W.E.B. Du Bois, a pioneering scholar and civil rights leader, is the focus of a new documentary that examines his lifelong fight against racism in the United States and abroad, while also highlighting his ties to Philadelphia.

The documentary, "Rebel with a Cause," explores how he used his formidable intellect throughout his life to challenge racial injustice and inequality.

At the Gene Siskel Film Center, a sold-out audience gathered not merely to watch W.E.B. Du Bois: REBEL WITH A CAUSE, but to confront the enduring weight of a man whose intellectual force continues to interrogate the present. Directed by Peabody Award–winning filmmaker Rita Coburn (Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise), the documentary resists passive viewing. It demands engagement.

#ClayCaneShow welcomes Jeffrey Wright - Actor & Narrator for new PBS documentary “WEB DuBois: Rebel With A Cause” - Premieres May 19th at 9p.

Born just three years after the end of the Civil War, the sociologist, writer, historian and activist W.E.B. Du Bois rose to fame and freedom, living until the day before Martin Luther King Jr’s march on Washington Speech in 1963  The life and achievements of the first Black man to get a Ph.d from Harvard is explored in the documentary “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause” making its debut on “American Masters” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings). Directed by Rita Coburn, it’s narrated by Viola Davis and features the voices of Jeffrey Wright, Courtney B. Vance and Common reciting his words.

There’s a new PBS documentary about the life and legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois — the prolific scholar and civil rights pioneer.

The two-hour film, “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause,” follows his life in chronological order from being born right after the Emancipation Proclamation to his role in the rise of the Civil Rights Movement.

​The voice of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, or more simply, W.E.B. Du Bois feels omnipresent, even some 60 years after his death. As an author and orator who had a hand in everything from the evolution of print journalism to theater and more, Du Bois’ passion for creativity, freedom, and more for Black men, women, and children made him one of history’s exemplary voices. 

Black people in the United States have never been a homogenous monolith, despite the implications of ingrained racial stereotypes. The diversity of thought among Black leaders over the centuries is just one manifestation of that incontrovertible truth.

There is a new documentary on the prolific scholar and civil rights pioneer, W.E.B. Du Bois. It’s narrated by Viola Davis and features readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance, and Jeffrey Wright. The documentary also includes commentary from leading scholars and historians like, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.

For most of his 95 years, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was considered the conscience of Black America. When Roy Wilkins announced his death from the podium at the 1963 March on Washington, it triggered a collective gasp of grief among the 250,000 gathered protesters. This is one of many scenes brought vividly to life in Rita Coburn’s “W.E.B Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause.” 

The subject of “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause” was born during Reconstruction and died during the Civil Rights Era—the news of his passing was announced at the 1963 March on Washington, a historic moment in American history that Du Bois might have seen as an exercise in futility. “Chin up. Fight on,” he said toward the end of his life. “But realize that American Negroes can’t win.”

He was born five years after the abolition of slavery and died the day before the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. W.E.B. Du Bois's life thus spans almost a century of American history. This extraordinary trajectory is recounted in this documentary from the "American Masters" collection, directed by Rita Coburn, who previously made films about Maya Angelou and Marian Anderson.

Chicago based filmmaker Rita Coburn's latest documentary, "W.E.B. DuBois: Rebel With a Cause" sheds light of the life and work of the Civil Rights legend. Watch it on PBS May 19.

The documentary, narrated by Viola Davis and featuring readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance, and Jeffrey Wright, draws powerful commentary from scholars like Henry Louis Gates and Nikole Hannah-Jones.

One of the most consequential figures in American history is getting the documentary treatment he deserves. PBS American Masters will premiere a sweeping two-hour film on W.E.B. Du Bois on May 19, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET, bringing together an extraordinary lineup of talent to illuminate the life and legacy of a scholar, activist and visionary whose influence helped shape the modern civil rights movement.

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The documentary, titled W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, is directed by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn and narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis. Dramatic readings from Du Bois’s own extensive body of written work are performed by Grammy Award-winning artist Common, Emmy Award-winning actor Courtney B. Vance and Emmy Award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright.

