AT&T Archives: This Far By Faith

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This hour-long documentary is a bit of an anomaly in the AT&T library — even as a PSA, it doesn't resemble any other film made by the company. It's basically a nod to Black History Month — a year after it started — presenting a cultural history of slave descendents in America. Hosted and produced by Brock Peters, an actor who participated in many far-flung cultural milestones during the 20th century (including being in To Kill a Mockingbird and singing backup on Belafonte's "Banana Boat"!).

Peters traces African/American culture from the Yoruba griots and folk art forms, to underground forms of expression during slavery, to Jazz age music and poetry. The film is supported with a full array of excellent choral singing from churches, small ensembles, and soloists.

Though this film has the same name as a PBS series on a similar theme, it's not connected. The title comes from a traditional spiritual.

Footage courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, Warren, NJ

Category:

Education

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• AT&T
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• AT&T Archives