BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT Documentary Sets PBS Premiere

Maryland Public Television (MPT) has announced the upcoming release of BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT. This new documentary explores the life and legacy of Thurgood Marshall, the nation’s first African American Supreme Court Justice. 

Executive produced by Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson and MPT Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer Travis Mitchell, the film is produced and directed by Alexis Aggrey, with music by two-time Grammy Award-winning composer Derrick Hodge.

A testament to Marshall’s extraordinary influence, BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT premieres Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app. 

BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT follows Justice Marshall’s journey from his birth in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1908 through his years at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law, and his groundbreaking career as a lawyer championing civil rights and dismantling school segregation. 

Marshall won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, invalidating the separate but equal doctrine and ending racial segregation in public schools. In 1967, Marshall became the first African American appointed to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT includes exclusive interviews with family members, leading historians and authors, and legal experts who offer fresh insights into the life and extraordinary influence of the man who became known as “Mr. Civil Rights.”

The film will serve as the centerpiece of HBCU Week NOW 2025, a public media partnership that offers content about the history, legacy, cultural heritage, and degree programs offered by America’s HBCUs. A collection of original long-form and short films, live events, and other HBCU-themed programming is available on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube Channel.

BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA'S SOCIAL ARCHITECT will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms including PBS.org, and the PBS app, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, and VIZIO.