Freedom Colonies bring a living history of independence to PBS
Richard Orton's decades-long photography project follows descendants of four communities founded after slavery.
PBS
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The Hidden Black Towns Built Right After Slavery | Full Documentary | Raise Your Head Up
How do you keep a town's legacy alive across generations? PBS's biggest new upload asks that question through Freedom Colonies, communities established by formerly enslaved people seeking autonomy after the Civil War.
"The Hidden Black Towns Built Right After Slavery | Full Documentary | Raise Your Head Up" has drawn about 153,000 views. Documentary photographer Richard Orton began following descendants of four such communities in 1988; the film explores both their accomplishments and the challenges of preserving what their founders built. Viewers are asking for this history to become part of school lessons, while several describe their own families' connections to freedom colonies.
History supplied much of the week's momentum. "Africa's Golden City | Full Episode | Secrets of the Dead" explores Great Zimbabwe, the trading capital built by ancestors of today's Shona people. Alongside the Freedom Colonies documentary, it is among the channel's busiest uploads right now, with the previous week's Colosseum episode between them in daily viewing.
Across six new uploads, PBS also found room for a forgotten Route 66 motel outside Sullivan, Missouri, and Ben Sheehan's exploration of democracy and republican government with constitutional scholar Eugene Volokh. The channel added roughly 1.5 million views over the week, in much the same neighborhood as Doctor Who, while its subscriber count remained unchanged and daily viewing stayed close to usual.
There was a lighter change of register, too: Mon Laferte performed "Vida Normal" at the Hispanic Heritage Awards, and Aparna Nancherla joined Mo Welch at the easel. Their conversation pairs childhood stage fright with the unlikely career choice of stand-up comedy, plus a shared assignment to draw horses.
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What viewers say
The history of these Freedom Towns should be included in textbooks throughout the United States to show the resilience, pride, and resourcefulness of a people who were discarded and displaced, but triumphed regardless.
@RevEvelynBSee it on YouTubeI am absolutely blown away. I'm in my sixties and this is the first I have learned about Freedom Colonies. Build a history lesson around how each community was created and you've taught a baseline on how to build a life. Plus learn important things along the way.
@omazz1965See it on YouTubeI love seeing this history and hearing stories from members of the community. I pray the younger generation can keep the community up. It's their birthright.
@AloRoseSee it on YouTube
3 more comments
Powerful! Thank you PBS and to all those that contributed to the making of this documentary. This history is so crucial to learn and so necessary acknowledge for us all. Well done.
@cre8iveworksSee it on YouTubeMore More More of these stories please!!
@BennyHill-i2c3dSee it on YouTubeThank you! Great people and great documentary!
@charleslewis6815See it on YouTube
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The videos drawing views on PBS right now
Why America’s Founders Feared Direct Democracy70,715 views · 2026-10-14
Africa's Golden City | Full Episode | Secrets of the Dead62,260 views · 2026-10-15
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Aparna Nancherla on Being a Shy Kid | The Drawing Room with Mo Welch12,650 views · 2026-10-16
Mon Laferte Performs "Vida Normal" | Hispanic Heritage Awards10,222 views · 2026-10-17
The Colosseum’s Rise and Fall | Full Episode | Secrets of the Dead263,051 views
- Channel
- PBS
- Subscribers
- 1,810,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,518,332
- Videos published this week
- 6
- Video published
- October 12, 2026
- Video views so far
- 153,252
- Views on its first day
- 41,902
The numbers
Here is PBS's week in views, subscribers and new uploads.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which comedian joins Mo Welch in PBS's new Drawing Room episode?
Nancherla discusses childhood shyness and stand-up comedy while drawing with Welch.