- Directed by
- Greaves, William, American, 1926 - 2014
- Produced by
- Greaves, William, American, 1926 - 2014
- Written by
- Greaves, William, American, 1926 - 2014
- Narrated by
- Peters, Brock, American, 1927 - 2005
- Composed by
- Blake, Eubie, American, 1887 - 1983
- Photograph by
- Van Der Zee, James, American, 1886 - 1983
- Subject of
- Powell, Adam Clayton Jr., American, 1908 - 1972
- Ellington, Duke, American, 1899 - 1974
- Calloway, Cab, American, 1907 - 1994
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Smith, Bessie, American, 1894 - 1937
- Waller, Fats, American, 1904 - 1943
- Robeson, Paul, American, 1898 - 1976
- Schomburg, Arturo Alfonso, Puerto Rican, 1874 - 1938
- Cotton Club, American, 1923 - 1940
- Garvey, Marcus, Jamaican, 1887 - 1940
- Douglas, Aaron, American, 1899 - 1979
- Owned by
- D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
- Date
- 1974
- Medium
- acetate film
- Dimensions
- Duration: 30 Minutes
- Length (Film): 1100 Feet
- Caption
- This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
- Description
- A documentary film with the title From These Roots. It consists of a single reel of black-and-white acetate film with optical sound. The film describes the history of the Harlem Renaissance through the use of narration by actor Brock Peters and still images, many of which were taken by James Van Der Zee. The documentary opens with a brief discussion of the various ethnic groups that occupied Harlem prior to the Renaissance, before moving to a discussion of significant African Americans that lived in Harlem and their contributions to the community. Some of the individuals discussed include A'Lelia Walker, James Van Der Zee, Adam Clayton Powell, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Josephine Baker, Ethel Walters, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, Florence Mills, Paul Robeson, Marcus Garvey, Aaron Douglas and several others. Additionally, the narrator recites works of poets such as Claude McKay and Langston Hughes. Scholars such as Arturo Schomburg and literary publications such as Opportunity magazine and The Messenger are also examined. There is also footage of the 1917 Silent Protest Parade along New York City’s Fifth Avenue. At the end of the documentary, the narrator explores the question of what caused the Harlem Renaissance.
- Place used
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Place depicted
- Harlem, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- DC Public Library Film Collection
- Classification
- Time-based Media - Moving Images
- Movement
- Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
- Topic
- Art
- Documentary films
- Film
- Independent films
- Literature
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2017.55.65.1a
- Restrictions & Rights
- Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




