Documentary backdrop image for Loyalties (2022)

202257 minPGdocumentary

7.0/ 10(1 rating)• TMDB

Loyalties

202257 minPGdocumentary

7.0/ 10(1 rating)• TMDB

In Charleston, Dr.

Genres

Director

Lesley Ann Patten

Channel: NFB

Loyalties

2022• 57 minPG

7.0/ 10(1 rating)• TMDB

Synopsis

In Charleston, Dr.

People

Lesley Ann Patten

Lesley Ann Pattendirector

Carmelita Robertsoncast

Ruth Holmes Whiteheadcast

Synopsis

In South Carolina, the intertwined histories of a slave and a slave owner come to light through the meeting of Dr. Ruth Whitehead and graduate student Carmelita Robertson. Both women, connected by their ancestry, meet while Carmelita conducts research at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax. Their exploration leads them to Charleston, where they confront the legacy of slavery amid contemporary issues, including the trial of the Ku Klux Klan for burning Black churches. Directed by Lesley Ann Patten, "Loyalties" examines the enduring impact of historical injustices.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Black South Rising: Inside Charlotte's Mostly Black and Brown Government (2020)

Black South Rising: Inside Charlotte's Mostly Black and Brown Government

2020•46m•★6.0TMDB

Alzo Slade examines Charlotte's majority-minority leadership after massive protests in 2016.

Black South Rising: Inside Charlotte's Mostly Black and Brown Government

Clotilda: The Return Home (2024)

Clotilda: The Return Home

2024•45m•★3.0TMDB

Descendants of the last survivors of the Clotilda travel to Africa to reconnect with their ancestral roots and fulfill a long-held dream.

Clotilda: The Return Home

Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy (2021)

Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy

Gail Jessup White confirms her lineage to Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings after over 40 years of research into her family history.

Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy

Facing Slavery’s Legacy at Georgetown University (2016)

Facing Slavery’s Legacy at Georgetown University

Georgetown University owes its existence to the 1838 sale of nearly 300 enslaved people, a fact that prompts ongoing discussions about its historical legacy.

Facing Slavery’s Legacy at Georgetown University

Racism In Medicine (2024)

Racism In Medicine

Homer G. Phillips Hospital, the largest hospital for African American patients in the world, opened during a time of significant racial segregation in St. Louis.

Racism In Medicine

The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome (2016)

The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome

Three people were released from prison through the efforts of The Innocence Project, which uses DNA evidence to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals.

The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome

Beyond Slavery’s Shadow: Free People of Color in the South (2022)

Beyond Slavery’s Shadow: Free People of Color in the South

Nearly half a million free people of color lived in the United States on the eve of the Civil War, with over 250,000 in the South.

Beyond Slavery’s Shadow: Free People of Color in the South

The Last Slave Ship (2022)

The Last Slave Ship

110 people were brought to the United States aboard the Clotilda in 1860, marking the last illegal transport of enslaved Africans.

The Last Slave Ship

Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice with Pam Fessler (2020)

Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice with Pam Fessler

Carville, Louisiana, was home to the only leprosy colony in the continental United States, where thousands were exiled due to stigma surrounding their disease.

Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice with Pam Fessler

Black in Appalachia (2024)

Black in Appalachia

A live-recorded episode features discussions with scholars Dr. William H. Turner and Dr. Karida Brown about black life in Eastern Kentucky's coal communities.

Black in Appalachia

9 Inspiring Women Who Led the Way to a Better Future (2021)

9 Inspiring Women Who Led the Way to a Better Future

Fannie Lou Hamer fights for voting rights after the amendment passes, facing violence and oppression.

9 Inspiring Women Who Led the Way to a Better Future

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams First Black Heart Surgeon In America (2020)

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams First Black Heart Surgeon In America

In 1893, Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful heart surgery in the United States at Provident Hospital in Chicago, which he founded.

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams First Black Heart Surgeon In America

Explore Loyalties

Cast & Crew Topics FAQ Stream

Browse more like this

Black South Rising: Inside Charlotte's Mostly Black and Brown Government (2020)

Black South Rising: Inside Charlotte's Mostly Black and Brown Government

2020•46m•★6.0TMDB

Alzo Slade examines Charlotte's majority-minority leadership after massive protests in 2016.

Black South Rising: Inside Charlotte's Mostly Black and Brown Government

No digital watch option in your country

Clotilda: The Return Home (2024)

Clotilda: The Return Home

2024•45m•★3.0TMDB

Descendants of the last survivors of the Clotilda travel to Africa to reconnect with their ancestral roots and fulfill a long-held dream.

Clotilda: The Return Home

No digital watch option in your country

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams First Black Heart Surgeon In America (2020)

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams First Black Heart Surgeon In America

In 1893, Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful heart surgery in the United States at Provident Hospital in Chicago, which he founded.

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams First Black Heart Surgeon In America

No digital watch option in your country

Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America (2016)

Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America

2016•1h35m•★7.5TMDB

Daryl Davis has collected over 25 robes from former members of the Ku Klux Klan as part of his efforts to confront racism in America.

Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America

The Long Shadow (2018)

The Long Shadow

2018•1h24m•★8.0TMDB

Frances Causey investigates how the legacy of slavery continues to shape racial issues in the United States, revealing ongoing tensions and historical context.

The Long Shadow

Anne Braden: Southern Patriot (2012)

Anne Braden: Southern Patriot

2012•1h17m•★10.0TMDB

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledged Anne Braden in his 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail" for her fight against segregation and racism.

Anne Braden: Southern Patriot

Descendant (2022)

Descendant

2022•1h51m•★6.3TMDB

110 African men, women, and children were brought to Mobile, Alabama, in 1860 aboard the Clotilda, the last known illegal slave ship to reach the United States.

The Loving Story (2011)

The Loving Story

2011•1h17m•★6.9TMDB

A landmark Supreme Court decision in 1967 ended Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws, allowing Richard and Mildred Loving to marry legally.

The Loving Story

Southern Rites (2015)

Southern Rites

2015•1h30m•★5.4TMDB

One year after merging proms, Montgomery County, Georgia, faces racial tensions following the murder of a young black man by a white resident.

Emanuel (2019)

Emanuel

2019•1h14m•★6.1TMDB

Nine African American church members were killed by a white supremacist during a prayer service at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015.

I Am Somebody (1970)

I Am Somebody

1970•30m•★6.8TMDB

A powerful chronicle of the brave women striking for civil rights in Charleston.

Dawn: A Charleston Legend (2022)

Dawn: A Charleston Legend

2022•34m•★8.0TMDB

One of the first sex reassignment surgeries in the United States took place in 1968 when Gordon Langley Hall transitioned in Charleston, South Carolina.

Dawn: A Charleston Legend

Southern Brides (2025)

Southern Brides

2025•39m•★7.0TMDB

Five women share their candid experiences with marriage and intimacy, reflecting on the changing nature of relationships and traditions in the South.

Southern Brides

Complexes (2020)

Complexes

2020•26m•★6.0TMDB

Residents of Rio de Janeiro's favelas use media and the arts to advocate for justice, dignity, and respect in a 26-minute documentary.

A Cross the Universe (2008)

A Cross the Universe

2008•1h5m•★8.0TMDB

A live concert recorded on March 27, 2008, in San Francisco features Justice performing during their North American tour.

A Cross the Universe

Browse more by Lesley Ann Patten

View all films →

Words of My Perfect Teacher (2003)

Words of My Perfect Teacher

2003

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →