Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia

Mahalia's parents and grandparents died when she was little. As an adult, she has a hysterectomy after she bleeds following a concert. Doctors find non-cancerous tumors as well, but she says she doesn't trust doctors because they "experiment" on Black people. Her fiancé dies of bone cancer. Her pianist suffers arthritis in her hands and puts them in boiling water before a concert. Archive footage shows policemen pushing back civil rights protestors with water hoses and barking dogs. Burned buildings, fires, and armed guards on the streets are shown in archive footage following Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination.

Mahalia kisses her husbands. She wears lingerie in one scene. Her fiancé kisses her feet and tells her she's all he wants in the world. When she first meets the handsome Reverend Russell, she says she'd let him drop her in the water "again and again" if she weren't already baptized.

The "N" word is used once. "Ass," "hell," "devil," "Lord."

Adults, including Martin Luther King, Jr, smoke. Some also drink liquor or beer, including Mahalia's piano player, who drinks in part to counter the pain of arthritis in her hands.

Parents need to know that Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia tells the inspiring life story of a legendary Black gospel singer, a role played and sung by Danielle Brooks. The real-life Mahalia Jackson overcame obstacles like poverty and racism, and she showed integrity throughout her life by staying true to her religious faith despite troubling current events or temptations to make even more money by singing secular music. Some potentially upsetting scenes include archive footage of civil rights protestors being beaten back by armed guards, water hoses, and barking dogs; the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., depicted here as a friend of Mahalia's; and illnesses (Mahalia has a hysterectomy, her pianist dips her arthritic hands in boiling water, a man dies of bone cancer). The story references many of the troubling ways racism affected Black people's lives in the US in the 20th century, from the roots of slavery to fears of medical experimentation to unfair or violent treatment to segregated neighborhoods and businesses to unequal professional opportunities. Yet Mahalia triumphed on the uniqueness of her voice and her dedication to gospel music, and the film includes a lot of that music. She also adopted a boy she found on the street and regularly provided people with money, gifts, and food. Adults, including Martin Luther King, Jr, smoke, and some also drink liquor or beer. The "N" word is used once. Other language includes "ass," "hell," "devil," "Lord." Mahalia kisses her husbands.

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