Black History Month Programming and Community Screenings

Gain perspective on the rich Black culture in the United States with features following African-American artists, scientists, entertainers, teachers, soldiers and more. These stories highlight the triumph of Black America throughout our country’s history and the deep social injustice that people of color still face today.

EVENTS & SCREENINGS
RSVP is now closed. Additional seating is still available for walk-in guests.

Blackademics Television
ATTEND THE LIVE TAPING - RSVP ABOVE
Presenters will include

Mohan Ambikaipaker (Tulane University social anthropologist who studies the political dynamics of multiracial societies and will speak about black and multiracial political movements occurring in the England, the Caribbean and South Africa),
Courtney Morris (Penn State Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies),
Terri Givens (Political scientist and recognized expert in the impact of immigration and race on European political systems will speak to the rise of white nationalism across Europe in light of a similar rise in the United States),
Terrell Starr (Journalist and political commentator whose experiences as an African American living in the former Soviet Union provides him a unique perspective on U.S.-Russian politics, as well on race relations in the U.S.),
Kevin Michael Foster (Executive Producer, Blackademics Television; Professor, UT Austin; Foster will highlight law enforcement issues and challenges in Austin, Texas as he discusses police reform efforts that can enhance quality of life for community members and officers alike),
Courtney Robinson (Executive Director, Excellence and Advancement Foundation, will speak to criminal justice and school reforms that improve student outcomes as they transform how communities combat the school to prison pipeline and mass incarceration),
Denise Hart (Howard University Associate Professor of Theatre and an accomplished and award winning actress, director and playwright),
Daniela Gomez (Afro-Brazilian educator and activist), Pavithra Vasudevan and more.

Blackademics Television is back for its seventh season of top Black Studies scholars, activists and community leaders sharing projects and research focused on education, performance and youth empowerment. Please join us and be part of the studio audience for this taping. The episodes we create from these powerful talks will air in June on KLRU and many other PBS affiliates around the country. And don’t forget, you can watch past episodes anytime at pbs.org/show/blackademics-tv.
Join us on Tuesday, February 19 at 7 p.m. in KLRU’s Studio 6A. Doors 6:30 p.m.
Entrance is free, open to the public and based upon capacity.

*Black Memorabilia*
ATTEND THE SCREENING hosted by The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center and KLRU-TV, Austin PBS
This PBS documentary explores the world of racist material, both antique and newly produced, that propagate demeaning representations of African Americans. From industrial China to the rural South to Brooklyn, the film shines a light on those who reproduce, consume and reclaim racially-charged items, from banks to Mammy kitchenware, confederate flags, Nazi insignia and other ephemera.
Join us on Wednesday, February 13 at 6 p.m. at The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center.
Entrance is free and open to the public.

Seeds of Success
ATTEND THE SCREENING hosted by The Carver Library and KLRU-TV, Austin PBS
This PBS documentary tells the story of philanthropist, mentor, entrepreneur and scientist George Washington Carver.
There will also be a Global Trendsetting Speaker Series featuring:
Juanita Bugg, Executive Director of Austin Free-Net and Catherine Crago Blanton, Digital Inclusion Expert
With Keyote Speaker Roosevelt Weeks, Director of Libraries
And a Special Appearance by The Honorable Natasha Harper Madison, City Council Member, District 1
Join us on Saturday, February 16 from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Carver Branch Austin Public Library.
Entrance is free and open to the public.

PROGRAMMING

*Austin Revealed: The Anderson Yellow Jackets*
This episode documents a marvelous change in American society that followed emancipation and the right to vote: free education for all. Early in Austin and throughout the U.S., there were numerous “colored” schools, which were one-room and all-grades by design. In 1909, A.I.S.D. opened E.H. Anderson High School in a wood-frame building at Olive and Curve Streets. The name of school survived through further locations: Thompson Street in East Austin, which closed by court order in 1971 and the current school on Mesa Drive in Northwest Austin, deemed desegregated in 1973. KLRU producer Michael Emery interviewed several alumni from the second and third iterations of the school (referred as “the Original Anderson High School”) about its place in history.
Streams this February at klru.org

