The Promised Land

Storyline

This program documents the migration of rural Southern blacks from the segregated South to Chicago. Cultural and political gains become offset by overcrowding and increasing ghettoization, as Northern politicians ignore resentment that explodes in the Sixties. Finally, Chicago gets its first African-American mayor; many families move out of the ghetto to middle-class success; many others remain mired in a growing "underclass". Includes historical footage and personal interviews. The program has three parts: (1) Take me to Chicago; (2) A dream deferred; (3) Strong men keep a-comin' on.