A Womanist Reflection on Eyes on the Prize

Henry Hampton’s landmark documentary Eyes on the Prize (1987) chronicles the Civil Rights Movement with a depth and intimacy that continues to resonate across generations. From a womanist perspective, a framework articulated by Alice Walker (1983) and expanded by theologians and ethicists such as Katie Cannon, Jacquelyn Grant, and Delores Williams, the series offers not only a historical record but also a spiritual and cultural testimony. Womanism emphasizes the centrality of Black women's lived experiences, affirming their survival strategies and recognizing their leadership in the struggle for justice. Through this lens, three key points emerge from Eyes on the Prize: (1) the indispensable leadership of Black women, (2) the sustaining role of spiritual and cultural resources, and (3) the sacred duty of memory and testimony as intergenerational responsibility.

Black Women as Architects of Liberation

While Eyes on the Prize highlights iconic male leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, it also reveals the often-overlooked leadership of women. Rosa Parks, Diane Nash, and Fannie Lou Hamer emerge not as supporting figures but as central architects of the movement. Parks’s refusal to give up her seat was not a spontaneous act of fatigue but the death of Emmett Till and the culmination of years of organizing with the NAACP. Nash’s strategic brilliance in the Nashville sit-ins and Freedom Rides demonstrates the intellectual leadership of young Black women. Hamer’s testimony at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, in which she declared, “I question America,” embodies the womanist principle of speaking truth to power with moral clarity.

Womanist scholars remind us that such leadership has historically been minimized. Katie Cannon (1988) argues that Black women’s ethical wisdom is forged in the crucible of survival, where they “make a way out of no way.” Jacquelyn Grant (1989) critiques the male-centered narratives of Black theology, insisting that women’s voices are not auxiliary but essential. Eyes on the Prize affirms these insights by documenting how women’s organizing, strategizing, and truth-telling sustained the movement at every level. From a womanist perspective, the Civil Rights Movement cannot be fully understood without acknowledging the backbone of Black women’s labor, intellect, and courage.

Spiritual and Cultural Resources as Tools of Liberation

The documentary is filled with the sounds of freedom songs, the sight of prayer circles, and the invocation of biblical imagery. These are not incidental details but central to the movement’s survival. Songs such as “We Shall Overcome” and “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” functioned as theological affirmations, transforming fear into courage and despair into hope. Delores Williams (1993) emphasizes that Black women’s survival has often depended on “making do” with the resources at hand, whether through spiritual creativity, oral tradition, or embodied ritual. The collective singing in jail cells or on marches exemplifies this survival ethic, turning vulnerability into strength.

The Black church, as depicted in the series, served as both a sanctuary and a staging ground. Yet a womanist critique acknowledges the gendered tensions within these institutions. While women filled the pews, raised funds, and organized logistics, men often occupied the pulpits and received public recognition. This dual reality reflects what Cannon calls the “double jeopardy” of race and gender, where women simultaneously experienced empowerment and marginalization. Eyes on the Prize allows us to see both the liberating and limiting aspects of these institutions, underscoring the womanist insistence on a holistic view that acknowledges complexity rather than romanticizing the past.

Katie G. Cannon preaching, 1993. [Pearl ID: 171119].

Memory, Testimony, and Intergenerational Responsibility

Perhaps the most powerful dimension of Eyes on the Prize is its reliance on testimony. The series is built on the voices of those who lived through the movement, ordinary men and women whose recollections preserve the texture of history. From a womanist perspective, this act of remembering is a sacred one. Alice Walker (1983) describes the womanist tradition as one of “passing it on,” ensuring that wisdom, struggle, and survival strategies are transmitted across generations.

The testimony of Mamie Till-Mobley, who insisted on an open casket for her son Emmett Till, exemplifies this principle. Her decision to “let the world see what they did to my boy” transformed private grief into public witness, catalyzing a generation into action. Similarly, the recollections of women who endured jail, beatings, and intimidation remind us that the struggle was not abstract but embodied in flesh and blood. Their stories are not only historical records but also moral imperatives, calling future generations into the ongoing work of justice.

Image Source Credit: GRANGER. License for Classroom Use:GRANGER ACADEMIC

In this sense, Eyes on the Prize functions as a communal archive, a ritual of remembrance that affirms the womanist conviction that memory is both a means of survival and a form of resistance. To remember is to resist erasure; to testify is to ensure continuity. The documentary thus becomes not just a recounting of the past but a charge to the present.

Conclusion: Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize

Viewed through a womanist lens, Eyes on the Prize is more than a documentary; it is a testimony to the resilience, creativity, and leadership of Black communities, with Black women at the center. The three key points: women’s indispensable leadership, the sustaining power of spiritual and cultural resources, and the sacred duty of memory, invite us to see the Civil Rights Movement not only as a political struggle but as a holistic quest for survival and flourishing.

For womanist scholars, the series affirms that liberation is never achieved by individuals alone but through the collective labor of communities, often carried on the shoulders of women whose names may never appear in history books. It reminds us that freedom songs and testimonies are as vital as court rulings and legislation. And it challenges us to honor the intergenerational responsibility of keeping memory alive, ensuring that the sacrifices of the past continue to inspire the struggles of the present.

To keep our “eyes on the prize” is to remain faithful to the vision of a beloved community where justice, dignity, and wholeness are not deferred dreams but lived realities. From a womanist perspective, that prize is not only political equality but the flourishing of all God’s children: women and men, young and old, across generations.

References

Cannon, Katie G. Black Womanist Ethics. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988.

Grant, Jacquelyn. White Women’s Christ and Black Women’s Jesus: Feminist Christology and Womanist Response. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1989.

Walker, Alice. In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983.

Williams, Delores S. Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993.

Note from Dr. Johnson in class. On 9/15/2025

"The fruit is ripe to harvest. The challenge of the hour is leadership. Let us discover those who have the abilities and the skills, whose hearts are filled with the understanding and the faith, whose courage is unswerving, whose service motives are worthy of emulation. Let us discover them, I say, and put all that we have in confidence and cooperation and goodwill behind them so that they may be able to lead us to the fullest realization of our goals. All of the challenges to full integration depend upon the kind of education and groundwork we do from this point on."-McLeod-Bethune, 52-53