Stream hundreds of interviews from The WNET Group’s nearly 60-year archive

Rare interviews with individuals who fought for social justice. Beginning February 2022.

Welcome to Exploring Hate’s Legacy Archive Project. Join us each month as we revisit the rich archive of The WNET Group, home of America’s flagship PBS station THIRTEEN, to unearth 50 documentary films and series focused on the Black experience, indigenous rights, antisemitism.

For nearly 60 years, The WNET Group has been a leading provider of award-winning, innovative, expertly produced programming for public television. Now, Exploring Hate makes available to the public a catalog of content featuring those who fought for social justice. The collection includes rare interviews with civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., James Baldwin, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, and more.

This content contains scenes that may be too sensitive for some viewers.

Now streaming!

• Where Is Prejudice? (1967) – A diverse group of 12 college students from different ethnic backgrounds, religions and geographic locations live together for six days and nights to determine where prejudice is within America. The Director of the Boston University Human Relations Laboratory lived and worked with the students to encourage the group to become aware of their attitudes and express their views.
• Some of Our Best Friends – Part I and Part 2  (1969) – 11 men and women from the Black and Jewish communities gather for a rare dialogue about racism, antisemitism and views about one another. The program features a passionate and at times combative conversation addressing the issues of the time, including education, housing and oppression.
• From Protest to Resistance (1968) –The antiwar, Black power and free speech movements united in a broader effort of resistance against oppression. Focusing on three pivotal figures of the era – Stokely Carmichael, David Harris and Mario Savio – the film provides insight into their work and examines the context and challenges of their time.
• The Negro and the American Promise (1963) – A deep dive into some of the philosophies and viewpoints of three pivotal figures of the civil rights era: James Baldwin, Malcolm X and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In separate interviews, they discussed their varying approaches to civil rights and how they viewed one another. The film provides a unique opportunity to hear them in their own words, raw and unfiltered.
• Confronted (1963) – A glance into what occurred when white Americans in northern cities and towns were confronted with integration. The film captures the protests, the views of Blacks fighting for equality, and the racist views of white people in these communities.
• The Long Walk: Tears of the Navajo (2009) – Tracing the long journey of the Navajo Nation, this film focuses on the tribe’s treatment by white settlers in the 19th century, their forced relocation, and how they balanced traditional ways of life with educating their children in the 20th century. This documentary contains exclusive footage with Navajo elders and examines hybrid schools where culture is maintained for the next generation.
• Informed Sources – #112 Elie Wiesel (1992) – A group of journalists sit down with renowned author and humanist Elie Wiesel. The Nobel laureate discusses the rise of antisemitism, the origins of hate, Jewish/Black relations, the importance of preventing genocide, and more. Hear the views of the humanitarian and Holocaust survivor on issues that remain relevant today.
• Take This Hammer (1964) – Author and activist James Baldwin meets with members of San Francisco’s African American community in 1963. Escorted by Youth For Service’s executive director, Orville Luster, Baldwin is intent on discovering “the real situation of Negroes in the city, as opposed to the image San Francisco would like to present.” KQED produced this segment for NET, the predecessor of WNET.
• The Rejected (1961) The bygone years of making a documentary on the nation’s most concerning, complex topics is an excellent cultural history source, especially on one of the nation’s biggest taboos, homosexuality.
• Elie Wiesel on The Nature of Human Nature (1985) – Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel discusses human behavior, the notion of indifference, trauma, faith, the importance of remembrance, and his love for Israel. In this exclusive interview Wiesel explains how a situation of absolute cruelty was allowed to develop by the indifference of so many people.
• Nuremberg Trial Part I and Part II (1971) – A difficult but important look at the post-WWII Nuremberg trials, held by the Allies to bring to justice prominent Nazis who participated in the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity. The work of filmmaker Pare Lorentz, Part 1 of the film focuses on the rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler’s war of aggression throughout Europe.
• Why in the World, After Auschwitz (1985) – In this weekly public affairs program geared toward teens, University of Massachusetts history professor David Wyman led a roundtable discussion with a group of high school students. In this episode, they discussed the Holocaust, the lessons of history, and the absolute imperative to prevent genocide in the future. 
• History of The Negro People (1965, 9-part series) – Famed actor and activist Ossie Davis narrates and acts in this nine-part series. The first episode focuses on the word “negro” — its origin, its meaning in society and the deep psychological scars left upon people by its use. This segment also examines African cultural heritage, the destruction of that heritage by the slave trade, and the self-identity of Black Americans.

Still more to come! 

Major funding for The Legacy Archive Project is provided by Denise R. Sobel.

About The WNET Group

The WNET Group creates inspiring media content and meaningful experiences for diverse audiences nationwide. It is the community-supported home of New York’s THIRTEEN – America’s flagship PBS station – WLIW21, THIRTEEN PBSKids, WLIW World and Create; NJ PBS, New Jersey’s statewide public television network; Long Island’s only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; and newsroom NJ Spotlight News. Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month. The WNET Group’s award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs MetroFocus and NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi. Inspiring curiosity and nurturing dreams, The WNET Group’s award-winning Kids’ Media and Education team produces the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers. A leading nonprofit public media producer for nearly 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including multiplatform initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding and the environment. Through Passport, station members can stream new and archival programming anytime, anywhere. The WNET Group represents the best in public media. Join us. 

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