American Masters
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
The first feature film about Maya Angelou, an iconic writer who contributed to the 20th century's most pivotal social movements.
The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky & His Legacy
An examination of legendary community organizer Saul Alinsky’s life and legacy through the work being done by contemporary “people’s organizations.”
- Series
- PBS Plus Presentation
- Premiere Date
- November 1, 1999
- Length
- 60 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Series and Special Projects
Producer
Bob Hercules
Bob Hercules’ work includes Bill T. Jones: A Good Man and Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, both of which aired on PBS’s American Masters series. A Good Man was an official selection at Full Frame, IDFA, Silverdocs, DOXA, and many other festivals. Joffrey was the opening night film at the Dance on Camera Film Festival at Lincoln Center in 2012 and the… Show more
Producer
Bruce Orenstein
Bruce Orenstein grew up in working-class Chicago and spent 15 years organizing in Chicago and Seattle, receiving training at Saul Alinsky’s Industrial Areas Foundation. Profoundly influenced by Alinsky’s books, Reveille for Radicals and Rules for Radicals, Orenstein says, “They helped me focus and took my hot anger and turned it into what Saul Alinsky… Show more
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The Film
Famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass wrote, “Power concedes nothing without demand.” The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky & His Legacy is the story of ordinary people making demands for the power to govern their own lives. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, the documentary examines both the history of community organizing — through the work of Saul Alinsky — as well as the current state of community organizing, as shown by contemporary organizations in New York and Texas. In a larger sense, the program is about the restoration of American democracy through shared public participation in civil life — a vital antidote to an era of increased citizen alienation and voter apathy.
