Celebrate Black History Month with These Programs

This February West Virginia Public Broadcasting celebrates Black History Month through programming that commemorates the contributions of African Americans in music, literature, television and civil rights. We’re bringing you a new lineup of films AND turning a lens on you to celebrate the moments, memories and people in Black history that inspire you.  

INDEPENDENT LENS

Feb 6 | Birth of a Movement

Learn how D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation unleashed a battle still waging today about race, representation and the influence of Hollywood.

GERSHWIN PRIZE

Feb 10 | Gershwin Prize: Smokey Robinson

Enjoy an all-star tribute to Smokey Robinson, the 2016 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

INDEPENDENT LENS

Feb 10 | John Lewis: Get In The Way

Follow the journey of civil rights hero, congressman and human rights champion John Lewis.

AFRICA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS

Credit Ethiopia – AFRICA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS

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Feb 27 | Africa’s Great Civilizations

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes a new look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century.

INDEPENDENT LENS

Feb 13 | Accidental Courtesy

African American musician Daryl Davis has a peculiar, controversial passion: meeting and befriending members of the Ku Klux Klan in an attempt forge racial conciliation.

THE TALK

Feb 20 | The TALK

In the wake of recent tragic and fatal events between men of color and law enforcement, learn how Black and Hispanic families counsel their kids to stay safe if stopped by police.

AMERICAN MASTERS

Feb 21 | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise

Journey through the prolific life of the ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ author and activist who inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought.

MERCY STREET

Sunday Nights | Mercy Street

The second season of this Civil War-era drama takes viewers beyond the battlefield and into the lives of Americans on the Civil War home front.