Defending Our Stories: Inside Black Public Media with Leslie Fields-Cruz (Part 2)

In Part 2 of Rita Coburn’s conversation with Leslie Fields-Cruz, we go beyond funding and filmmaking to explore the deeper question: Why do stories matter?

Leslie shares her personal journey from a family of educators to becoming one of the most influential advocates for Black storytelling in America. Through her leadership at Black Public Media, she has helped filmmakers bring important stories to audiences while ensuring that Black history, culture, and lived experiences are documented, preserved, and shared.

Together, Rita and Leslie discuss the power of documentary film, the importance of representation, and why history must be actively preserved rather than passively inherited. From discovering Black cinema as a student to supporting groundbreaking filmmakers across generations, Leslie reflects on the work of making sure our stories remain visible and accessible.

This episode is a reminder that history is not only something we study. It is something we create every day.

🔍 What You'll Hear in This Episode

• Leslie Fields-Cruz's journey into media and storytelling
• How a family of educators shaped her mission
• The impact of discovering Black film history as a student
• Why documentaries help us understand ourselves and our communities
• The role of Black Public Media in supporting filmmakers
• The importance of preserving Black history through visual storytelling
• How local history can inspire new generations
• Why representation matters in media and culture
• The connection between education, art, and social change

🧠 Key Themes

• Black storytelling
• Documentary filmmaking
• Black Public Media
• Representation in media
• Education and cultural preservation
• Independent filmmaking
• Community history
• Black arts and culture
• Historical memory
• Visual storytelling

💬 A Defining Idea from This Episode

History survives when people are willing to document it, preserve it, and share it. Every generation has a responsibility to tell its stories and protect the stories that came before.

📣 Resources / Links 

Watch THS Episode

https://youtu.be/46o542zZvU4 

Learn more about Black Public Media and help fund future storytellers and documentaries
https://blackpublicmedia.org/donate/

Explore Black Public Media grants, fellowships, and funding opportunities for filmmakers and creators
https://blackpublicmedia.org/programs/ 

Watch W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause on American Masters (available through June 16, 2026)
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/w-e-b-du-bois-documentary/34807/

Watch the W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM

Transcript available here
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323

Watch Our Truth, Our History, Our Story on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@ritacoburn9240

Listen to the podcast
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/episodes

Stay connected with Rita Coburn
https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

Upcoming events and screenings
https://www.ritacoburn.com/upcoming-events

Download event photos
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Social Media Toolkit
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🎬 About the Series

Our Truth, Our History, Our Story (Our THS) explores the people, ideas, and cultural forces shaping Black history and storytelling today.

👥 Production Credits

Host: Rita Coburn
 Executive Producer: Andrew T. Carr
 Producers: Christine Coburn Whack, H. Lee Whack

This Film Became a Movement | W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause Premieres on PBS

After more than four years of research, interviews, travel, fundraising, collaboration, and faith, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause premieres nationally on PBS.

In this special episode, Rita Coburn reflects on the journey of bringing this documentary to life and the overwhelming response from audiences across the country. From Los Angeles and Cleveland to Atlanta, New York, Santa Monica, Chicago, and Memphis, this film has sparked something larger than a documentary screening. It has become a movement.

This episode explores why the work and warnings of W.E.B. Du Bois remain urgent today. As conversations around democracy, voting rights, citizenship, history, and Black identity continue to shape the national landscape, Du Bois’s message speaks directly into the present moment.

Rita also reflects on the meaning of history, the importance of protecting truth, and why Black history is American history, international history, and Pan-African history.

🔍 What You’ll Hear in This Episode

•  The four-year journey behind W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause
•  Audience reactions from screenings across the country 
•  Why this documentary became more than a film 
•  Connections between Du Bois, voting rights, and present-day democracy 
•  The importance of the 14th and 15th Amendments 
•  Why history continues to be contested and protected 
•  How Du Bois used media, scholarship, and storytelling as tools for liberation 
•  Why this moment calls for education, vigilance, and collective action 

🧠 Key Themes

•  W.E.B. Du Bois and democracy 
•  Voting rights and citizenship 
•  Black history as American history 
•  Pan-African identity and connection 
•  Historical memory and resistance 
•  Education and civic engagement 
•  Art as cultural transformation 

📣 Resources / Links

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause premieres on PBS Tuesday, May 19 at 8 PM CT/9 PM ET, and will be available to stream through June 16 on pbs.org/americanmasters, the American Masters YouTube Channel, and the PBS app.

