1976 Portrait of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (Public Domain Photo).
This fall, viewers will get a rare and intimate look into the life of Thurgood Marshall—the legal powerhouse who reshaped the American justice system and became the nation’s first Black Supreme Court Justice.
“Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect,” a new one-hour documentary, premieres Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS app.
The film is executive produced by Stanley Nelson, the Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated documentarian behind Becoming Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom, and Travis Mitchell of Maryland Public Television (MPT). It is directed by Alexis Aggrey, who also produced the documentary and assembled a high-caliber team, including Grammy-winning composer Derrick Hodge.
What sets this film apart is that for the first time, Marshall’s story is told in his own words—drawn from a rare eight-hour oral history recording.
“For the first time, audiences will hear Thurgood Marshall tell his own story — in his own words,” said Aggrey. “This film is the first to center Marshall’s own voice, drawn from a rare eight-hour oral history. It’s not just a documentary; it’s a conversation with a man whose legal mind reshaped the nation and whose legacy still echoes through our justice system today.”
From his upbringing in Baltimore and his education at Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law to his courtroom triumphs and landmark legal strategy with the NAACP, Marshall’s journey is a blueprint of determination, intellect, and deep commitment to justice.
“It was an honor to work on this film about an American titan whose legacy continues to expand and endure in these turbulent times,” said Nelson. “I’m pleased to again be partnering with Maryland Public Television.”
“We are honored to be working with this amazing team of filmmakers to explore the extraordinary life of Justice Thurgood Marshall, one of Maryland’s most illustrious sons,” added Mitchell. “Justice Marshall’s journey from his Baltimore childhood to his education at HBCUs, from his groundbreaking legal career at the NAACP to his history-making appointment to the Supreme Court, is a story of almost unprecedented achievement and one we know that PBS viewers will find illuminating as well as inspiring.”
Among Marshall’s many achievements: he won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court—including Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 decision that struck down segregation in public schools. In 1967, he became the first African American to serve on the nation’s highest court.
The film features interviews with Marshall’s family members, noted historians, legal scholars, and civil rights advocates who speak to the weight and reach of his legacy.
“Becoming Thurgood” will also serve as the centerpiece of HBCU Week NOW 2025, a public media initiative dedicated to showcasing the impact and offerings of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Additional programming will be featured on the @HBCUWeekNOW YouTube channel, Instagram, and hbcuweeknow.com.
WHERE TO WATCH:
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PBS Broadcast: Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings)
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Streaming: PBS.org and the PBS app (available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, VIZIO)
The documentary is a production of The Aggrey Company and presented by Maryland Public Television as part of its Center for Maryland History Films.
More information is available at mpt.org and hbcuweeknow.com.
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