New Documentary on the Prolific Scholar and Civil Rights Pioneer is Narrated by Viola Davis and Features Readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance, and Jeffrey Wright

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American Masters recently announced the new documentary W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause from Peabody Award-winning director Rita Coburn will premiere May 19, 2026 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). The two-hour film examines Du Bois’s remarkable life from his birth, just five years after the Emancipation Proclamation; to his death, on the eve of the March on Washington in 1963, and how his legacy as an activist continues to resonate today.

PBS has released the official trailer for W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, the latest installment in its acclaimed American Masters documentary series, offering a powerful first look at the life and legacy of one of America’s most influential intellectuals and civil rights pioneers.

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Directed by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn, the documentary examines how W.E.B. Du Bois used scholarship, journalism, and data as tools to confront systemic racism and reshape the fight for Black equality in the United States and across the globe.

To help bridge the gap left by federal funding cuts to PBS, Multicultural Bridge will host a fundraising event on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the organization's Solidarity Meeting House to raise funds to complete the documentary.

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​The film is directed by Rita Coburn, who has directed and produced several documentaries in the “American Masters” series, including “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” and “Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands.”

Directed by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Rita Coburn, American Masters—Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands dynamically explores the career, art and legacy of the contralto and civil rights pioneer through archival interview recordings. Internationally renown for her vocal prowess, she became the first African American to sing a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955. The documentary is hoping to introduce Anderson’s talent to newer generations as well as provide a deeper understanding of the woman behind the music.

“As we build our tribe, awakened women and men must lift their voices across aisles and racial lines for these injustices to stop.” Coburn highlighted the 40 years of activism of Mamie Till, whose son was lynched in 1955. “African American mothers all over this country are still grieving the wrongful deaths of their sons and daughters,” she (Ms. Coburn) said.

Through Rita Coburn’s direction and the commanding interpretations of Common, Jeffrey Wright, Viola Davis, and Courtney B. Vance, the film invites a new generation to engage with Du Bois not as a distant historical figure but as a living force whose voice and ideas continue to speak, challenge and inspire. 

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause airs May 19 on GPB as part of the PBS American Masters series. Documentary director Rita Coburn spoke with GPB's Kristi York Wooten about the writer and activist's impact and stints he spent in Atlanta.

FROM THE DEPTHS OF the souls of Black folk, this timeless indispensable documentary emerges like the sweet scent of Mother Africa on a Ghanaian shore as the ancestors whisper softly on a gentle, ocean-salted morning breeze: “Remember…”

Documentarian Rita Coburn-Whack speaks in depth about her latest project for PBS American Masters: W.E.B. DuBois: Rebel With a Cause in which she explores the life and legacy ofthis notable Black scholar, civil rights pioneer and an influential voice of the Harlem Renaissance.

W.E.B. Du Bois said it in 1903: “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” Over 120 years later, that line hasn’t moved much.

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Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn takes a hard, unflinching look at the man behind that declaration in “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause,” a new two-hour documentary premiering Tuesday, May 19 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS as part of the “American Masters” series. Actor Courtney B. Vance is among those lending his voice to the film – and when he talks about Du Bois, it’s clear he’s not just reading words off a page.

When my grandfather passed on December 15th, 2024, I did not grieve. I was sad, of course, and even now I can feel the transforming touch of loss shaping me into a new person, a version of myself that is learning, slowly, to live in that vacancy he left behind. Still, when I looked at Paw Paw’s still face lying in that casket in an old church that I’d grown up in, I felt pride more than anything else. Here was a Black man who had lived his life fully and unapologetically, and he died in such a way, surrounded by the innumerable friends and family he’d affected so profoundly, that it felt less like a tragedy and more like a lesson in how a Black man should go about living his life. When I think of Black children like Trayvon Martin or Freddie Gray, or legends like Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Fred Hampton, I am horrified at the recurrence, at how often the lives of people who look like me are cut short, before they can even fully blossom into the people that they could become. These are the deaths that fill me up so completely with grief. 

Born free in 1868 in Great Barrington, Mass., William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, known as W.E.B. Du Bois, remains a towering figure in African-American history and now gets a 21st century re-examination.

