Appreciate the rich history and profound contributions of Black Americans throughout the years. Learn about the visionary changemakers, innovative artists, and courageous heroes who molded the fabric of this nation by tuning into the following Black History Month programs on WTIU and WFIU.
WTIU programs:
Tuesday, January 31
9:00 PM – Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
This incredible narrative of struggle, triumph and resistance will be brought to life through the lens of an art form that has chronicled the emotions, experiences and expression of Black Americans like none other: rap. In the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd, these perspectives and this story is more important than ever before. Rap is key to understanding racial injustice in the post-Civil Rights era and by focusing our story around its unstoppable rise we'll confront some of today's most pressing questions.
Thursday, February 2
10:30 PM – Signing Black in America
Immerse yourself in the history and development of Black American Sign Language, a vibrant dialect that today conveys an identity and sense of belonging that mirrors spoken language varieties of the African American hearing community.
Friday, February 3
9:00 PM and 10:00 PM – Making Black America: Through the Grapevine
The first two parts of a four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., introduce viewers to a world that showcases Black people's ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.
Sunday, February 5
3:00 PM – Codeswitching: Race and Identity in the Suburban Schoolhouse
At daybreak, thousands of African American students shuttle from the inner-city to predominantly white suburban schools in the greatest voluntary experiment in desegregation and academic opportunity. They default to "code switching" to fit- in. The boys also feel pressured to "act white" or "act more black", and struggle to span home life and school culture, but benefit from the trope of the scholastic athlete-hero Animation and an original score add to the appeal of this immersive character-based narrative.
Sunday, February 5
7:00 PM – Ida B. Wells: American Stories
There are few historical figures whose life and work speak to the current moment more than Ida B. Wells, the 19th-century crusading investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and passionate suffragist. In the wake of her recent posthumous Pulitzer Prize citation, Chicago street naming, and the release of a revealing new biography by her great-granddaughter Michelle Duster, the hour-long documentary tells her story as never before.
Monday, February 6
10:00 PM – Independent Lens: Outta the Muck
A co-production with Black Public Media (BPM), "Outta the Muck" wades into the rich soil of Pahokee, a rural Florida town. Beyond sending over a dozen players to the NFL, Pahokee, a rural town on the banks of Lake Okeechobe, possesses a legacy of resilience and achievement in the face of great storms and personal trauma.
Thursday, February 9
10:30 PM – Odessa’s Reign
Odessa Madre, nicknamed Queen of the Underworld, was a prosperous numbers runner and a key figure in a lucrative gambling ring in Washington, D.C. in the 1950s. Leading the paper chase gave her prestige within the mob, power in her neighborhood, and control over the men charged with enforcing the law - all while being an African American woman in a segregated city.
Friday, February 10
9:00 PM and 10:00 PM – Making Black America: Through the Grapevine
The final two parts of this four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., introduce viewers to a world that showcases Black people's ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.
Sunday, February 12
3:00 PM – Invisible History: Middle Florida’s Hidden Roots
This film sheds light on the little-known history of plantations and the enslaved in North Florida, seeking to advance a sense of place and identity for hundreds of thousands of African Americans by exploring the invisible history of slavery in Leon County.
Tuesday, February 14
9:00 PM – Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
Explore the 1980s and the birth of hip hop as social commentary.
Thursday, February 16
10:30 PM – Awadagin Pratt: Black in America
You are never too famous to escape racism and racial profiling. Awadagin Pratt is a renowned concert pianist, composer, and violinist. The documentary confronts issues of privilege and racism in America and tells a personal account of an all-too-common experience for many people of color in America and worldwide.
Sunday, February 19
7:00 PM – Finding Fellowship
This film shares how one community came together in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination and offers an example of how communities can lean on their shared heritage to progress.
10:30 PM – River City Drumbeat
Explore the story of an African American drum corps in Louisville, Kentucky.
Tuesday, February 21
9:00 PM – Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
Experience the 1990s during the Clinton years and the unstoppable rise in popularity of hip hop, which becomes a force that is attacked by all sides of the political establishment.
10:00 PM – Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
Follow the evolution of hip hop as its artists turn into multimillionaires and successful entrepreneurs. As a cultural phenomenon, hip hop continues to change history and is adopted as the voice of protest around the world.
