As Americans Prepare to Vote November 3, Rita Coburn’s Documentary Revisits W.E.B. Du Bois’ 120-Year-Old Fight for Voting Rights, Education and Democracy
CHICAGO, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — More than 120 years ago, W.E.B. Du Bois demanded that America confront the denial of voting rights to Black citizens. As the nation approaches the November 3 midterm elections, his words and warnings continue to resonate, as depicted in acclaimed documentary W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause, directed, written and produced by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn.
Coburn hopes that this film, in the best tradition of documentaries as change agents, will encourage audiences to examine the history of voting rights, the importance of an informed electorate and the power of documentary storytelling.
In 1905, Du Bois co-founded the Niagara Movement, an organization demanding full civil and political rights for Black Americans at a time when disenfranchisement, segregation and racial violence shaped much of American life.
On August 19, 1906, Du Bois delivered his historic “Address to the Country,” a powerful declaration about the relationship between voting rights and freedom. Some century old quotes that serve as contemporary warnings about truth, knowledge and democracy.
“First, we would vote; with the right to vote goes everything: Freedom, manhood, the honor of your wives, the chastity of your daughters, the right to work, and the chance to rise…”
“We want full manhood suffrage, and we want it now, henceforth and forever.”
Either the United States will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy the United States.” Du Bois’ century-old warning to contemporary conversations about truth, knowledge and democracy.
“Storytelling is how we preserve truth,” said Coburn. “When we bring historical voices like Du Bois to life, we reconnect audiences with ideas that continue to shape our democracy and our world.” The film urges audiences to question what they know, examine the forces shaping their lives and participate more fully in civic conversations.
A Life Spanning Nearly a Century of American History
Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause traces the trailblazing life of the scholar, historian, sociologist, author, activist and Pan-Africanist whose ideas helped shape modern civil rights thought.
Through rare archival footage, photographs, historical documents and dramatic readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance and Jeffrey Wright, the documentary brings Du Bois’ work to life.
Featured scholars include David Levering Lewis, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Eric Foner, Imani Perry, Karida Brown and Nikole Hannah-Jones, Elizabeth Alexander among others.
The film concludes with Du Bois’ final years in Ghana, where he died in 1963 on the eve of the historic March on Washington.
Audiences will have additional opportunities to see the documentary and participate in conversations with its director.
Screening details and RSVP information:
https://www.ritacoburn.com/screenings
Rita Coburn is an award-winning director, writer and producer whose documentaries explore the lives and legacies of transformative figures in American history, including the Peabody Award-winning Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise and Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands.
Through RCW Media Productions, Inc., Coburn continues to create films that preserve history, elevate overlooked voices and inspire conversations across generations.
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause is directed, written and produced by Rita Coburn. The 112-minute documentary is a co-production of RCW Media Productions, Inc. and American Masters, produced in association with the Center for Independent Documentary and Black Public Media.
Original music from Kathryn Bostic, K.A. Miille editor.
Official Trailer & Website
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM
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SOURCE Rita Coburn
