By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem Mecca (Season 1, Episode 1)
TV-14
TV Episode | 48 min | Documentary

By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem

Mecca (Season 1, Episode 1)

TV-14

TV Episode | 48 min | Documentary

1960s Harlem is the 'cultural capital of Black America,' but the community faces problems and rising tensions. All over the country, civil rights protests are proliferating and as the decade unfolds, music gives voice to a community fighting for justice.

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Cast	+ Add Cast
33 cast members

Name	Known for
James Small Self - Pan-African Activist & Scholar (as Professor James Small) Self - Pan-African Activist & Scholar (as Professor James Small) See fewer	Godfather of Harlem (2019)
Giancarlo Esposito Self - Actor / Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Self - Actor / Adam Clayton Powell Jr. See fewer	Breaking Bad (2008)
Jamal Joseph Self - Activist Self - Activist See fewer	August Rush (2007)
Taharqa Aleem Self - Author, Jimi Hendrix and Ghetto Fighters Self - Author, Jimi Hendrix and Ghetto Fighters See fewer	I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
Herb Boyd Self - Journalist and Educator Self - Journalist and Educator See fewer	Haiti Cri De Couer (2011)
Adger W. Cowans Self - Photographer (as Adger Cowans) Self - Photographer (as Adger Cowans) See fewer	Juice (1992)
Martha & The Vandellas Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage) See fewer	Baby Driver (2017)
Martha Reeves Self - Singer Self - Singer See fewer	Thelma & Louise (1991)
Gladys Knight Self - Singer Self - Singer See fewer	Hollywood Homicide (2003)
Forest Whitaker Self - Actor, Bumpy Johnson, Godfather of Harlem Self - Actor, Bumpy Johnson, Godfather of Harlem See fewer	The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Warren Smith Self - Jazz Percussionist Self - Jazz Percussionist See fewer	Malcolm X (1992)
King Curtis Self (voice) (archive sound) Self (voice) (archive sound) See fewer	The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Shana L. Redmond Self - Professor UCLA, Musicology (as Shana Redmond) Self - Professor UCLA, Musicology (as Shana Redmond) See fewer	By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem (2020)
Gary Bartz Self - Jazz Saxophonist Self - Jazz Saxophonist See fewer	A Jazz Story (1999)
Denise Oliver-Velez Self - Harlem Activist, Young Lord Self - Harlem Activist, Young Lord See fewer	She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014)
Robin Clark Self - Singer Self - Singer See fewer	A Walk to Remember (2002)
Courtland Cox Self - SNCC Activist Self - SNCC Activist See fewer	Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (2022)
Duke Ellington Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Langston Hughes Self - Poet & Novelist (archive footage) Self - Poet & Novelist (archive footage) See fewer	Way Down South (1939)
Percy Sutton Self - Activist & Lawyer (archive footage) Self - Activist & Lawyer (archive footage) See fewer	Showtime at the Apollo (1987)
Joe Bataan Self - Musician Self - Musician See fewer	Driver: Parallel Lines (2006)
Nile Rodgers Self - Musician Self - Musician See fewer	Coming to America (1988)
Carlos Alomar Self - Musician Self - Musician See fewer	15 Minutes (2001)
Berry Gordy Self - Motown Creator (voice) Self - Motown Creator (voice) See fewer	Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Al Sharpton Self - Founder of National Action Network Self - Founder of National Action Network See fewer	Mr. Deeds (2002)
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Howard K. Smith (1962)
Billy Mitchell Self - Apollo Historian Self - Apollo Historian See fewer	By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem (2020)
Ilfenesh Hadera Self - Actress, Mayme Johnson, Godfather of Harlem Self - Actress, Mayme Johnson, Godfather of Harlem See fewer	Baywatch (2017)
A. Peter Bailey Self - Journalist Self - Journalist See fewer	Who Killed Malcolm X? (2019)
Malcolm X Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Malcolm X (1992)
Sonia Sanchez Self - Poet (voice) Self - Poet (voice) See fewer	Lovecraft Country (2020)
Harry Belafonte Self - Musician (voice) Self - Musician (voice) See fewer	Bobby (I) (2006)
Martin Luther King Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Freedom Writers (2007)