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PBS’s American Masters series on Tuesday salutes the ground-breaking leadership, inspiration and history of a spectacular life with “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause.”

Influential scholar W.E.B Du Bois lived through many significant periods for Black Civil Rights in America, from being born just 5 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, documenting Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. He was also a New Yorker, living for 10 years in Brooklyn Heights before moving to Ghana, where he died the day before the March on Washington at the age of 95. A new two-hour documentary, 'W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause,' tells the full life story Du Bois, as part of PBS's American Masters series. Director Rita Coburn discusses her work on the film, premiering on May 19 at 9pm

Rita Coburn is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Director, Writer, and Producer of radio, television, and film. In 2016, Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, which was co-directed and co-produced by Coburn, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Festival and went on to win a Peabody Award in 2017. Coburn directed Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands, for PBS American Masters. On May 19, 2026, her third documentary for American Masters, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, will air. Check local listings for the premiere and additional airings.​

This is the sort of documentary that we typically only see recommended during Black History Month, so it’s great to see PBS releasing it in May. Presented as an episode of American Masters, the feature-length W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause chronicles the life of its eponymous writer, sociologist, and civil rights activist, and nearly every section of the film seems relevant to current events. That’s unfortunate, given how esteemed and influential W.E.B. Du Bois was in his lifetime, which began just after the Civil War and ended more than 60 years ago. When politicians are killing critical race theory, DEI, and now the voting rights of Black Americans, we need a reminder of the history Du Bois lived through and the systemic injustices he challenged.

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, directed by Peabody Award-winning Chicago filmmaker Rita Coburn, debuts May 19 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS as part of the American Masters series. The two-hour film is narrated by Viola Davis, with dramatic readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance and Jeffrey Wright.

Award-winning director and producer Rita Coburn and award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright join Morning Joe to discuss the new documentary 'W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause'.

The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center recently hosted the world premiere of the documentary W.E.B. Du Bois: Regel With a Cause.

The film is directed by Rita Coburn, narrated by Oscar winner Viola Davis and includes commentary from Pulitzer Prize winner David Levering Lewis and cultural sociologist Karida Brown.

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The film also features dramatic interpretation from the award-winning Jeffrey Wright, Courtney Vance and Common.

Rita Coburn’s ‘Rebel With a Cause’ traces how the scholar’s time in the city charted his work and the course of Black intellectual history.

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Before he became a globally recognized thinker and author of “The Souls of Black Folk,” which identified the “color line” as America’s defining problem, W.E.B. Du Bois came to Atlanta — and it changed him.

The city at the turn of the 20th century offered a growing Black intellectual class, a network of institutions and a fragile sense of possibility.

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But he also found something harsher and more immediate — violence, constraint and the lived reality of Southern racism.

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.

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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.

Only 10 short months ago, the Trump administration declared “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) initiatives to be illegal and immoral, radical and wasteful. Now PBS is racing to complete a documentary about civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois, after losing funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities in April and learning that the administration would “cease federal funding” to PBS and NPR in May. Despite these setbacks, they forged ahead with “W. E. B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause,” which is slated to air next year as part of their “American Masters” series — provided they can raise $100,000 to complete post-production. 

Rita Coburn, Peabody and Emmy-Award-Winning director, writer and producer of radio, television and film will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies for the premiere event. The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis will host the premiere film screening of 'Facing Down Storms: Memphis and the Making of Ida B. Wells' on April 19 at the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts and Education. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the program and film screening at 7 p.m.

"In an ongoing outreach program, Coburn still travels with the film to schools and community centers, bringing to a wide range of audiences — especially impressionable youngsters — an understanding of the brilliant and inspiring Dr. Angelou, of her empowering story, of the importance of storytelling and of documentary film as the record of essential human history — especially the herstory that hasn’t been taught in schools."

- Nell Minow from The Alliance of Women Film Journalists

Rita Coburn, Peabody and Emmy-Award-Winning director, writer and producer of radio, television and film will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies for the premiere event. The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis will host the premiere film screening of 'Facing Down Storms: Memphis and the Making of Ida B. Wells' on April 19 at the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts and Education. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the program and film screening at 7 p.m.