The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) will host the world premiere of the PBS documentary “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause” on Friday, March 20, at 7 p.m., at the Directors Guild of America (DGA), 7920 Sunset Blvd., in Los Angeles.
The special evening will be led by honorary chairmen Emmy-winning Producer Charles Floyd, Award-winning Producer Oz Scott, and Director Michael Schultz. The evening features a post-screening discussion with Peabody Award–winning Director Rita Coburn, award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright, author and cultural Sociologist Karida Brown, and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author/historian David Levering Lewis.
The two-hour documentary, directed by Coburn, explores the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois — scholar, historian, author, and architect of modern civil rights thought. The film is narrated by Academy Award–winning actress Viola Davis and brings Du Bois’ powerful writings to life through dramatic readings performed by Common, Courtney B. Vance, and Jeffrey Wright.
Born in 1868, just five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Du Bois lived through the collapse of Reconstruction, two World Wars, and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. “Rebel With A Cause” traces his remarkable journey from early academic achievements to his final days in 1963 on the eve of the March on Washington, illuminating how his scholarship and activism shaped the global struggle for racial justice.
Du Bois authored more than twenty groundbreaking books and pioneered the use of sociological research, investigative journalism, and innovative visual infographics to expose the roots of systemic racism in America. Drawing from his speeches, essays, books, and archival recordings, the film captures the elegance and urgency of his words—including those from his seminal 1903 masterpiece “The Souls of Black Folk,” in which he famously declared: “The problem of the 20th century is the color line.”
The documentary also features commentary from leading scholars, historians, and cultural voices including Raymond Arsenault, Karida Brown, Eric Foner, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Eddie Glaude Jr., Nikole Hannah-Jones, David Levering Lewis, and Imani Perry, among others.
Sandra J. Evers-Manly, president of BHERC, emphasized the importance of presenting the film in Los Angeles and the organization’s ongoing mission to amplify overlooked chapters of American history.
“The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center is honored to host the world premiere of this extraordinary documentary,” said Evers-Manly.
“Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois was a visionary scholar and activist whose ideas reshaped the fight for equality in America and around the world. Presenting this film reflects BHERC’s commitment to illuminating Black History as American history—stories of brilliance, courage, and leadership that too often remain untold.”
Evers-Manly also highlighted the critical role of women storytellers in bringing hidden narratives to the forefront.
“Women filmmakers and historians have been at the center of documenting the lives of Black icons and heroes whose contributions are too often been overlooked. Coburn continues that tradition, ensuring that the intellectual power and humanity of figures like Dr. Du Bois remain part of our national story.”
Coburn previously directed acclaimed American Masters documentaries about Maya Angelou and Marian Anderson. Her film “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the AFI Docs Audience Award, while “Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” received the highest documentary production grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and earned a Christopher Award.
“Storytelling is how we preserve truth,” said Coburn. “When we bring historical voices like Du Bois to life, we reconnect audiences with ideas that still shape the world today.”
“W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause” is produced, written and directed by Coburn. Executive producers are Andrew T. Carr, Sandra Evers-Manly, Leslie Fields-Cruz, B.K. Fulton, Denise A. Greene and Michael Kantor. The archival producer is Prudence Arndt, and the associate producer is Eleanor Levine. The director of photography is Henry Adenbonojo, the editor is K.A. Miille, and the musical score is by Kathryn Bostic.
“W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause” will be nationally broadcast on PBS on May 19. The documentary is also available for streaming on PBS.org, the PBS App, and through PBS Passport for station members. For more information, visit pbs.org/americanmasters.
