The History of White People in America
Musical animated series dedicated to telling diverse stories that chronicle the shaping of race relations in America.
Episodes
The Diary of Afong Moy | The History of White People in America, Episode 4
How America's first Chinese woman was exhibited and exploited as a circus oddity in 1830s New York.
All God's Children | The History of White People in America, Episode 5
The powerful story of an enslaved woman who sued and won her family’s freedom in 1832.
Who Can Become American? | The History of White People in America, Ep 6
Catchy, musical short chronicles the 175-year-long arbitrary system of race in America.
About the Documentary
A series of musical animations, chronicling diverse experiences of how race has helped shape American culture. These shorts provide insight into the unique lived experiences of historical figures who played a role in the evolving definitions of identity.
The Filmmakers
Ed Bell
Ed Bell is a filmmaker, creative director, and animation artist trained by mavericks Ralph Bakshi and Brad Bird. As a commercial director at Wild Brain, he developed various TV and film projects. He also contributed as a director on HBO’s Good Night Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales, which won an Emmy Award.
Pierce Freelon
Pierce Freelon is a two-time Grammy®-nominated artist, author, podcaster, and ice cream maker. He co-created the PBS Kids podcast Jamming on the Job and Beat Making Lab, an Emmy Award-winning web series. An Afrofuturist entrepreneur, Pierce founded Blackspace, a digital makerspace for teens and Coco Fro, a vegan, freeze-dried ice cream company.
Jonathan Halperin
Jon Halpherin is a three-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. He has produced, directed, written, and overseen documentaries for Netflix, Amazon, PBS, National Geographic, Time, ITVS, TED, and Discovery. He co-runs Room 608, a New York production company.
Aaron Keane
Aaron Keane started his 25-year career in audio engineering as a musician and recording engineer, working with diverse musical artists. Now he composes music for TV, film, and digital media. Credits include music composition for the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Twice Born and short films for TED Science and Wonder.
Drew Takahashi
Drew Takahashi is the emperor of Funjacket Enterprises, and was previously co-founder and chief creative officer of Colossal Pictures. He has worked on broadcast identities, commercials, music videos, and interfaces. Drew continues to design and direct corporate communications, transformative games, and animated portions of documentaries.