France and the African American – Streaming Collection

This selection of films examines the historic relationship between France and African Americans through culture, exile, military service, and the struggle for recognition.

The collection includes:
• Black Paris: African American in the City of Light
• Fighting for Respect: African American Soldiers in WWI
• Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World

Purchase gives streaming access (PPR) to all three films.

Black Paris: African Americans in the City of Light explores Paris as a creative and political refuge for African American artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals seeking freedom beyond the limits of segregation. Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World follows the extraordinary life of an African American performer who became an international star, French Resistance figure, and civil rights activist. Fighting for Respect tells the story of African American soldiers in World War I who fought with distinction in France while still facing racism and exclusion at home.

Together, these films reveal France as both a place of possibility and contradiction—a space where African Americans pursued dignity, visibility, and freedom while confronting the unfinished struggles of race, citizenship, and belonging.