Black History Month 2023
PBS Western Reserve Celebrates Black History Month with Special Programming
PBS Western Reserve honors Black History Month with a variety of programming airing on its PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1) and Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2) channels. Shows that are airing for the first time are marked with an asterisk (*).
Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World*
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Tuesdays, Jan. 31, Feb. 14 & 21, at 9 PM
Wednesdays, Feb. 1, 15 & 22, at 2 AM
Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 10 PM
Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 3 AM
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturdays, Feb. 11 to March 4, at 10 PM
Featuring firsthand accounts from some of rap’s most integral players, this four-part series recounts the origins of this bold and revolutionary art form through the voices of those who were there at the beginning, creating an anthology of how hip-hop became a cultural phenomenon against the backdrop of American history.
Black College Football Hall of Fame: Journey to Canton
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Friday, Feb. 3, at 8:30 PM
Saturday, Feb. 4, at 1:30 AM
Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 PM
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2:30 PM
Learn the story of the formation of Black college football, the contributions that players from historically Black colleges and universities have made to the NFL, the founding of its hall of fame and why the hall is in the unexpected location of Canton.
Learn more about BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: JOURNEY TO CANTON.
Making Black America: Through the Grapevine
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Fridays, Feb. 3 & 10, at 9 & 10 PM
Saturdays, Feb. 4 & 11, at 2 & 3 AM
This four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., explores how free Black people in the North and South created robust networks to address the Black community’s political, economic and social needs.
The Music Makers of Gennett Records
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Friday, Feb. 3, at 9 PM
A little studio in Richmond, Ind., captured early recordings of Jazz Age music legends including Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington and Gene Autry. Features several rare 1920s recordings from the Gennett Records archives.
The Gennett Suite
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Friday, Feb. 3, at 10:30 PM
Indiana University’s student jazz ensemble performs an original composition that pays tribute to the Jazz Age titans whose legendary early recordings were produced at Gennett Records, a little-known studio in Richmond, Ind.
Independent Lens, The Picture Taker*
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 4, at 1 PM
The vibrant, complicated life of Ernest Withers—civil rights photographer and FBI informant—was anything but black and white.
Training for Freedom
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2:30 PM
In 1890 Mississippi had 190,000 registered Black voters. By 1966, that number was reduced to 2,000 due to a complicated voter registration process. This documentary is the transformational story of how idealistic college students and Black activist teachers came together in Oxford, Ohio, to fight as one in the freedom struggle that would define a nation and alter the course of history.
Just a Mortal Man—The Jerry Lawson Story
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 PM
A documentary about the founder and original lead singer of the legendary singing group The Persuasions.
Irma: My Life in Music
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 4, at 9:30 PM
This 90-minute biography is the story of Irma Thomas, “Soul Queen of New Orleans.” Although Thomas did not experience the same kind of commercial success as her contemporaries Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, her impact on R&B music is just as great. The program features archival concert and interview footage culled from decades of performances filmed at The New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival.
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Sunday, Feb. 5, at 9 AM & 11:30 AM
Saturday, Feb. 11, at noon & 2:30 PM
Join historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., for this exploration of the transformative years following the Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction and revolutionary social change.
American Experience, American Diplomat
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 6, at 9 PM
Saturday, Feb. 11, at 4 PM
This one-hour historical documentary examines the experience of African American diplomats serving during the Cold War. At the height of the civil rights movement in the United States, these men represented the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home.
Colloquially referred to as “male, pale and Yale,” the State Department fiercely maintained and cultivated the Foreign Service’s elite character and was one of the last federal agencies to truly desegregate.
Antiques Roadshow, Celebrating Black Americana
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Monday, Feb. 6, at 9 PM
Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 2 AM
The iconic PBS series honors Black History Month with this special episode. Highlights include an 1821 U.S. citizenship certificate for George Barker, a free man of color, and an African American beauty book written by Madam C.J. Walker, the first American female millionaire.