Say It Loud
Don’t miss this new PBS Digital Studios series hosted by YouTube sensations Evelyn Ngugi of Evelyn from the Internets and Azie Dungey, Emmy-nominated writer and creator of Ask a Slave. Part cultural critique, part talk show and part history lesson, Say It Loud will explore Black American culture and its impact on broader communities and trends. Produced in partnership with KLRU-TV in Austin, Texas, the series will dive into the history behind cultural tropes and touch points, and focus on relatable experiences of modern Black American life, exploring media, public affairs and social media trends like #GrowingUpBlack and #BlackGirlMagic. Audiences can expect to see episodes that highlight things they didn’t know were invented by Black people, the meaning of Black pride and the experiences of first generation Africans in America compared to African Americans.
Coming this February to YouTube and Facebook Watch

Austin City Limits: Buddy Guy and August Greene
Thrill to an hour of blues and hip-hop with Buddy Guy and August Greene. Blues legend Guy plays hits songs from his latest album The Blues is Alive and Well. Hip-hop supergroup August Greene performs songs from its self-titled debut.
Monday, February 2 at 7 p.m. on KLRU

Antiques Roadshow: Black Americana
Celebrate Black American heritage with this special episode. Highlights include an 1821 U.S. citizenship certificate for George Barker, a free man of color; an African American beauty book written by Madam C.J. Walker, the first American female millionaire; and a trip with host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser Leila Dunbar to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
Monday, February 4 at 8 p.m. on KLRU

Independent Lens: Black Memorabilia
Follow the propagation of demeaning representations of African Americans, from industrial China to the rural South to Brooklyn, and meet the people who reproduce, consume and reclaim these racially-charged objects.
Monday, February 4 at 9 p.m. on KLRU

Fighting on Both Fronts: The Story of the 370th
The little-known story of a unit of African American soldiers from Illinois who fought in combat for the United States in World War I. During a period when Black Americans struggled tirelessly for basic human rights, these soldiers marched off to war to show their patriotism and loyalty to the United States. But when they returned from war they realized that, despite their sacrifices, the country still denied them civil equality.
Monday, February 4 at 10 p.m. on KLRU

Black Women in Medicine
Through first-hand accounts from a cross-selection of black female pioneers in medicine and healthcare, including Dr. Claudia Thomas, the first black woman orthopedic surgeon and Dr. Jocelyn Elders, the first black woman to hold the position of United States Surgeon General, this program details the challenges these women have experienced and continue to face today in their drive to practice medicine.
Monday, February 4 at 10:30 p.m. on KLRU

Finding Your Roots: Freedom Tales
Host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. delves deep into the roots of two African American guests, actor S. Epatha Merkerson and athlete and television personality Michael Strahan. Both discover unexpected stories that challenge assumptions about black history.
Tuesday, February 5 at 7 p.m. on KLRU

Karamu: 100 Years in the House
Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio, the oldest African-American theater in America, is showcased.
Friday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. on KLRU and Saturday, February 16 at 7 p.m. & Sunday February 24 at 9 p.m. on KLRU Q

Live from Lincoln Center: Pipeline
In this new play by Dominique Morisseau, we meet Nya, an inner-city teacher desperate to save her son. When her son gets in trouble at school, Nya must confront his rage and her choices, and try to reach him before he gets pulled away forever.
Friday, February 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 10 at 1:30 p.m. on KLRU

American Masters: BB King
Explore B.B. King's challenging life and career through candid interviews with the "King of the Blues," filmed shortly before his death, and fellow music stars, including Bono, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and Ringo Starr.
Friday, February 8 at 10:30 p.m. on KLRU

Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging
Archival footage of dancer Frankie Manning includes scenes from his birthday parties and a duet with his 76-year-old son.
Saturday, February 9 at 7 p.m. on KLRU Q

Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels
Elders living in the villages of the people who seized the slave schooner Amistad in 1839 share local stories of that time.
Saturday, February 10 at 6 p.m. on KLRU Q

Looking Over Jordan: African Americans and the War
The black experience in Tennessee during and after the Civil War.
Saturday, February 10 at 7 p.m. on KLRU Q

Slavery by Another Name
Labor practices and laws create a new form of slavery in the South. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne.
Saturday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m. on KLRU Q

