Film: Forgotten Genius

Image of Ruben Santiago-Hudson in the lab for Forgotten Genius documentary film

Source: © 2007 WGBH Educational Foundation

The story of a Black chemist’s incredible scientific accomplishments in the face of almost insurmountable obstacles in early 20th century US

This 2007 film, which is being rebroadcasted throughout February in honour of Black history month, documents the extraordinary life of Percy Julian, the grandson of a slave who became one of the first African Americans to receive a doctorate in chemistry. Julian’s story is a complex one of incredible scientific accomplishments in the face of almost insurmountable obstacles.