History, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar Team for Civil War-Themed Documentary

By R. Thomas Umstead
last updated

‘Black Patriots of the Civil War’ to debut February 21

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar teams with History on "Fight The Power: The Movements That Changed America"
(Image credit: History)

NBA Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will once again team with History Channel to develop a February documentary special focusing on heroic African-American figures of the Civil War era.

The one-hour documentary, Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War, debuts February 21 and chronicles heroic figures such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass whose bravery and selfless contributions helped define and reshape the reality of a democracy, said the network.

Also: Q&A: NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Champions U.S. Social Justice Movements In History Doc

The documentary marks the third collaboration between Abdul-Jabbar and History, following the 2020 Emmy-nominated Black Patriots: Heroes of the Revolution and the 2021 Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America documentaries. ■ 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.