Claudine (Diahann Carroll) is a single mother raising six children in the projects of Harlem. What little money she earns comes directly from a rich family for whom she keeps house. Struggling to make ends meet, she resorts to welfare. Claudine works to keep her dignity in the face of the humiliating hoops the welfare system--a system created precisely for women like her--forces her to jump through. She finds grace and romance in a pleasant garbage collector (James Earl Jones). Falling in love, the two work together to fight societal hypocrisy and to keep Claudine's family unit afloat.

Released in 1974 during blaxploitation's prime, CLAUDINE offered a more humanistic view of the black American experience. The independent feature showed African-Americans in a light they would not regularly be seen in for at least another decade. In addition to its warm depiction of ghetto romance, the film is also remembered for the soundtrack featuring Curtis Mayfield and Gladys Knight and the Pips. Diahann Carroll earned an Oscar nomination for her lead performance.