On May 20, The Root announced that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be producing a new one-hour documentary executive on the History Channel with Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment’s Deborah Morales titled Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America premiering on Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is also known as the day that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S.
Abdul-Jabbar is also expected to narrate the documentary, which will chronicle the fundamental movements that have impacted Americans throughout U.S. history, including the labor movement of the 1880s, women’s suffrage, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements.
The History Channel describes that these movements are immersed “in the American DNA, and this documentary gives an unfiltered look at the ways it has evolved the world in which we live.”
The show will highlight instances of protests that started in small cities fighting for local change to movements that affect millions and garner national attention that demonstrate the change people forged.
Spearheaded by sit down interviews and narratives from Abdul-Jabbar’s personal experiences, paired with anecdotes from noteworthy historians and authors, and supported with imagery and current footage, Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America will explore the people, protests, and movements that shaped our societies, laws, and culture, and that played an essential role in making our country a better place to live in.
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“One of this country’s greatest strengths is its willingness to listen to the voices of its people—whether at the ballot box or in the streets—and make changes to bring about a more equitable society,” Abdul-Jabbar said in a statement.
Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America premieres on Saturday, June 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the History Channel.
