Reclaiming History: Our Native Daughters, premiering on Monday, February 22 at 9PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel, pulls back the curtain on one of today’s most renowned international musicians, GRAMMY Award-winner Rhiannon Giddens, and her quest alongside musicians Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell, and Amythyst Kiah to continue to use music to explore powerful stories of Black American women’s experience - their struggles, resistance, resilience and hopes.

In January 2018, the banjo-playing Giddens invited the three other renowned Black female banjo players to a studio on the banks of a Louisiana bayou. For twelve intense days they collaborated on Songs of Our Native Daughters, a groundbreaking album for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings under the name Our Native Daughters that Rolling Stone dubbed a “crucial pronouncement in folk music.” The resulting album and tour electrified audiences and musicians alike, illuminating long overlooked history on a journey into our shared past.

Through intimate behind-the-scenes footage in the studio, riveting concert scenes, including a climactic performance of the GRAMMY-nominated song “Black Myself,” and interviews with members of the group, the documentary explores four incredible musicians on a creative journey that illuminates long hidden stories and highlights the brilliance and resilience of Black creative voices.