Scene from Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP

Poster for Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP

Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP (2025)

Name: Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2025-02-25
Duration: 113 min
Rating: 10
Cast: Joe Morton, Geoffrey Owens, Kenneth Mack, Karlos Hill, Patricia Sullivan

Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP (2025), directed by Michelle Smawley, starring Joe Morton and Geoffrey Owens.

02/25/2025 BR Documentary 1h 53m

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The Most Famous Activist You've Never Heard Of

Synopsis

While many consider the birth of the civil rights movement to be 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, the stage had been set decades before by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Some of the NAACP leaders are familiar, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Thurgood Marshall, but Walter White, head of the NAACP from 1929 to 1955, has been all but forgotten. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Walter White looked white; he described himself as “an enigma, a Black man occupying a white body.” Like virtually all light-skinned African Americans of his day, White was descended from enslaved Black women and powerful white men. But he was Black — by law, identity, and conviction and spent his entire life fighting for Black civil rights. Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP traces the life of this neglected civil rights hero and seeks to explain his disappearance from our history.

Michelle SmawleyDirector
Charnelle “Cha” QuallisEditing
Emily L. HarroldProducer
Lauren WimbushProducer

Trivia

It premiered on February 25, 2025, a Tuesday.
It runs 1h53 — a typical feature length.
This film's quiz has 11 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosPBS, American Experience Films, The WNET Group
CountriesUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
StatusReleased

Cast

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Crew

Michelle Smawley Director
Charnelle “Cha” Quallis Editing
Emily L. Harrold Producer
Lauren Wimbush Producer
Rob Rapley Producer
Rob Rapley Writer

Questions about this film

What is Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP about?

Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP: While many consider the birth of the civil rights movement to be 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, the stage had been set decades before by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Some of the NAACP leaders are familiar, including W.E.B. Du Bois an…

Who directed Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP?

Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP was directed by Michelle Smawley in 2025.

Who stars in Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP?

The cast of Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP includes Joe Morton, Geoffrey Owens, Kenneth Mack, Karlos Hill and Patricia Sullivan.

How long is Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP?

Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP runs for 113 minutes, or 1h53.