"Documents the African-American religious experience during the last three centuries from the early African slaves, through the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Era, and into the 21st century. Explores the struggle of African-Americans in their faith and how it became a force for social, political and cultural change in the United States."--Summary from WorldCat

Descriptions of the six episodes of this series are below:
Episode One "There is a River"
There is a river explores the evolution of African-American religious thought, from the beliefs and rituals Africans brought to America to the influence of Christian teachings imposed on slaves in the new world. It charts the growth of independent black churches and attempts by slaves and free blacks to unify the black community. Through the lives of two nineteenth-century black leaders, Sojourner Truth and Denmark Vesey, we see how religion and belief in God provided hope in the face of desperation.

Episode Two: "God is a Negro"
God is a Negro focuses on the role of Henry McNeal Turner, whose efforts to create a sense of self-respect among African-Americans began in the political arena and shifted to the religious realm. His emphasis on a black nationalist philosophy and his rejection of white power alienated him from some leaders, but led to a greater role for the black church in African-American culture. Turner's philosophy and teachings encouraged his followers to find God from within, raising their opinions about themselves and all black people.

Episode Three: "Guide my feet"
Guide my feet follows the movement of African-Americans from the South to the promised land of the North, from country to city, from rejection to hope. It is also the story of Cecil Williams and Thomas A. Dorsey, two men a generation apart but united by a vision to take the stark reality of the streets into the church, challenging Christianity to be true to its promise of acceptance. In Chicago, Thomas Dorsey pioneers a different direction for spiritual expression: gospel music. In San Francisco, the Reverend Cecil Williams strives to pull down barriers with his "come as you are" church. Through their efforts, Dorsey, Williams and others create a new faith and a new music.

Episode Four: "Freedom faith"
Freedom faith traces the connections between "Freedom faith"--The belief that God intended all people to be equal and free--and the Civil Rights Movement. Faith give black families a way of insulating themselves from the oppression of segregation in the 1940s and 1950s, and provided the seeds for opposition to Jim Crow. Many of the protests of the 1960s are shown from the perspective of Prathia Hall, an eminent black preacher who was born in 1940 and literally grew up with the movement. Hall is one of many voices in the film--voices of ordinary people who, through faith, risk their lives to challenge America to live up to its promise of equality.

Episode Five: "Inheritors of the faith"
Inheritors of the faith follows the journeys of African-Americans who seek a spiritual experience in the traditions of Islam and Yoruba. Originating in West Africa and pre-dating Christianity, Yoruba focuses on honoring ancestors, and worshipers gain strength and spirituality from within. Another emerging spiritual direction is the Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad. When Muhammad's son, Warith Deen, takes over the movement after his father's death, he transforms the organization to more closely follow the practice of orthodox Islam. Louis X. Farrakhan resurrects the ideology of the old Nation of Islam in 1978.

Episode Six: "Rise Up and call their names"
Rise up and call their names follows 60 people in the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage on a physical and spiritual voyage as they walk from Massachusetts to Florida, than make their way to the Caribbean and ultimately to Africa. Their purpose is to pray for the spirits of their ancestors, and to discover for themselves the spiritual value of such a journey. After months of difficult travel and deep soul-searching, the pilgrims reach Africa with a stronger sense of identity and purpose.