Independent Lens: Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Visit the world of Hale County, Alabama. Composed of intimate and unencumbered moments in the lives of people in the community, the film offers a detailed glimpse of life in America's Black Belt, simultaneously celebrating its beauty and bearing witness to the consequences of the social construction of race.
Monday, February 11 at 9 p.m. on KLRU

Backs Against The Wall: The Howard Thurman Story
The extraordinary life of theologian Howard Thurman is documented—a poet and “mystic” who used religious expression to help ignite sweeping social change.
Monday, February 11 at 10:30 p.m. on KLRU

On Story: A Conversation with Misha Green
Show creator Misha Green isn’t afraid to push boundaries: the critically-acclaimed Underground, a historical period drama about the Underground Railroad that she co-created with Joe Pokaski, combined terror, modern music, romance and thrills, breaking ground for the genre. In this episode, she talks about her experience as a first-time showrunner and having to say goodbye to a story before it’s finished.
Saturday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m. on KLRU Q

A Soldier's Story
This 1984 American film is adapted by Charles Fuller from his Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. We follow a black officer in the last days of World War II sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana, confronting the racism in a segregated regiment of the U.S Army in the Jim Crow South.
Saturday, February 16 at 8 p.m. on KLRU Q

Secrets of the Dead: The Woman in the Iron Coffin
In 2011, construction workers uncovered human remains in an a lot in Queens, New York. So great was the level of preservation, witnesses assumed they had stumbled upon a recent homicide. Forensic analysis, however, revealed a remarkably different story. Buried in an expensive iron coffin was a young African American woman who died in the first half of the 19th century, before the Civil War and the federal abolishment of slavery. But who was she?
Sunday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m. on KLRU Q

Aretha! Queen of Soul
Hosted by Hari Sreenivasan, this program showcases archival footage from Aretha Franklin's storied career, along with interviews that highlight the legacy of America's beloved "Queen of Soul."
Sunday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 23 on KLRU Q

Roberta Flack: Killing Me Softly
In the 1970s Roberta Flack became a global sensation with hits such as "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Feel Like Making Love" and "Killing Me Softly." Behind this seemingly effortless career rise lies a much deeper, more substantial journey. Born into humble circumstances in America’s segregated South, Roberta was a self-created musical prodigy who was one of the first and most significant black artists to cross over into the mainstream. This film follows Roberta’s journey from her childhood in Arlington, Virginia in the 1930s and 40s to the moment she became a multi-Grammy Award-winning star.
Sunday, February 17 at 8 p.m. on KLRU Q

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise
Take a look at the last five decades of African American history since the major civil rights victories through the eyes of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., exploring the tremendous gains and persistent challenges of these years.
Sunday, February 17 at 9 p.m. and Sunday February 24 at 9:30 p.m. on KLRU Q

American Masters: Maya Angelou
This is the first feature documentary about Dr. Maya Angelou (1928-2014), best known for her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Dr. Angelou’s was a prolific life; as a singer, dancer, activist, poet and writer she inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought that pushed boundaries. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana to her inaugural poem for President Bill Clinton, the film takes us on a journey through the life of a true American icon. It also features a series of interviews with friends and family including President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Alfre Woodard, Cicely Tyson, Quincy Jones, Secretary Hillary Clinton, John Singleton and Dr. Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson.
Monday, February 18 at 8 p.m. on KLRU

American Masters: Sammy Davis, Jr.
Explore the entertainer's vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress. Features new interviews with Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Lewis and more, plus never-before-seen photographs.
Tuesday, February 19 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 24 at 4 p.m. on KLRU

American Masters: Charley Pride
Explore the complicated history of the American South and its music through the life of country star Charley Pride. Raised in segregated Mississippi, his journey shows the ways that artistic expression can triumph over prejudice and injustice.
Friday, February 22 at 8 p.m. and Monday, February 25 at 9 p.m. on KLRU

In Their Own Words
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.
Sunday February 24 at 7:15 p.m. on KLRU Q

Rising from the Rails: The Story of Pullman Porter
Based on the bestselling book by Larry Tye, this documentary traces the fascinating history of the Pullman Porters: generations of African American men who served wealthy white passengers on the luxury trains that traveled across America during the golden age of rail travel.
Sunday February 24 at 8:15 p.m. on KLRU Q