PBS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH
WITH AN EXTENSIVE LINEUP OF SPECIAL PROGRAMMING
Arlington, VA January 10, 2008 PBS broadcasts programming created by
and about African Americans year-round, from public affairs to history
to independent film to kids programming. In celebration of Black History
Month, February 2008, PBS will broadcast a lineup of new and encore
presentations honoring and exploring African-American history.
Henry Louis Gates Jr. is joined by Maya Angelou, Morgan Freeman, Tina
Turner and other prominent African Americans in AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES
2, a sequel to the series The New York Times called the most exciting
and stirring documentary on any subject to appear on television in a long
time. Other program highlights include PRINCE AMONG SLAVES, a documentary
about an African prince who was enslaved in Mississippi for 40 years before
finally achieving freedom; and INDEPENDENT LENS Banished, the story of
three counties that forcefully banished African-American families from
their towns 100 years ago.
Also new in February: an examination of the Tuskegee Airmen in RED TAIL
REBORN; LEGACY: BEING BLACK IN AMERICA, which features an intriguing discussion
of race consciousness, integration and equity in the U.S. today; and AN
EVENING WITH QUINCY JONES, a rare look into the life of the music mogul.
The groundbreaking second season of EYES ON THE PRIZE also airs during
Black History Month on PBS. EYES ON THE PRIZE II returns to TV for the
first time since the mid-1990s. Other encore presentations include the
first season of EYES ON THE PRIZE; SLAVERY AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA;
season one of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES; and INDEPENDENT LENS Hip Hop: Beyond
Beats and Rhymes.
PBS KIDS GO!sm will feature GO! Figure facts on Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day, as well as throughout the month of February. These fun and educational
facts will pop up during favorite PBS KIDS GO! programs CYBERCHASE, ARTHUR,
MAYA & MIGUEL and FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN. Online, pbskidsgo.org
will feature games and e-cards related to African-American history and
the contributions of famous African Americans.
First-rate programming with a depth and breadth that can only be found
on PBS, these programs document and examine the rich heritage and cultural
contributions of African Americans.
BROADCAST PREMIERES
PRINCE AMONG SLAVES
Monday, February 4, 2008, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET
This special tells the forgotten true story of an African prince who was
enslaved in Mississippi for 40 years before finally achieving freedom
and becoming one of the most famous men in America. Mos Def narrates.
In HD where available.
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2
Wednesdays, February 6-13, 2008, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES again journeys deep into the African-American experience
to unearth the triumphs and tragedies within the family histories of an
all-new group of renowned participants. Harvard professor Henry Louis
Gates Jr. returns as series host. In HD where available.
INDEPENDENT LENS Banished
Tuesday, February 19, 2008, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET
This is the story of three counties that forcefully banished African American
families from their towns 100 years ago and the descendents who return
to learn a shocking history. Co-production of ITVS in association with
NBPC. By Marco Williams. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens
AN EVENING WITH QUINCY JONES
February 2008 (check local listings)
A rare look into the life of music mogul Quincy Jones, this one-hour interview
was taped in Washington, DC, in front of an audience. Gwen Ifill interviews
and hosts the star-studded evening, which features live performances by
Lesley Gore, BeBe Winans, James Ingram, Bobby McFerrin and Herbie Hancock.
LEGACY: BEING BLACK IN AMERICA
February 2008 (check local listings)
In January 2007, a special tribute dinner was held in Washington, DC,
to honor the Civil Rights generation. Attended by 18 celebrated African
Americans from business, politics, academia, media and the arts, the dinner
proved to be an intriguing discussion of race consciousness, integration
and equity in the U.S. today.
RED TAIL REBORN
February 2008 (check local listings)
RED TAIL REBORN is the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American
fighter pilots of World War II, and of those who sacrificed to tell the
Airmen forgotten tale.
ENCORE PROGRAMMING
SLAVERY AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA (Repeat)
Fridays, January 11-February 1, 2008, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET
This groundbreaking series chronicles the institution of American slavery
from its origins in 1619 when English settlers in Virginia purchased 20
Africans from Dutch traders through the arrival of the first 11 slaves
in the northern colonies (in Dutch New Amsterdam), the American Revolution,
the Civil War, the adoption of the 13th Amendment and Reconstruction.
