Black Public Media's "AfroPoP" series presents 100th film: "Paradox"
Black Public Media’s Peabody Award-winning series AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange marks a major milestone this fall with its 100th film presentation, Paradox: Echoes of Reform & the Minneapolis Police.
The documentary serves as the finale of Season 18 and explores 150 years of policing, political power, and reform in Minneapolis.
Directed by 20-time regional Emmy Award winner Daniel Pierce Bergin and produced by Minnesota PBS, Paradox premieres Monday, November 9, on the PBS App and PBS.org. Viewers can check their local listings for broadcast times.
The documentary examines the history of policing in Minneapolis, tracing the policies, political decisions, and community struggles that shaped the city long before the 2020 murder of George Floyd brought renewed national and international attention to police misconduct and racial injustice.
Acclaimed historian Dr. Yohuru Williams guides viewers through this history, examining the influence of mayoral administrations, police unions, and community activists, particularly those from Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, in the ongoing debate over policing and reform.
Through archival research, rare footage, and interviews with civic leaders, activists, police officers, and historians, Paradox explores the longstanding tensions surrounding law enforcement in Minnesota’s largest city. The film also features Dr. Michael Lansing, an Augsburg University history professor who served as a key adviser on the project and authored the companion book A Police State.
“George Floyd’s murder did not happen in a historical vacuum. To understand what happened on that Minneapolis street in 2020, we have to examine the decisions, policies and struggles over policing that shaped the city for generations,” Bergin said. He added that the film aims to deepen the national conversation about policing, accountability, and meaningful reform.
Leslie Fields-Cruz, executive director of Black Public Media and executive producer of AfroPoP, emphasized the significance of the documentary as the series reaches its 100th film.
“As police misconduct continues to dominate the news cycle, this compelling work by Daniel and Minnesota PBS uncovers the deep and dark history behind recent events,” Fields-Cruz said. She described the milestone as a testament to AfroPoP’s ongoing commitment to presenting important and often overlooked stories about the Black experience.
A Milestone Season for AfroPoP
The Season 18 finale follows a collection of documentaries examining diverse experiences across the African diaspora.
Among the season’s featured films is Listen to Me, directed by Kanika Harris and Stephanie Etienne, which examines the Black maternal health crisis in the United States. The season also includes This World Is Not My Own, from filmmakers Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell, exploring the life and work of late folk artist Nellie Mae Rowe. The latter became the first feature-length film to premiere exclusively on Black Public Media’s YouTube channel.
AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange is the only U.S.-based public media program dedicated exclusively to independent documentaries and narrative films exploring contemporary life, art, and culture across the African diaspora. Over the years, the series has showcased work by filmmakers including Raoul Peck, Sam Pollard, Blitz Bazawule, Thomas Allen Harris, Michèle Stephenson, and Saul Williams.
Black Public Media brought Season 18 to audiences despite a $1.8 million budget reduction resulting from Congress’s 2025 rescission of public media funding.
Denise A. Greene serves as series producer and director of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, presented with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Premiere Information
Title: Paradox: Echoes of Reform & the Minneapolis Police
Premiere date: Monday, November 9
Where to watch: PBS App and PBS.org
Broadcast information: Check local listings for times.
Learn more about the series at Black Public Media’s official website.
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