In 1938 Swedish economist and sociologist Gunnar Myrdal was commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation to lead a massive study on Jim Crow racism. Myrdahl’s research explored a troubling question: How can a nation that espouses such forward-thinking, human and democratic visions as embodied in the American creed justify the exploitation of its black population.
American Denial, a new documentary airing on the PBS Independent Lens series, uses Myrdahl’s study to ask whether racial dynamics have changed more than 70 years later. Director Llewellyn Smith and producer Kelly Thomson joined Dakota Midday for a discussion of the documentary.
American Denial is featured on on SDPB1 Television Monday, February 23 at 9 pm Central; 8 pm Mountain; and on SDPB2 Television on Wednesday, February 25 at 7 pm Central; 6 pm Mountain.