'How It Feels To Be Free,' 'MLK/FBI,' Full Bio: Jimmy Carter, 'Desert One'

Director Yoruba Richen joins us to discuss her new documentary for PBS American Masters titled, "How It Feels To Be Free." Based on the book How It Feels To Be Free: Black Women Entertainers and the Civil Rights Movement by Ruth Feldstein, the documentary follows the career trajectories of six iconic Black female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – and highlights the close relationship between creative output and political awakening in the 20th century.

For years, the FBI had Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. under surveillance. Award-winning director Sam Pollard discusses how newly discovered and declassified files reveal just how extensive the harassment and surveillance directed at Dr. King and other Black activists was. His new documentary, “MLK/FBI,” will be released on January 15.

For the third installment of our latest “Full Bio” miniseries, journalist and author Jonathan Alter discusses Jimmy Carter’s domestic policy, including his emphasis on the environment, and why Carter wanted to “de-pomp” the White House. Plus, we’ll take a look at how the press covered the Carter Administration. Alter’s book is titled, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life.

In the fourth installment of our latest “Full Bio” miniseries, journalist and author Jonathan Alter talks about President Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy legacy, including the success of the Camp David Peace Accords in 1978 and the failed attempt to rescue the hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979. Alter’s biography of Carter is titled, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life.

[REBROADCAST] As an addendum to our Full Bio miniseries on Jimmy Carter, we share an excerpt from our conversation with filmmaker Barbara Kopple about her documentary, “Desert One,” which examines the failed U.S. military operation to rescue hostages in Tehran, Iran, in 1980. She is joined by Ret. Col. Ed Seiffert, who was involved in the rescue mission.