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Yoruba Richen

Biography

Yoruba Richen is an American documentary filmmaker, director, producer, writer, and educator whose work examines race, history, democracy, gender, sexuality, and social justice. Born and raised in Harlem, she studied political science and theater at Brown University and earned a master's degree in city planning from the University of California, Berkeley. She later worked in journalism and documentary production, including with ABC News and Democracy Now!, before establishing herself as an independent documentary filmmaker.


Richen has directed and produced documentary films and television projects for PBS, HBO, Netflix, MSNBC, FX/Hulu, Peacock, and other major media platforms. Her feature documentary The New Black (2013) examined the relationship between African American communities, the Black church, and the movement for marriage equality. The film received multiple festival awards and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a GLAAD Media Award. Her subsequent work has continued to explore Black history, political power, civil rights, culture, and social change.


Her major documentary projects include The Green Book: Guide to Freedom (2019), The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show (2020), The Killing of Breonna Taylor (2020), How It Feels to Be Free (2021), American Reckoning (2022), and The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (2022). More recent projects include The Cost of Inheritance and American Coup: Wilmington 1898. Her documentary Free Joan Little examines the landmark case of Joan Little and is scheduled to premiere on PBS in 2027.


Richen is the Founding Director of the Documentary Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, where she teaches and mentors emerging documentary filmmakers. She is also a Guggenheim and Fulbright fellow and a recipient of the Chicken & Egg Award and other filmmaking honors. As an openly gay African American filmmaker, her work has consistently connected Black history with LGBTQ+ equality, civil rights, and broader struggles for justice.

BQW Impact

Yoruba Richen has made a significant contribution to Black queer visibility through documentary filmmaking that places Black history, LGBTQ+ experiences, civil rights, and social justice in conversation with one another. The New Black was particularly important to this work, examining tensions and connections between the Black civil rights and LGBTQ+ equality movements while challenging simplified narratives about Black communities and marriage equality.


Her broader body of work extends that commitment to documenting overlooked histories and amplifying people whose experiences have often been marginalized in mainstream media. Through her filmmaking, teaching, public speaking, and leadership of CUNY's Documentary Program, Richen has also helped create pathways for emerging documentary storytellers and expand the presence of Black perspectives in nonfiction media.

Notable Works

  • The New Black (2013)

    Documentary examining the relationship between the Black church, African American communities, and the movement for marriage equality.

  • The Green Book: Guide to Freedom (2019)

    Documentary examining how The Negro Motorist Green Book helped Black travelers navigate segregation while illuminating broader histories of mobility, resistance, and community.

  • How It Feels to Be Free (2021)

    Documentary celebrating the lives and careers of six influential Black women entertainers who transformed American culture.

  • American Reckoning (2022)

    Documentary following the decades-long pursuit of justice for the family of civil rights leader Wharlest Jackson Sr.

  • The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (2022)

    Documentary examining Rosa Parks' lifelong activism beyond her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

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