In honor of Black History Month, Connecticut Public will feature a number of special programs throughout February 2022 on CPTV, CPTV Spirit, and Connecticut Public Radio. See below for the full programming schedule, which includes the CPTV premiere of a new American Masters profile of onetime Connecticut resident Marian Anderson, as well as a new episode about Anderson from Connecticut Public Radio’s Where We Live. Plus, stream special video playlists compiled by PBS Black Culture Connection and PBS Digital Studios.
On CPTV
Finding Your Roots, Season 8 (NEW!)
Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
Season 8 of Finding Your Roots continues with new episodes throughout February. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., guides a whole new season of guests — including Terry Crews, Lena Waithe, Leslie Odom, Jr., and more — through their ancestral histories.
In Their Own Words – Chuck Berry
Tuesday, February 1 at 9 p.m.
Take a riveting ride on the Chuck Berry train, exploring the life, the legend, the music, and the man who is regularly credited as the father of rock and roll. Meet the family who loved him, the players who were there for the rise, and the stars who bow to his inspiration and credit him for their own success.
Independent Lens – Black Memorabilia
Tuesday, February 1 at 11 p.m.
What does it mean when Americans rebuke racism, yet hold on to nostalgic objects that embrace it? Black Memorabilia explores the world of racist material, both antique and new, that pushes demeaning representations of African Americans. The film shines a light on those who reproduce, consume — and reclaim — racially-charged items.
American Masters – Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands (NEW!)
Tuesday, February 8 at 9 p.m.
Now available to stream here>>
Discover the story of Marian Anderson, the international singer and civil rights icon — and resident of Danbury, Connecticut, for 50 years — who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America. Watch rare archival footage and hear audio recordings exploring her life and career, from the Metropolitan Opera to the State Department, in this special two-hour program directed by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Rita Coburn.
American Experience – The American Diplomat (NEW!)
Tuesday, February 15 at 9 p.m.
Now available to stream here>>
Discover how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the U.S. State Department during the Cold War. Asked to represent the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home, they left a lasting impact on the Foreign Service.
Frontline – American Reckoning (NEW!)
Tuesday, February 15 at 10 p.m.
Now available to stream here>>
An unsolved 1960s murder reveals an untold story of the civil rights movement and Black resistance. Frontline and Retro Report present this film that draws on rarely seen footage filmed more than 50 years ago in Natchez, Mississippi, and follows one family’s search for justice.
Fannie Lou Hamer’s America – An America Reframed Special (NEW!)
Tuesday, February 22 at 9 p.m.
Explore and celebrate the life of a fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist and the injustices in America that made her work essential.
POV Shorts – Positive Images
Tuesday, February 22 at 11:30 p.m.
Two short documentaries explore the history and memory of African American communities. A man creates an archive of Black excellence and fights for its permanence in “Give,” and a family’s audiovisual legacy, identities, and record are revisited in “Into My Life.”
On CPTV Spirit
Finding Your Roots, Season 6
Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
See encores of episodes from Finding Your Roots’ sixth season, featuring guests Ava DuVernay, Shirley Ann Jackson, and more.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross
Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
This six-hour series chronicles the full sweep of African American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent through more than four centuries of remarkable historic events up to the present. Presented and written by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the series draws on some of America’s top historians and heretofore untapped primary sources, guiding viewers on an engaging journey across two continents to shed new light on the experience of being African American.
Independent Lens – Owned: A Tale of Two Americas (NEW!)
Wednesday, February 9 at 10 p.m.
Is the “American Dream” of home ownership a false promise? While the government’s postwar housing policy created the world’s largest middle class, it also set America on two divergent paths – one of perceived wealth and the other of systematically defunded, segregated communities.
