Eyes on the Prize I and II

Eyes on the Prize is a 14-hour documentary series about the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The series was produced in two stages: Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954–1964 consists of the first six episodes covering the time period between the Brown v. Board decision and the Selma to Montgomery marches. It was broadcast in 1987 on PBS. The remaining 8 episodes make up Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads 1965–1985, which was broadcast on PBS in 1990. The series was also shown in the United Kingdom on BBC2.

Created and executive-produced by Henry Hampton at Blackside, Inc., the series uses primary sources (such as archival footage and interviews with persons involved in the mentioned events) to record the growth of the civil rights movement in the United States, with special focus on the ordinary people who effected the change. It has been lauded for its depiction of the Civil Rights Movement, and used extensively in schools and other educational settings as a way to convey the experiences and struggle for civil rights in America.

The title of the series is derived from the song "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize", which is used in each episode as the opening theme music.

Each episode of the series is narrated by Julian Bond. A founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Bond emerged as a notable figure in the Civil Rights Movement in 1965 when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. The House refused to seat him because he publicly endorsed SNCC's opposition to US involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1966, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled that the Georgia House of Representatives had denied Bond his freedom of speech and was required to seat him.

Episodes and Content

Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years

1. "Awakenings" (1954–1956)
• Murder of Emmett Till
• Montgomery Bus Boycott

2 . "Fighting Back" (1957–1962)
• Central High School and the Little Rock Nine
• James Meredith and the University of Mississippi

3 . "Ain't Scared of Your Jails" (1960–1961)
• Nashville sit-ins and boycotts
• Freedom Riders

4. "No Easy Walk" (1961–1963)
Martin Luther King, Jr. and . . .
• Albany, Georgia
• Birmingham, Alabama
• The March on Washington

5. "Mississippi: Is This America?" (1962–1964)
• Medgar Evers
• Murder of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner
• Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

6. "Bridge to Freedom" (1965)
• Voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama

Eyes on the Prize: America at the Crossroads

1. "The Time Has Come" (1964–1966)
• Malcolm X
• Lowndes County Freedom Organization
• The March Against Fear

2. "Two Societies" (1965–1968)
• Martin Luther King and Chicago
• Detroit Riot of 1967

3. "Power!" (1967–1968)
• Election of Carl Stokes as Cleveland mayor
• Birth of the Black Panther Party
• Community control of the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school district in Brooklyn

4. "The Promised Land" (1967–1968)
• The final years of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• The Poor People's Campaign and Resurrection City

5. "Ain't Gonna Shuffle No More" (1964–1972)
• Muhammad Ali
• The movement at Howard University
• National Black Political Convention

6. "A Nation of Law?" (1968–1971)
• Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party in Chicago
• Attica Prison rebellion

7. "The Keys to the Kingdom" (1974–1980)
• Busing and the Boston public school system
• Maynard Jackson and the city of Atlanta
• Allan Bakke and affirmative action

8."Back to the Movement" (1979–1983)
• Miami Riot of 1980 and preceding events
• Election of Harold Washington as Chicago mayor and preceding events
• Overview of the movement and its effect upon the nation and the world