Skip to main content

Black History Month 2017

Support Provided By

Welcome to February! In honor of Black History Month, we've curated a lineup of shows that focus on black history in America and beyond, including programs that highlight the inspiring lives of a few of our nation's greatest artists and leaders, as well as documentaries that delve into past and present racial tensions. Here's a rundown of shows you'll want to be sure to add to your watchlist this month:

American Masters - Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise

February 21 at 8 p.m.

Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise - Trailer

This unprecedented film celebrates Dr. Maya Angelou by weaving her words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, which paint hidden moments of her exuberant life during some of America’s most defining moments. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana, the film takes us on an incredible journey through the life of a true American icon.

Independent Lens - Birth of a Movement

February 6 at 10 p.m.

Independent Lens: Birth of a Movement - Trailer

In 1915, African American newspaper editor and activist William S. Trotter waged a battle against D.W. Griffith’s notoriously Ku Klux Klan-friendly blockbuster The Birth of a Nation, which unleashed a fight still raging today about race relations and representation, and the power and influence of Hollywood. The Birth of a Movement features Spike Lee, Reginald Hudlin, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and DJ

In Their Own Words - Muhammad Ali

February 7 at 7 p.m.

Episode 2 Preview | Muhammad Ali

Follow Muhammad Ali’s path from a gym in Louisville to boxing successes, conversion to Islam, opposition to the draft, exile from the ring, comeback fights, Parkinson’s disease and his inspirational re-emergence at the Atlanta Olympics.

Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race

February 9 at 7 p.m.

Thirty-five years before Barack Obama’s election as President, the question of race and the possibility of bridging racial barriers were put to the test in an overlooked story in American politics: Tom Bradley’s 1973 election as Mayor of Los Angeles: The first African American mayor of a major U.S. city elected with an overwhelmingly white majority.

Korla

February 9 at 8 p.m.

Preview

Korla is the amazing story of John Roland Redd, an African American from Columbia, Missouri who migrated to Hollywood in 1939 and reinvented himself as a musician from India. The newly-named Korla Pandit found fame as an actor, spiritual guide and recording artist, and was later celebrated by a new generation of fans who crowned him the Godfather of Exotica music.

Richard Pryor: Icon

February 9 at 9 p.m.

Preview

Richard Pryor's impact on the craft of comedy and today’s top comics is legendary and unrivaled. See his profound and enduring influence on comedy and culture.

The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize - Smokey Robinson

February 10 at 9 p.m.

Finale | Smokey Robinson: The Gershwin Prize

Watch an all-star tribute to Library of Congress Gershwin Prize recipient Smokey Robinson.

Independent Lens - Accidental Courtesy

February 13 at 10 p.m.

Accidental Courtesy - Trailer

Renowned musician Daryl Davis has an unusual, controversial hobby: meeting and befriending members of KKK, many of whom have never met a black person. When some decide to leave the Klan, Daryl keeps their robes and hoods, a collection built piece by piece, story by story. Accidental Courtesy captures Daryl's search for answers to the question, "How can you hate me when you don't even know me?"

The Talk - Race in America

February 20 at 9 p.m.

The Talk - Race in America: Promo

THE TALK is a two-hour documentary about the increasingly necessary conversation taking place in homes and communities across the country between parents of color and their children, especially sons, about how to behave if they are ever stopped by the police.

Black Ballerina

February 21 at 7 p.m.
https://vimeo.com/94685445

BLACK BALLERINA, tells the story of several black women from different generations who fell in love with ballet. Six decades ago, while pursuing their dreams, Joan Myers Brown, Delores Browne and Raven Wilkinson confronted racism, exclusion and unequal opportunity. Today, young dancers of color continue to face formidable challenges breaking into the overwhelmingly white world of ballet.

Africa's Great Civilizations with Henry Louis Gates

February 27 through March 1 at 9 p.m.

In his six-hour series, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes a look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century. This is a breathtaking and personal journey through two hundred thousand years of history, from the origins, on the African continent, of art, writing and civilization itself, through the millennia in which Africa and Africans shaped not only their own rich civilizations, but also the wider world.

Keep an eye on our schedule for even more broadcast times and programs to watch as we celebrate Black History Month.

Support Provided By
Read More
A sepia-tone historic photo of a man holding a cane standing in front of a food stand, surrounded by various crates, boxes, and advertising signs promoting cigarettes, candies, barbeque and more.

Pasadena Claims To Be The Home Of The Cheeseburger — But There's Beef

The cheeseburger was supposedly invented by Lionel Sternberger at The Rite Spot in Pasadena, when he added a slice of cheese to a regular beef burger and called it the "Aristocratic Hamburger." But the real history behind this fast food staple is a bit more complicated.
A hand-colored postcard of a large, white, colonial-style building with a green tiled roof stands behind a lush landscape of flower beds, a green lawn and many varieties of trees, with mountains looming just behind. An American flag waves at the top of a flagpole above the roof.

From Hiking to Hospitals: L.A. at the Center of the Pursuit of Health

The opportunity to get and stay healthy was a major draw for people to both visit and move to Los Angeles — whether it was during the tuberculosis epidemic (a.k.a. the "forgotten plague") during the 19th century or the health and wellness boom of the early 20th century. Both of these topics are explored in Season 6 of the PBS SoCal Original Series Lost LA.
A black and white photo of a crowd wearing dresses and suits gathering outside a sandstone brick building with an arched doorway and a sign that reads "CENTRAL JAIL"

L.A. City Council Commemorates 80th Anniversary of Zoot Suit Riots

The Los Angeles City Council publicly condemned the 1943 "Zoot Suit Riots" and acknowledged the city's role in the treatment of Mexican Americans during a dark chapter in the history of the Chicano community.