Independent Lens, Outta the Muck*
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 6, at 10 PM
Saturday, Feb. 11, at 1 PM
Wade into the rich soil of Pahokee, Fla. Beyond sending over a dozen players to the NFL, the rural town on the banks of Lake Okeechobee possesses a legacy of resilience and achievement in the face of great storms and personal traumas.
A Conversation with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 3 AM
Friday, Feb. 10, at 5 PM
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 PM
Offers an inside look into the life and career of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard professor and FINDING YOUR ROOTS executive producer and host.
Jackie Robinson
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Wednesdays, Feb. 8-15, at 8 PM
A fierce integrationist, Jack Roosevelt Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.” This two-part documentary examines Robinson’s life and times.
Secrets of the Dead, The Woman in the Iron Coffin
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 10 PM
Thursday, Feb. 9, at 3 AM
Follow a team of forensic experts as they investigate the preserved remains of a young African American woman from 19th century New York and reveal the little-known story of early America’s free Black communities.
Lines Broken: The Story of Marion Motley
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Friday, Feb. 10, at 8:30 PM
Saturday, Feb. 11, at 1:30 AM
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 18, at 2:30 PM
In 1946, Canton native Marion Motley was one of four African American men to break pro football’s color barrier when he joined the Cleveland Browns. This local production tells the Canton native’s story of adversity, personal tragedy and triumphs using rarely heard archival interviews and new interviews with historians, friends and descendants.
American Masters, Sammy Davis, Jr.
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 11, at 8 PM
Explore the entertainer's vast talent and journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America. Features interviews with Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, plus clips from his TV, film and concert performances.
The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Sundays, Feb. 12 & 19, at 4 PM
Saturdays, Feb. 18 & 25, at 2 PM
Saturday, Feb. 25, at 1 AM
Historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., retraces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America. The moving four-hour, two-part series explores the church’s role as the site of African American organizing, resilience, autonomy, freedom and solidarity.
Great Performances, Now Hear This: Florence Price and the American Migration
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Sunday, Feb. 12, at 7 PM
Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 10 PM
Host Scott Yoo follows the trail of Florence Price, one of America’s first recognized Black female composers and piano virtuosos, from Little Rock to Chicago. In so doing, he learns that West African music and European hymns inspired nearly all of American popular music.
The 87th Annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards*
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Monday, Feb. 13, at 5 PM
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 6, at 8 PM
Hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this event honors the 2022 winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. It is the only national juried prize recognizing literature that has contributed to our understanding of racism and human diversity.
American Experience, The Blinding of Isaac Woodward
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 13, at 8 PM
In 1946, Isaac Woodard, a Black army sergeant on his way home to South Carolina after serving in WWII, was pulled from a bus for arguing with the driver. The local chief of police savagely beat him, leaving him unconscious and permanently blind.
American Masters, James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Friday, Feb. 17, at 9 PM
Saturday, Feb. 18, at 4 PM
Using rarely seen archival footage from nine different countries, this film melds intimate interviews and eloquent public speeches with cinéma vérité glimpses of Baldwin and original scenes from his extraordinary funeral service in December 1987.
Awadagin Pratt: Black in America*
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Friday, Feb. 17, at 10:30 PM
Awadagin Pratt is a renowned concert pianist, composer, and violinist. This documentary confronts issues of privilege and racism in America and offers Pratt’s personal account of an all-too-common experience for many people of color in America and worldwide.
Don Lewis and the Live Electronic Orchestra*
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 18, at 8 PM
Don Lewis, an African American musician, inventor and engineer, battles technical barriers and institutional racism in his quest to change the world’s musical landscape. His pioneering spirit, technological vision and musical mastery shaped the sounds of electronic music.
American Masters, Charley Pride
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 18, at 9 PM
Explore the complicated history of the American South and its music through the life of country star Charley Pride. Raised in segregated Mississippi, Pride’s journey shows the ways that artistic expression can triumph over prejudice and injustice.
