Eyes on the Prize
About the TV Series

"required watching"
-- New York Magazine

"indispensable"
-- Time

Participants, some carrying American flags, on the civil  
rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. Eyes on the Prize is an award-winning 14-hour television series produced by Blackside and narrated by Julian Bond. Through contemporary interviews and historical footage, the series covers all of the major events of the civil rights movement from 1954-1985.

Series topics range from the Montgomery bus boycott in 1954 to the Voting Rights Act in 1965; from community power in schools to "Black Power" in the streets; from early acts of individual courage through to the flowering of a mass movement and its eventual split into factions.

When Eyes on the Prize premiered in 1987, The Los Angeles Times called it "an exhaustive documentary that shouldn't be missed." The series went on to win six Emmys and numerous other awards, including an Academy Award nomination, the George Foster Peabody Award, and the top duPont-Columbia award for excellence in broadcast journalism.

Eyes on the Prize was created and executive produced by Henry Hampton (1940-1998), one of the most influential documentary filmmakers in the 20th century. His work chronicled America's great political and social movements and set new standards for broadcast quality. Blackside, the independent film and television company he founded in 1968, completed 60 major films and media projects that amplified the voices of the poor and disenfranchised. His enduring legacy continues to influence the field in the 21st century.

Series Description
Access an episode-by-episode guide to the television series.

Transcripts and Credits
Download transcripts for the entire series, and see production credits.

Reviews
Find out what the press had to say about Eyes on the Prize when it first aired.

Further Reading
Access a list of books and Web sites relating to the civil rights movement.

Partners
Find out more about the people and organizations behind Eyes on the Prize.

Buy the DVD
Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years (1954-1965) 3-DVD set now available at shopPBS.org.

Closed Caption Logo

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is closed captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers by The Caption Center at WGBH.

Descriptive Video Services Logo

A special narration track is added to the series by Descriptive Video Service® (DVS®), a service of WGBH to provide access to people who are blind or visually impaired. The DVS narration is available on the SAP channel of stereo TVs and VCRs.

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Eyes on the Prize Blackside American Experience