"The Time Has Come 1964-1966": Explores Black militancy and the roots of the Black power movement. Also tracks the influence of ideas of Black separatism and Black nationalism on a new generation of Blacks and analyzes the long-term impact they had on whites who supported the freedom movement. "Two Societies 1965-1968": Northern cities served as the backdrop for confrontations on a scale the civil rights movement had never seen before the mid-1960s. Scarred by widespread discrimination, Black inner-city neighborhoods became sites of crumbling houses, poverty and street violence. Although the Black-led movement for social change and equality in the North had a long history, it had not received the same media attention the struggle in the South had.

"Power. 1966-1968": Explores the influence of the idea of Black power on freedom movement. Follows leaders of three Black communities in their efforts to gain political and economic power that would enable advancements in employment, housing and education. "The Promised Land 1967-1968": Martin Luther King, Jr. stakes out new ground for himself and the rapidly fragmenting civil rights movement. He is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee at the Lorraine Motel.

"Ain't Gonna Shuffle No More 1964-1972": Explores a call to pride and a push for unity to galvanize Blacks. Cassius Clay challenges America to accept him as Muhammad Ali, who refuses to fight in Vietnam. Students at the traditionally Black Howard University fight to bring the growing Black consciousness movement and their African heritage inside the walls of the institution. "A Nation of Law? 1968-1971": Black activism is increasingly met with violent and unethical response from local and federal law enforcement. A five-day inmate takeover at Attica Prison calls the public's attention to conditions there leaves 43 dead, of which 39 were killed by police.

"The Keys to the Kingdom 1974-1980": In the 1970s, anti-discrimination rights are put to the test. Boston Whites violently resist the federal school desegregation order. Atlanta's mayor Jackson proves affirmative action can work, but Bakke decision challenges that policy. "Back to the Movement 1979-Mid 1980s": Explores new and old challenges that Black communities faced 25 years after civil rights struggle began. Also explores Black communities in Miami and Chicago and chronicles their dramatically different responses to these challenges.