W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause is a historical documentary that examines the life of the Black scholar and civil rights activist. The film covers his journey from birth, occurring shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation, through his death in 1963 just before the March on Washington. It focuses on his academic contributions and his long-term impact as a pioneer in the struggle for equal rights.

Directed by Rita Coburn Whack, the production was a collaboration between American Masters Pictures, Black Public Media, and RCW Media Productions. The film features a narrator voiced by Viola Davis and includes appearances by Courtney B. Vance, Jeffrey Wright, Common, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Archival footage is used to present W.E.B. Du Bois himself. Released in the United States on May 19, 2026, the film has a runtime of 112 minutes.