🎬 Upcoming Events
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🎬 Share the trailer
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM

📄 Transcript available here
 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323

📺 Watch here
https://youtu.be/XSuCVNqwtLk 

🎧 Listen here
 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/episodes

🔗 Stay connected
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🎬 About the Series

Our Truth, Our History, Our Story (Our THS) explores the people, ideas, and cultural forces shaping Black history and storytelling today.

👥 Production Credits

Host: Rita Coburn
 Executive Producer: Andrew T. Carr
 Producers: Christine Coburn Whack, H. Lee Whack

“Will We Survive This Democracy?” | David Levering Lewis (Part 2)

W.E.B. Du Bois was born in 1868 and died in 1963 on the eve of the March on Washington, passing the baton to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this episode, we return to Du Bois not only as a historical figure, but as a living question for our present moment: How do we move forward from here?

In conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Levering Lewis, we explore how the struggles Du Bois documented, civil rights, democracy, citizenship, and dignity, echo powerfully in 2026.

This is not just history. It is an inheritance.

🔍 What You’ll Hear in This Episode

•  The final question W.E.B. Du Bois leaves us with: how do we move forward? 
•  Why this moment feels like a continuation of the civil rights struggle 
•  The connection between Du Bois’s ideas and today’s debates on democracy and voting rights 
•  Reflections on “double consciousness” and its modern meaning in Black life 
•  How historical cycles of exclusion and resistance continue to repeat 
•  Why historians matter in moments of political and cultural tension 
•  The urgency of documenting, protecting, and understanding Black history in real time 
•  The global context of democracy, power, and historical memory 

🧠 Key Themes

•  Civil rights then and now 
•  Democracy under pressure 
•  Historical memory vs. historical erasure 
•  Black intellectual tradition 
•  Citizenship, voting rights, and power 
•  The responsibility of historians 
•  Survival, resistance, and forward movement 

💬 A Defining Idea from This Episode

We may not recognize the moment we are in while we are in it, but history often reveals itself only when we are forced to act within it.

📣 Resources / Links

🎬 Share the film
 W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause premieres May 19, 2026
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM

📄 Transcript available here
 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323

📺 Watch here
 https://www.youtube.com/@ritacoburn9240

🎧 Listen here
 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/episodes

🔗 Stay connected
 https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

🎬 About the Series

Our Truth, Our History, Our Story (Our THS) explores the people, ideas, and cultural forces shaping Black history and storytelling today.

👥 Production Credits

Host: Rita Coburn
 Executive Producer: Andrew T. Carr
 Producers: Christine Coburn Whack, H. Lee Whack

Michael The Price of Music for Our Generation
(Our Truth, Our History, Our Story)

📝 Episode Summary

What did it mean to be Michael Jackson before he became a global icon?

In this episode, we step beyond the music and into the historical reality that shaped his life. Drawing from lived experience in the Midwest near Gary, Indiana, this reflection connects one family’s story to a broader cultural truth shaped by the Great Migration and the realities of Black life in America from the 1960s forward.

🔍 What We Explore

• The role of fathers like Joe Jackson navigating limited opportunity
• The strength and constraints experienced by mothers like Katherine Jackson
• How systemic barriers shaped Black family life and opportunity
• Why music—through groups like The Jackson 5—became a pathway forward
• The cost of childhood fame and the loss of ordinary life
• How we interpret the past differently through a modern lens

🎬 Film & Cultural Context

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and featuring powerful performances by Colman Domingo and Nia Long, the film invites us to consider not just who Michael Jackson was, but the world that made him.

🎥 MICHAEL will bring audiences a riveting portrayal of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop.
Watch the official trailer and learn more: https://michael.movie/
In theatres April 24, 2026

🧠 Why This Conversation Matters

This is more than a story about fame. It’s about:

• Family survival
• Generational pressure
• Cultural identity
• The cost of greatness

It’s also a reminder that to understand history, we must step into the realities of the time, not just judge them from the present.

