Rise Up: The legacy of Nat Turner

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The Story

In 1831 African American slave, and preacher, Nat Turner lead a bloody slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia. It was a fight against the enslavement of African and American people of color who longed for freedom from tyranny. This one-hour doc follows Roger Guenveur Smith as he travels to Southampton County, Virginia to take viewers on a physical journey through the town, fields and farms where Turner lived, fought, and died; along the way meeting with academics, locals, and descendants to peel back the layers of one of the most misunderstood Americans in history. In addition to candid discussions on historical and contemporary racial tensions, Roger asks us to consider why Turner is not lofted up across America as an early black revolutionary figure who helped to shape the nation.