American Masters, How It Feels to Be Free

Monday, Jan. 18, at 9 PM

Repeats Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 2 AM

Also airs on Fusion on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 1 PM

Six iconic African American female entertainers—Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier—challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process. This film features interviews and archival performances with all six women, as well as original conversations with contemporary artists influenced by them.

Based on the book “How It Feels to Be Free: Black Women Entertainers and the Civil Rights Movement” by Ruth Feldstein, the film tells the story of how these six pioneering women broke through in an entertainment industry hell-bent on keeping them out and situates their activism as precursors to contemporary movements.

The film highlights how each woman harnessed her celebrity to advance the civil rights movement and leave an indelible mark on our culture.