📣 Resources / Links

Read the poem mentioned, “We Had Him” by Maya Angelou
https://allpoetry.com/poem/14326539-We-Had-Him-by-Maya-Angelou

Share the film
 W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause premieres May 19, 2026

Share the trailer
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM

Transcript is available here
 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323

Watch here
https://youtu.be/hEEBgWkChNU 

Listen here
 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/episodes/19009870

Stay connected
 https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

🎬 About the Series

Our Truth, Our History, Our Story (Our THS) explores the people, ideas, and cultural forces shaping Black history and storytelling today.

👥 Production Credits

Host: Rita Coburn
Executive Producer: Andrew T. Carr
Producers: Christine Coburn Whack, H. Lee Whack

Episode Title: Black Journalism in a Time of Erasure: A Conversation with NABJ President, Errin Haines

In this timely and urgent conversation, we sit down with Errin Haines, President of the National Association of Black Journalists, to explore the evolving landscape of Black media, truth-telling, and democracy.

As media consolidation, job cuts, and anti-DEI efforts reshape the industry, where do we go to find trusted voices? And what does it mean to protect truth in an era of misinformation?

This episode unpacks the challenges—and opportunities—facing Black journalists today, voting during this critical election, and why supporting Black media is more critical than ever.

🎧 In This Episode, We Explore:

• The shifting landscape of Black journalism and media representation
• How media consolidation and job cuts impact access to trusted voices
• The rise of misinformation—and how it disproportionately targets Black communities
• Where to find credible Black journalists today (YouTube, Substack, independent platforms)
• The role of Black journalists in protecting democracy and informing voters
• Why supporting Black media is essential for future generations

🗳️ Why This Conversation Matters

From public health crises to elections, access to accurate information is power. This episode highlights how misinformation can have real consequences—and why intentional engagement with trusted sources is key to community empowerment.

📣 Resources / Links

Connect with Errin Haines
https://19thnews.org/author/errin-haines/
https://www.instagram.com/emarvelous/ 

Support Black journalism. 

Learn more about the National Association of Black Journalists and support their mission:
 👉 NABJ.org

No contribution is too small—your support helps sustain journalism that informs, protects, and empowers.

Share https://youtu.be/5kMsik6rDQM?si=JJkFtdqTPyYdSB_a 

Share the film
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause premieres May 19, 2026

Share the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM 

Transcript is available here https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323

Watch here https://youtu.be/5fg-aydRHLA 

Listen here https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/episodes/19009870 

Stay connected https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

🎬 About the Series

Our Truth, Our History, Our Story (Our THS) explores the people, ideas, and cultural forces shaping Black history and storytelling today.

👥 Production Credits

Host: Rita Coburn
Guest: Errin Haines
Executive Producer: Andrew T. Carr
Producers: Christine Coburn Whack, H. Lee Whack

Music by Damien Sebe - so good - https://thmatc.co/?l=D6BE065E

Episode Title: Music as Memory: Dr. Fredara Hadley on Music as Culture and W.E.B. Du Bois (Part 2)

Episode Summary

In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Dr. Fredara Hadley returns to explore the deeper relationship between music, culture, and identity through the lens of W.E.B. Du Bois.

Together, we examine how Du Bois’ Northern upbringing shaped his understanding of Black music—and why genres like jazz, blues, and gospel were outside of his lived experience. From the legacy of blackface minstrelsy to the rise of racial uplift ideology, this episode challenges us to consider how context, geography, and history influence what we value as “culture.”

Dr. Hadley unpacks Du Bois’ evolving perspectives, and the complexity of labeling him as simply “elitist.” 

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• How Du Bois’ upbringing in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, shaped his musical lens
• The impact of blackface minstrelsy on perceptions of Black music
• Du Bois’ critique of jazz and its cultural implications
• The role of respectability politics and racial uplift ideology
• The musical and intellectual contributions of Shirley Graham Du Bois
• How Black music functions as memory, preservation, and cultural truth
• Why we must avoid reducing historical figures to modern-day soundbites

Special Guest

Dr. Fredara Hadley – Ethnomusicologist, educator, and scholar of African American music and culture.

https://www.juilliard.edu/faculty/hadley-fredara 

Film Mentioned

American Masters
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause premieres May 19, 2026

• Share trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM 

Resources / Links:

• “Do Ba” Music performed by Christine Coburn Whack https://ccw.kit.com/cba7bd514d?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacI9BHOncpU-y57vf9fEZ4-CUS8tPsDlxL4IxCa5YGKPpIft3EUIYsdAl9XKw_aem_fLLWPY6F5GZQuhRkZOJfcw 
• “Do Ba” produced by Ladi Oyewo aka Bay The Producer https://www.instagram.com/baytheproducer/ 
• Transcript is available here https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323
• Stay connected https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

Listen, Share, and Subscribe. Be a part of the conversation. These are our truths, our history, our stories, and they shape the world we live in. Join us on Mondays at 7:30 PM every week for the premiere of the next episode.

