A House Divided is a documentary about desegregation hosted by actor James Earl Jones. It explores the history of desegregation through the eyes of the people who made civil rights history in our city. The one-hour program traces the social change in New Orleans since the beginning of official racial segregation in 1896.
The documentary was developed in response to a perceived lack of knowledge by college-aged students about our immediate historical precedents. A House Divided is a co-production of Xavier University's Drexel Center for Extended Learning and WVUE-TV, the local ABC affiliate. The program was originally aired on WVUE on February 6, 1987. Robert Rizzuto of WVUE directed the post-production of the show; Ms. Sybil Morial, Associate Dean of the Drexel Center, is executive producer; the visual research, coordination with James Earl Jones, and the editing were directed by Ms. Rhonda Fabian, associate producer. Much of the shooting, logging, and research for the documentary was conducted by students of Xavier University.
Kanopy is a streaming service that offers hundreds of films, documentaries, and movies for us to use. While this particular episode of America Divided does not have to do with New Orleans, it does discuss the issue of confederate monuments in Memphis, TN. We definitely recommend taking a look at what Kanopy has to offer, it just might have something on your topic!