American Experience, Freedom Riders
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 20, at 8 PM
This is the powerful, harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 Black and white Americans risked their lives—and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws in order to test and challenge a segregated interstate travel system, the Freedom Riders met with bitter racism and mob violence along the way, sorely testing their belief in nonviolent activism.
Independent Lens, Mr. Soul!
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 20, at 10 PM
Saturday, Feb. 25, at 1 PM
Celebrate the public television variety show that shared Black culture with the nation. Ellis Haizlip developed SOUL! in 1968 as one of the first platforms to promote the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement. Its impact continues to this day.
Finding Your Roots, And Still I Rise*
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 8 PM
Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 1 AM
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 PM
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., reveals the unexpected family trees of activist Angela Y. Davis and statesman Jeh Johnson. Using DNA and long-lost records to redefine notions of the Black experience, his findings challenge preconceptions of America’s past.
BusinessMakers*
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Friday, Feb. 24, at 5 PM
BUSINESSMAKERS highlights the history and contributions of some of the nation's most successful African American leaders, both entrepreneurs and those in corporate America. It provides insight into the economic, political and social impact of these iconic business leaders.
Nick Cave, Summit Lake: Heard
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Friday, Feb. 24, at 8:30 PM
This PBS Western Reserve production promises an explosion of color through artist Nick Cave’s signature life-sized, dancing horses—each composed of two dancers—with choreography by William Gill. It also provides a behind-the-scenes look at one community’s commitment toward making their voices heard.
Alpha Kappa Alpha: A Legacy of Service*
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Friday, Feb. 24, at 9 PM
Narrated by Phylicia Rashad, this production documents the 115-year history of one of the nation's oldest African American women's organizations. Since its founding at Howard University in 1908, the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha have empowered communities across the globe.
Great Performances, The Magic of Spirituals*
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Friday, Feb. 24, at 9 PM
Sunday, Feb. 26, at 3 AM
This documentary examines the behind-the-scenes story of Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman’s famed concert of spirituals at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990, with extensive performance clips and new interviews with opera star Angel Blue, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb and more.
Next at the Kennedy Center, Let My Children Hear Mingus
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Friday, Feb. 24, at 10 PM
The Kennedy Center celebrates jazz icon and social activist Charles Mingus at age 100. Through performances and conversations, we explore how his outsized personality and inimitable style pushed boundaries and paved the way for future generations.
On Story, A Conversation with Gina Prince-Bythewood
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 25, at 2:30 PM
Award-winning director/writer/producer Gina Prince-Bythewood talks about her character-driven work in “The Old Guard,” “Love & Basketball” and “Beyond the Lights.”
American Masters, Ailey
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Feb. 25, at 8 PM
Discover the legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, whose dances center on the Black American experience with grace, strength and beauty. Features previously unheard audio interviews with Ailey, interviews with those close to him and an intimate glimpse into the Ailey studios today.
American Experience, Freedom Summer
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 27, at 8 PM
This is the story of 10 memorable weeks in 1964 known as Freedom Summer, when more than 700 student volunteers from around the country joined organizers and local African Americans in a historic effort to shatter the foundations of white supremacy in Mississippi—then one of the nation’s most viciously racist, segregated states.
POV, Homegoings
FUSION (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Monday, Feb. 27, at 10 PM
HOMEGOINGS takes an up-close look at the rarely seen world of the undertaking profession in the Black community, where funeral rites draw on a rich palette of tradition, history and celebration. Combining cinéma vérité with intimate interviews and archival photographs, the film paints a portrait of the dearly departed, their grieving families and a man who sends loved ones “home.”
Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future*
PBS WESTERN RESERVE (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 8 PM
Celebrate legendary performances and roles made famous by Black artists as well as the new generation of Black Broadway stars. An acclaimed cast performs classic songs from “The Wiz,” “The Color Purple,” “Porgy and Bess” and more.