Copyright:

Music “Do Ba” Courtesy of publisher CCW Worldwide with Christine Coburn Whack

Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division

Rights: No known restrictions on publication

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2014637057/

Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/Ip-USqYBVYQ

Resources / Links:
*  Watch the trailer https://youtu.be/5kMsik6rDQM?si=0Xm2f...
* Transcript is available here https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/ep...
* Stay connected https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

Listen, Share, and Subscribe

Be a part of the conversation. These are our truths, our history, our stories—and they shape the world we live in.

Description:
In this episode, we explore how Black storytelling—both in documentary and Hollywood—captures the complexity of history, truth, and lived experience. From the Oscar-nominated Sinners to narratives of perseverance and survival, we examine how our stories reflect the battles within our communities and within ourselves.

We discuss the evolution of Black stories on screen, the lessons from history, and why understanding multiple truths is essential. This episode dives deep into the personal and collective struggles, the victories, and the enduring fight for justice and representation.

Topics Covered:

• The significance of Sinners and its impact on contemporary Black storytelling
• How history is preserved and challenged through film
• The lessons from One Battle After Another about progress, sacrifice, and generational struggles
• The intersection of truth, story, and lived experience in media
• Reflections on Hollywood, documentary filmmaking, and the Oscars as platforms for Black narratives

Guest / Host Highlights:

• Connections between documentary truth and narrative filmmaking
• Insights into how Black artists reclaim their stories on their own terms

Resources / Links:

• Watch the trailer https://youtu.be/5kMsik6rDQM?si=0Xm2fsgMf81tAsgT 

Listen, Share, and Subscribe
Be part of the conversation. These are our truths, our history, our stories—and they shape the world we live in.

Description:
In this episode of Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS, host Rita Coburn sits down with Leslie Fields-Cruz to explore the critical role of supporting and protecting Black storytelling. 

This conversation explores the power behind the stories we see on screen and the institutions that make them possible. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Leslie Fields-Cruz. Be sure to return next week for Part 2 as we continue exploring the future of Black storytelling and the work of Black Public Media.

Leslie Fields-Cruz serves as Executive Director of Black Public Media, an organization that has spent decades supporting independent filmmakers and ensuring that stories about the Black experience reach audiences through public media. From documentaries about icons like Maya Angelou and Marian Anderson to the upcoming PBS film W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause, Black Public Media has played a vital role behind the scenes in bringing these stories to the screen.

Rita and Leslie discuss the importance of documentary storytelling in a time when history is often challenged, censored, or misunderstood. They explore why art can be powerful—and sometimes dangerous—when it tells the truth. The conversation also highlights the growing need for public support to ensure that Black stories, history, and culture continue to be documented and shared.

As funding landscapes shift and traditional support for public media faces uncertainty, Leslie shares an ambitious vision: building a community of 1.8 million supporters who believe in preserving and telling the stories that shape our collective understanding of history.

This episode is a reminder that storytelling is not just about the past—it is about the present and the future. When we support storytellers, we defend the truth itself.

Tune in every week as we explore:

Our Truth
Our History
Our Stories

Because in our stories, we find our truth.

Special Thanks To:

Head of Production
Jeannette Santiago

Recording Studio
Manhattan Neighborhood Network Studios

Links & Resources:

Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/qZn2TcoLlj4 

Follow Episodes on 
Listen and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platforms
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/follow 

Read the transcript
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/episodes/18852069 

Learn more about and support Black Public Media
https://blackpublicmedia.org

Learn more about Manhattan Neighborhood Network
https://www.mnn.org

Learn more about Rita Coburn’s documentary W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause, airing on American Masters on PBS on May 19, 2026

Follow updates from Rita Coburn Media
https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

Social / Call to Action:

Share your family stories using #OurTHS

Record the elders in your family. Preserve their stories, their memories, and their truth.

