The Media Library of Genesee Valley BOCES

Follows the story of segregation sanctioned by the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson decision through the cases led by attorney Charles Hamilton Houston that led to the triumph of Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954. Uses archival footage to show much of the segregation in the South during the first half of the 20th century. Focuses on the legal strategies used by Houston and the NAACP to overturn the concept of "separate but equal" forever

Recalls the life of Robert Kennedy Jr. and examines his family, upbringing, political career, role in the election of his brother, his contributions, and his assassination. Discusses his involvement with Joseph McCarthy during the anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. Also looks at his committee's investigation of organized crime

Examines the memories and struggles of contemporary Jews who live in Berlin and Vienna and records the soul-searching efforts of people in Germany and Austria as they slowly come to terms with their Nazi past

Uses archival footage and interviews to explore the end of Cold War. Divided into short segments that include Prague, the arms race, Nixon and relations with China, 1973 war between Egypt and Israel, interviews with dissidents from the Cold War era, Reagan and "Star Wars", Glasnost and Perestolka, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War

20th century America is rapidly becoming an industrial urban nation with cities and farms listed by railroads, telephone and telegraph lines

Discusses the major African-American leaders who have played an important role in the struggle to achieve racial equality. Includes Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, and Colin Powell

Part 1: Happy Daze - covers McCarthyism and the paranoia about communism; Part 2: 1960-1964: Poisoned Dreams - President Kennedy must deal with the explosive Cuban missile crisis and emerges as a prominent global power broker. His assassination leaves an wound on the American psyche. Part 3: 1965-1970: Unpinned - Looks at the turbulent Vietnam War era and the political and cultural norms that were challenged during that period

Part 1: 1981-1989: A New World - Cold War tensions escalate and "glastnost" becomes the mantra of the era. Ivan Beosky preaches the gospel of guiltless profit making. Part 2: The '90s And Beyond - Looks toward the future in anticipation: Will we make the new century better than the last?

Begins where the last century ends and explains how early technology, World War I, and the struggle for a new sense of identity shaped America in the Twentieth Century. Discusses electricity, automobiles, moving pictures, flight, the Great War, The Roaring '20s, and women and their steps toward equality

Part 1: 1941-1945: Civilians At War - Looks at how for the first time in history, civilians became a primary target during war. From concentration camps, the blitz of London, and the atomic bomb, more civilians are killed than soldiers. Part 2: 1941-1945: Homefront - The Japanese attach Pearl Harbor; American industries retool for the war effort, women enter the workforce in record numbers. Part 3: 1946-1952: Best Years - American GIs return home to a changed nation. The enormous task of rebuilding Europe falls to the U.S