Rainbow Coalition examined in PBS documentary about the ’60s

First Rainbow Coalition

Courtesy PBS

The PBS Documentary “The First Rainbow Coalition,” released Jan. 27, documents the lesser-known alliance between Black people, Latinos and poor Appalachian Whites in the 1960s

The documentary focuses on members of the Black Panther Party, Puerto Rican radicals, and Confederate-supporting Whites and their struggle to dismantle poverty and institutional discrimination during the Nixon era.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the film’s creator, Ray Santisteban, said that the film took 14 years to complete.

Santisteban said the film was able to take flight only after Bobby Lee agreed to speak.

Lee is credited as the man behind the alliance. As a Black Panther in the 1960s, Lee entered an area of Chicago known as “Hillbilly Harlem” and asked the residents to join him in his movement.

Lee also enlisted the help of a Puerto Rican group known as the Young Lords.

Watch the documentary free on PBS’ streaming service.

— Wells Foster

100 Questions and Answers About African Americans” is available from Amazon or the Front Edge Publishing bookstore.

“100 Questions and Answers About Hispanics and Latinos” is available from Amazon or the Front Edge Publishing bookstore.

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