On Connecticut Public Radio
Selected Shorts: Celebrating Toni Morrison
Monday, February 21 at 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Guest host Tayari Jones (New York Times bestselling author, most recently of the novel An American Marriage) helps us to celebrate Morrison, the American master who died in 2019. Morrison’s novels, including Beloved, Jazz, and Song of Solomon, have become an indelible part of the American canon. Her fierce, poetic visions earned her the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was also an editor, advocate, teacher, and mother. This program features her essay “A Knowing So Deep,” read by Jones; an excerpt from The Bluest Eye, read by Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose; an excerpt from Jazz, read by Emmy and Golden Globe winner S. Epatha Merkerson; “Sweetness,” read by NAACP Image Award winner Phylicia Rashad; and a tribute by Morrison’s close friend Fran Lebowitz.
Live Wire Black History Month Special with Hanif Adburraqib, Clint Smith, and Melanie Charles
Monday, February 21 at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.
In celebration of Black History Month, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share conversations with some of Live Wire‘s most remarkable guests: MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow Hanif Abdurraqib discusses his highly acclaimed collection of essays, A Little Devil in America, which poetically praises the cultural and historical significance of Black performance of all kinds; writer Clint Smith takes us on a journey of his best-selling book How the Word is Passed, which examines the legacy of slavery through various sites across the country, from Angola prison all the way to Wall Street; and genre-bending powerhouse Melanie Charles soars with a “reimagining” of Marlena Shaw’s “Woman of the Ghetto.”
Where We Live – Marian Anderson, A Voice That Spoke to Our Common Humanity
Now streaming here>>
Music schools in Philadelphia denied her admission because she was Black, and so did a segregated concert hall, leading to a fight for civil rights. The great opera singer Marian Anderson lived and sang in Danbury for five decades. Join Where We Live to learn about her life, and about the lack of diversity in opera today.
Seasoned – Bryant Terry and George McCalman Discuss Black Food: Stories, Art & Recipes from Across the African Diaspora
Now streaming here>>
Hear a conversation with chef and creative force Bryant Terry about the new book, Black Food: Stories, Art & Recipes from Across the African Diaspora, and hear from the book’s designer, George McCalman, as well.
Disrupted – How Understanding the History of African America Helps Put Our Present Moment in Context
Now streaming here>>
This moment in American history can feel unprecedented, but white supremacist violence and debates over whose rights really matter are hardly new. Disrupted talks to two authors, Jamal Greene and Keisha Blain, who provide crucial historical and theoretical context to this moment.
Seasoned – Marcus Samuelsson Shines a Light on Black Excellence in the Food World
Now streaming here>>
Acclaimed chef and TV star Marcus Samuelsson discusses his latest book, The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food, in which Marcus and co-author Osayi Endolyn profile chefs, writers, historians, and activists. Hear about some recipes from the book, too!
Disrupted – Fighting for Beach Access in Connecticut; Historic Black Summer Enclaves Of Sag Harbor, Martha’s Vineyard
Now streaming here>>
There’s been a long battle in Connecticut for access to the shoreline. Disrupted explores the history of exclusion on the Long Island Sound, and hears from descendants of the historically Black communities of Oak Bluffs and Sag Harbor.
Seasoned – An Hour with Hawa Hassan
Now streaming here>>
Hear a conversation with Somali-born cook, entrepreneur, and cookbook author Hawa Hassan. Hawa shares recipes and stories from her book In Bibi’s Kitchen, which celebrates the matriarchs of East African cooking.
The Colin McEnroe Show – The History of Black Cowboys on the Western Frontier
Now streaming here>>
Nat Love was born a slave but died a free cowboy and a legend of the Old West. After the Civil War freed Love from slavery, he walked to Dodge City, Kansas, and got a job breaking horses — after he could prove that he could rope a bucking horse, climb on its back without a saddle, and ride him without falling off. Thus began Nat’s life as a cowboy. Learn more about Nat and other Black cowboys.
Video Playlists
The PBS Black Culture Connection has curated contextual articles and a playlist on PBS.org to include programs such as American Experience – The Murder of Emmett Till and The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song, available on-demand through the end of February 2022. The PBS Black Culture Connection will also spotlight storytellers and amplify films on social media.
In addition, PBS Digital Studios has updated its curated YouTube playlist that includes a collection of videos covering topics of Black history, culture, arts, and politics.
Plus, check out a special Black History Month collection of educational resources for parents, students, and teachers from Connecticut Public’s Learning Snacks>>