Premiering on the same day that the movie (“The Birth of a Nation”) will open in theaters around the country, the National Geographic channel will air an hour-long documentary produced by Nate Parker, on Nat Turner, titled “Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner.”

Hosted by Roger Guenveur Smith (who also appears in “The Birth of a Nation”), the documentary will feature interviews with descendants of those who helped shaped things during Turner’s time, including Frederick Douglass’ third-great-grandson Kenneth Morris, Jr. and Turner descendants Evelyn Sykes Hawkins and Vivian Claude Lucas.




Promising to provide insight into Nat Turner’s life, the revolt he led, and his death, “Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner” will also also examine the climate of the era, and circumstances that inspired the violent uprising and its aftermath, a precursor to the Civil War.

“Nat Turner left a lasting legacy that continues to resonate with Americans today,” Parker said in a statement. “Working on this documentary allowed us to give the public the background knowledge of who Turner was and why his rebellion has left such a lasting impact on our country.”

Nat Geo’s “Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner” will premiere this Friday, October 7 at 10 p.m. ET.

Watch a preview from the special below, featuring Rick Francis describing how his ancestor, Lavinia Francis, escaped the fate of other slave-owners during Nat Turner’s revolt: