Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker
Black History Month 2026
•
1h 3m
Directed by Joanne Grant • Documentary • 1981 • 63 minutes
FUNDI: THE STORY OF ELLA BAKER reveals the instrumental role that Ella Baker, a friend and advisor to Martin Luther King, played in shaping the American civil rights movement. The dynamic activist was affectionately known as the Fundi, a Swahili word for a person who passes skills from one generation to another.
By looking at the 1960s from the perspective of Baker, the 'godmother of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee,' FUNDI adds an essential understanding of the U.S. civil rights movement.
"FUNDI fills a gap for those who know little of the history of the black struggle [and] is a compelling portrait of an extraordinary woman who has devoted her life to struggle and to the people who take part in it." —Harry Belafonte
"FUNDI does exactly what Ella Baker does: it gives us the courage to act on our own - and to affect the future." —Gloria Steinem
Up Next in Black History Month 2026
-
Gil Scott-Heron: Black Wax
Directed by Robert Mugge • Documentary • With Gil Scott-Heron • 1983 • 79 minutes
BLACK WAX is a musical-political entertainment film produced and directed by Robert Mugge. It centers on the late African American poet-singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron - the man Melody Maker called "the most dang...
-
Roberta
Directed by Antonino D'Ambrosio • Documentary • 2022 • 87 minutes
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Antonino D'Ambrosio, this is the long overdue documentary about the legendary Roberta Flack. Of course she is well known the world over for “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and "Killing Me Soft...
-
The Flashettes
Directed by Bonnie Friedman • Documentary • 1977 • 20 minutes
Focusing on their hopes and aspirations, this upbeat film movingly shows how the rigorous training helps to produce more than just muscle, but a positive self-identity and pride. Andre, a young man, returns to his community after coll...