Morgan Freeman narrates. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS Etta James (Repeat)
Saturday, February 9, 2008, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
The Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award winner continues to be one of the
most respected R&B singers in America. Highlights include All the
Way Down and At Last. http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS Tribute to Bluesman Jimmy Reed (Repeat)
Saturday, February 23, 2008, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
Joined by blues luminaries James Cotton, Delbert McClinton, Lou Ann Barton
and others, guitarist Jimmie Vaughan pays tribute to Jimmy Reed, composer
of blues classics Aint That Lovin You Baby, Big Boss Man and Baby What
You Want Me to Do. In HD where available. http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
Renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. takes Alex Haley Roots saga
to a whole new level. Using genealogy and DNA science, Dr. Gates tells
the personal stories of eight accomplished African Americans.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: EYES ON THE PRIZE (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
The groundbreaking documentary series examining America civil rights years
returns to public television as part of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Covering
the period from the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi,
and the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott through school desegregation,
the march from Selma to Montgomery and the Voting Rights Act, EYES ON
THE PRIZE is considered the definitive history of this formative time
in the nation life. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/
EYES ON THE PRIZE II, A SPECIAL PRESENTATION OF AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
Nearly two decades after its 1990 premiere, the groundbreaking second
season of EYES ON THE PRIZE returns to PBS as a special presentation of
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE in February 2008 in honor of Black History Month.
The series documents the journey of black Americans seeking justice, power
and identity, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, and shows the profound
effect this movement had on all Americans. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/
FANNIE LOU HAMER: COURAGE AND FAITH (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
Using archival footage and interviews with those who knew her well and
were affected by her actions, this program chronicles the extraordinary
life of Fannie Lou Hamer and introduces her to a new, younger generation.
Mrs. Hamer attended the 1964 Democratic National Convention as a member
of the Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party and challenged the all-white
Mississippi delegation.
INDEPENDENT LENS Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
This film takes an in-depth look at machismo in rap music and hip-hop
culture where creative genius, poetic beauty and mad beats collide with
misogyny, violence and homophobia. By Byron Hurt.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/
SHARED HISTORY (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
SHARED HISTORY is the intimate story of the relationship between two families
whose connection was forged in slavery and has endured to the present.
The filmmaker, the great-great-granddaughter of a slave owner, and Rhonda
Kearse, a descendant of one of the enslaved families, seek to understand
and reconcile the reality of slavery with the shared lives and affections
between the families.
SISTERS OF SELMA: BEARING WITNESS FOR CHANGE (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
This program is an unabashedly spiritual take on the Selma, Alabama, voting
rights marches of 1965 from some of its unsung foot soldiers Catholic
nuns. Following the violence of Bloody Sunday, sisters from around the
country answered Dr. Martin Luther King call to join the protests in Selma.
THE STORY OF OSCAR BROWN JR. (Repeat)
February 2008 (check local listings)
This documentary focuses on Chicago native Oscar Brown Jr. work as a writer
and performer for more than half a century.
CONTINUING SERIES
TAVIS SMILEY
Monday-Friday, 11:00-11:30 p.m. ET (check local listings)
Tavis Smiley, the first African American to have his own signature talk
show on NPR, hosts a late-night television talk show a hybrid of news,
issues and entertainment, featuring interviews with newsmakers, politicians,
celebrities and everyday people. http://www.pbs.org/tavissmiley
TONY BROWN JOURNAL
Weekly (check local listings)
Tony Brown continues to delve into today hottest headlines with contemporary
newsmakers. In its 29th season of providing commentary, discussion and
timely documentaries, the series examines issues of special interest to
the African-American community.
Other series that regularly cover topics and profile guests and performers
of interest to African Americans include FRONTLINE , GREAT PERFORMANCES
, THE NEWSHOUR WITH JIM LEHRER , NOW ON PBS , P.O.V. and WASHINGTON WEEK
WITH GWEN IFILL among many others.
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