Resource Center
The Humanities Council Resource Center has video documentaries and other films funded through our grant programs. Videos are available for loan to classroom, student, community, and civic groups. Please note that we are currently conducting inventory and cataloguing in the resource center. We will not be able to loan any materials during this time, but plan to resume loans in the near future.

These Resource Center titles feature events in the life of Charles Hamilton Houston leading up to the Supreme Court decision for Brown v. Board of Education:

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow explores segregation from the end of the civil war to the dawn of the modern civil rights movement. Lynchings and beatings by night. Demeaning treatment by day. And a life of crushing subordination for Southern blacks that was maintained by white supremacist laws and customs known as "Jim Crow." It was a brutal and oppressive era in American history, but during this time, large numbers of African Americans and a corps of influential black leaders bravely fought against the status quo, amazingly acquiring for African Americans the opportunities of education, business, land ownership, and a true spirit of community (2002; 4 videos/60 min. each)

The Road to Brown tells the story of the pioneering legal assault on segregation that launched the Civil Rights Movement. The film untangles the cases that led to the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education and details the important role played by Charles Hamilton Houston. (1989, 57 min.)

Step by Step: A Story of Black Washington. Montague Cobb and Harold Lewis explore Washington's black history from the race riots to 1919 to legal desegregation in 1954. They recall the black Washingtonians whose achievements helped to break down the system of segregation. (1983; 60 min)

Click on the Film and Print links below to access the HRC on-line:

The Film Resource Catalog, which cross-indexes films by subject, includes the title, credits, date, running time, and description for each video.

The Print Resource Catalog also organizes materials by subject and includes information allowing access to the document in local archives where they are stored.

Through the Roads Scholar Program, we will also provide an appropriate expert to support screenings or exhibitions that make use of our materials.

Contact the HCWDC at (202) 387-8391 for more information.