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The A Building Podcast Hosted By Menelek Lumumba And Hans Charles
Published 5 days, 15 hours ago
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iHeartPodcasts and Imagine Entertainment Launch "The A Building" - A Riveting New Documentary Podcast About the Student Uprising That Reshaped Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesNew Series Recounts How a Group of Morehouse College Students in 1969, Including a Young Samuel L. Jackson, Organized a Protest That Took Multiple Hostages, Among Them Martin Luther King Sr.iHeartPodcasts, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, and Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment today announced the launch of "The A Building," a powerful new documentary podcast that revisits one of the most extraordinary and rarely told moments in American civil rights and higher-education history-an event that changed the future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and helped define the modern era of student protest. This is the seventh title to be released from Imagine Entertainment and iHeartMedia's slate of original iHeartPodcasts.The series tells the story of the 1969 student uprising at Morehouse College, where a group of students barricaded themselves inside the administration building-known on Historically Black Colleges and Universities campuses as "The A Building." Set against the backdrop of late-1960s America, "The A Building" explores a volatile period when student activism surged nationwide amid movements for civil rights, women's rights, labor justice, and opposition to the Vietnam War. At Morehouse, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. intensified tensions between the administration and a student body demanding an education that reflected Black history, identity and lived experience-and ultimately led students to hold members of the Board of Trustees hostage for two days demanding reforms to curriculum and improvements to student life.One of the hostages was Martin Luther King Sr., president of the Board of Trustees. One of the student organizers was Samuel L. Jackson-years before he would become one of the most celebrated figures in Hollywood. Samuel L. Jackson and his friends devised a plan to hijack a Board of Trustees meeting to create change. A heist with a purpose.Blending immersive reenactments with firsthand testimony, archival research and expert analysis, the series unfolds with the tension of a true-crime heist-one driven by moral urgency. "The A Building" examines the risks students took, the consequences they faced, and the lasting impact of their actions on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and student activism nationwide.Co-created and produced by Menelek Lumumba and Hans Charles, the podcast traces the aftermath of the protest, including the expulsion of the students involved, the escalation of political pressure, and the pivotal moment that ultimately led Samuel L. Jackson back to Morehouse-where a change in academic focus quietly set him on the path toward acting."This project has been years in the making, but it feels more relevant than ever," said Menelek Lumumba, co-creator and producer. "I'm grateful we have the opportunity to tell this story about young people who took action, and how their one act of protest continues to reverberate through all those involved over 50 years later.""It's an incredible, unbelievable story when you first hear it," said Hans Charles, co-creator and producer. "That it happened on a campus like Morehouse College, in a city like Atlanta, at such a volatile time, speaks to the importance of telling and exploring what is quintessential American History.""What makes the story of 'The A Building' so compelling is how clearly it reveals the purpose and power of protest," said Nathan Kloke, Executive Producer for Imagine Entertainment. "When Hans and Menelek first brought us this pivotal chapter of American history, it unfolded like a heist film-fast-paced, surprising, and utterly gripping. We're excited to bring audiences along for the ride.""This is premium documentary storytelling that connects history to the present," said Will P