Learn more about Black Public Media and help support the future of Black storytelling. Join the movement to build 1.8 million voices standing behind our stories.
https://blackpublicmedia.org/donate

Follow us on social media
https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

Description:
In this episode of Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS, host Rita Coburn takes listeners across the water—into a conversation about identity, ancestry, and the deep spiritual pull of home.

Rita speaks with author, speaker, and cultural bridge-builder Michelle McKinney Hammond about her journey to Ghana, the meaning of return within the African diaspora, and the powerful ways history and lineage speak through us.

Their conversation explores how identity can be rediscovered through place, community, and purpose. When Rita heard Michelle’s story, she heard something deeper—the voice of blood, ancestry, and calling. Together they reflect on the long arc of history connecting Africa and the diaspora, and what it means when that connection becomes personal.

This episode invites listeners to reflect on their own roots and the ways our histories travel with us—sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly—until we are ready to listen.

Tune in every week as we explore:

Our Truth
Our History
Our Stories

Because in our stories, we find our truth.

Links & Resources:

Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/VircR_zXLJY 

Listen and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platforms
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323

Learn more about the D.I.V.A. Principle Conference 2026 with Michelle McKinney Hammond, taking place April 9–11 in Ghana, with an option to participate internationally:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-diva-principle-conference-2026-tickets-1983771204073

Learn more and follow updates from Rita Coburn Media
https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

Social / Call to Action:

Connect with Michelle McKinney Hammond on social media and visit her website:
https://www.michellehammond.com

Share your family stories using #OurTHS

Record the elders in your family. Preserve their stories, their memories, and their truth.

Follow us on social media for updates, transcripts, and behind-the-scenes insights.

Description:

As the United States approaches 250 years of independence, this episode asks a deeper question: What happens when we center 1619 in the American story?

In Episode 2 of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story, Rita Coburn reflects on the tradition of the griot — the sacred responsibility of carrying history forward — from Africa and a people born on the water to the modern-day storyteller armed with books, cameras, and digital platforms.

Rita sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project, to discuss truth, power, narrative control, and the national debate that followed the project’s publication.

Together, they explore:

• Why history becomes “dangerous” when it is questioned
• Whether confronting the full truth strengthens or weakens a nation
• The role of libraries as living institutions
• Why reading can be an act of resistance
• How we shape identity when we read with our children

This episode also features a special intergenerational moment with the young Naomi, delivering a heartfelt and powerful reading of excerpts from Born on the Water — a reminder that when children know the truth, they inherit power.

As we move from Black History Month into Women’s History Month, this episode calls us to pause, reflect, read, and continue to record the voices of those who came before us.

Go to the library.
Be still.
Read.
Act.
Repeat.
Carry the story forward.

Our Truth
Our History
Our Stories

Because when we carry the story forward, we carry power forward.

Links & Resources:

Read The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Find Born on the Water for the children in your life
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ritacoburn9240
Listen and subscribe on Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323

Social / Call to Action:

Share your reflections using #OurTHS
Last Episode: Record the elders in your family and preserve their stories

This Episode: Read he 1619 Project and Born on the Water
Follow for updates and opportunities to connect virtually and in person
https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

Description:
Today is the birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois — a man who dedicated his life to documenting our history, preserving our stories, and defending our truth. In this first episode of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story, host Rita Coburn reflects on the importance of telling our own narratives and why truth lives inside our stories.

Rita shares lessons learned from working with legendary figures, including Maya Angelou, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., and highlights upcoming guest Nikole Hannah-Jones. She explores the difference between facts and lived truth, and the urgency of preserving history in the face of erasure.

This Black History Month and beyond, record the elders in your family. Preserve their stories, their memories, and their truth.

This episode also includes a special 4-minute recording of Rita’s mother:

WILLIE COBURN (1922–2022)
The Voice & Story of Rita Coburn’s Mother (2017)

Tune in every week as we explore:

• Our Truth
• Our History
• Our Stories

Because in our stories, we find our truth.

Links & Resources:

• Watch this episode on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_fRQWLJGms  
• Watch the PBS trailer for W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause: https://youtu.be/5kMsik6rDQM?si=uukB7ql0PBNUXp1Q 
• Listen and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platforms. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323/episodes/18733927 
• Learn more about the 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones in preparation for next week’s episode. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html 

Social / Call to Action:

• Share your family stories using #OurTHS
• Follow us on social media for updates, transcripts, and behind-the-scenes insights
  • https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia