HBO Original documentary South to Black Power, a This Machine production, directed by Peabody and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Sam Pollard (HBO’s “Hostages,” “Black Art: In the Absence of Light”) and Peabody winner Llewellyn M. Smith (“Poisoned Water”), debuts Tuesday November 28 (10:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
On the eve of last year’s midterm elections, Charles M. Blow, New York Times columnist and best-selling author of “The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto,” sets off across the country on a personal journey to test his theory on Black Liberation, which involves a daring strategy for Black Americans to move to the southern states to control southern legislatures and gain greater political power. Conversing with politicians, historians, community activists, colleagues, friends, and family members, Blow challenges Black Americans to disrupt the status quo by affecting change at the polls through reverse migration and gain control over states that already have the highest percentages of Black residents.
South to Black Power also takes us on a journey through Blow’s personal story, from his childhood in Louisiana to his relentless commitment to racial justice, revealing the hard-won truths that illuminate his vision for the future. As the returns from the midterm elections roll in, Blow watches, acknowledging the gains, but also reflects on the possibility that a historic political transformation in the South might not come in his lifetime.
On his deeply personal journey, Blow is joined by Chokwe Antar Lumumba, mayor of Jackson, Mississippi; Jemar Tisby, historian, educator; Dean Baquet, former executive editor of The New York Times; Brent Staples, editorial board of the The New York Times; Adam Green, historian; Asiaha Butler, co-founder and CEO of R.A.G.E.; Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun; Nsé Ufot, Former CEO New Georgia Project; Elijah Grace, Deputy Field Director, NGP; Aimy Steele, CEO New North Carolina Project; Milton F. Fitch Jr., former member of the North Carolina State Senate; friends and family members of Charles Blow.
