Jelani Cobb

Overview

Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
Aug 21, 1969 (55 years old)

Jelani Cobb

Known For

Heightened Scrutiny
1h 29m
Movie 2025

Heightened Scrutiny

Amid the surge in anti-trans legislation that Chase Strangio battles in the courtroom, he must also fight against media bias, exposing how the narratives in the press influence public perception and the fight for transgender rights.

One Person, One Vote?
1h 18m
Movie 2024

One Person, One Vote?

An in-depth look at the Electoral College, its slavery origins, and its impact on society today. The film features four dynamic electors from different parties offering insight into the inner workings of this often-misunderstood institution. A timely, nonpartisan film that will fill a stark information gap in American presidential elections.

Lies, Politics and Democracy
1h 54m
Movie 2022

Lies, Politics and Democracy

Frontline’s season premiere investigates American political leaders and choices they’ve made that have undermined and threatened democracy in the U.S. In a two-hour documentary special premiering ahead of the 2022 midterms, Frontline examines how officials fed the public lies about the 2020 presidential election and embraced rhetoric that led to political violence.

Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union
1h 55m
Movie 2022

Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union

Reviewing the pursuit of democracy within the U.S. on the anniversary of the 2021 Capitol riot.

Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union
TV Show 2021

Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

President Obama's personal story and his vision for America, set against the backdrop of the country's racial history.

Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America
0h 43m
Movie 2021

Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America

“Looks at the impact key movements throughout U.S. history have had in shaping our society, laws and culture. From the labor movement of the 1880s, women's suffrage and civil rights, to the LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements, protest is in the American DNA and this documentary gives an unfiltered look at the ways it has evolved the world in which we live.”

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden
1h 54m
Movie 2020

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.

Policing the Police 2020
0h 53m
Movie 2020

Policing the Police 2020

George Floyd’s killing triggered mass demonstrations nationwide calling for racial justice and police accountability in the United States. In the wake of those protests, New Yorker writer and historian Jelani Cobb returns to a troubled police department he first visited four years ago (Policing the Police) to examine whether reform can work, and how police departments can be held accountable.

East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story
1h 44m
Movie 2020

East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story

The history of the East Lake Meadows public housing project in Atlanta and the people who lived there from 1970 to its demolition in 2000, with special emphasis on the activism of Eva Davis asserting the rights of the tenants.

Frontline: America's Great Divide
3h 48m
Movie 2020

Frontline: America's Great Divide

A deep look into the growing divide in America from the Barack Obama era through the presidency of Donald Trump.

Biography

William Jelani Cobb is an American writer, author and educator. The Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University, Cobb was previously an associate professor of history and director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, from 2012 to 2016.