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This Far By Faith: African-American Spiritual Journeys

In six hours of dramatic storytelling, THIS FAR BY FAITH: AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS examines the African-American religious experience. From the arrival of the early African slaves through the Civil War, reconstruction, Jim Crow, the great depression, the civil rights era, and into the 21st century, THIS FAR BY FAITH, airing on PBS Tuesday-Thursday, June 24-26, 2003, (check local listings), explores the connections between faith and the development of African-American cultural values. Lorraine Toussaint (“Any Day Now,” “Crossing Jordan”) narrates.
THIS FAR BY FAITH is the last project conceptualized by legendary filmmaker Henry Hampton. Hampton’s contributions to television include AMERICA’S WAR ON POVERTY and the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning EYES ON THE PRIZE and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Malcolm X: Make It Plain.” Before his death in 1998, Hampton wrote that it was his dream to celebrate the sweep and range of African-American religious experience “in the context of the nation’s struggle to realize the goals of democracy and humanity, the heart and soul of America itself: who we are as a nation, what we believe as a people, and what we consider worth dying — and living — for.”
“THIS FAR BY FAITH explores how African Americans fought for their spiritual traditions,” says executive producer of The Faith Project, June Cross. “It describes how those traditions sustained them as they struggled for the right to express themselves, and how, out of that struggle, the very cultural, political, and social fabric of this nation was transformed. This Far by Faith started as the vision of one extraordinary man — Henry Hampton, the founder of Blackside Inc. He inspired so many of us—including the team which initially gathered to produce Faith after his death. Our faith in his vision meant we could not rest — we could not let his memory rest — until this series aired.”
Each hour-long episode combines rich archival photography, compelling music, inspiring interviews, and vibrant recreations to shed light on a population that has confronted adversity and clung to hope since the first enslaved peoples arrived on these shores.
“THIS FAR BY FAITH explores the African-American community’s ever-present faith in a higher power,” adds Dante James, series executive producer for Blackside Inc. “A faith that has sustained black people and empowered them to change a society that for generations has challenged and often denied their humanity and dignity. This series makes clear that spirituality of any form can be a basis for truth and understanding — and a vehicle for all people to find common ground as human beings.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2003 at 7:34 am. It is filed under Special Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.