Thursday, February 23
10:30 PM – Legacy of Love
Explore the romantic relationship between Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Friday, February 24
9:00 PM – Great Performances: The Magic of Spirituals
Glimpse behind the curtain at opera legends Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman's famed concert at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990, featuring performance clips and new interviews with opera star Angel Blue, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb and more.
10:30 PM – Voices for Freedom: The Hyers Sisters’ Legacy
In the 1870s and ‘80s when night riders and lynching terrorized African Americans and black-face minstrels ridiculed them across the land, the Hyers Sisters (African American touring-opera prodigies) stood up against this oppressive imaging with unique musical works and thus became Voices for Freedom.
Sunday, February 26
4:00 PM – Black Broadway: A Proud History, a Limitless Future
Join an all-star cast performing songs from the hit musicals Dreamgirls, Ain’t Misbehavin, The Color Purple, Porgy and Bess, and so many more to celebrate the rich history and evolution of Black roles and voices on Broadway.
8:00 PM – Wes Bound: The Genius of Wes Montgomery
Discover the story of a legendary jazz guitarist and composer from Indiana.Montgomery was born in Indianapolis on March 6, 1923 and rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time. In addition to the interviews, the film also features the music of Wes and his famed brothers, bassist Monk Montgomery and pianist and vibraphone player Buddy Montgomery.
9:30 PM – Wes Montgomery at 100: A 100th Birthday Tribute Concert
Recorded before a live audience in the WTIU studio, this concert features the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Brent Wallarab, and a performance by the celebrated jazz trio of guitarist Dave Stryker, organist Bobby Floyd, and drummer Sean Dobbins.
11:00 PM – Buddy Guy: True to the Blues
Meet the living legend from the 1950s Chicago blues scene who inspired The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan on the way to becoming a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and an eight-time GRAMMY winner.
Tuesday, February 28
8:00 PM – Black Broadway: A Proud History, a Limitless Future
Join an all-star cast performing songs from the hit musicals Dreamgirls, Ain’t Misbehavin, The Color Purple, Porgy and Bess, and so many more to celebrate the rich history and evolution of Black roles and voices on Broadway.
10:00 PM – Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church
This critically acclaimed documentary traces Jimi Hendrix's journey to the Atlanta International Pop Festival and features 16mm multi-camera footage of his unforgettable performance on July 4, 1970. The concert took place in a dusty, scorching hot pecan orchard in Byron, Georgia.
11:30 PM – Training for Freedom
Witness the transformational story of how idealistic college students and Black activist teachers came together at the height of the civil rights movement, in a small Midwestern town, for a two-week training session aimed at teaching Mississippi African Americans how to register to vote.
WFIU programs:
Friday, February 3
9:00 PM – Night Lights: Black Composers in Hollywood: Duke Ellington and John Lewis
The first in a recurring series of shows explores Duke Ellington’s music for the 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder and John Lewis’ score for Odds Against Tomorrow, released the same year.
Monday, February 6
10:00 PM – Pipedreams: Hearing Color
Explore works by African American artists, composers, and performers.
Tuesday, February 7
8:00 PM – Ether Game: Triumph and Adversity
Following the first week of Black History Month, we quiz on music by Black composers. Join us as we listen to stories of perseverance and musical influences ranging from African folktales, Caribbean dance rhythms, and hip hop.
Friday, February 17
8:00 PM – Afterglow: Night Lights: Mr. B: The Great Billy Eckstine
Explore the life and career of “Mr. B” Billy Eckstine, a singer and bandleader who broke boundaries as a Black icon in a segregated world.
Friday, February 17
9:00 PM – Night Lights: A Brief History of Nina Simone
An overview of the career of singer and pianist Nina Simone, who became an icon for the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Monday, February 20
10:00 PM – Pipedreams: Embracing Black and White
Bridging differences of style and culture, music makes the world a bigger place.
Thursday, February 23
9:00 PM – Fiesta! Afro-Latin American Music
Features the music of Francisco Mignone (Brazil) and Amadeo Roldán (Cuba).
Friday, February 24
8:00 PM – Afterglow: Live Nina
Nina Simone, the “High Priestess of Soul,” was an enigmatic and eccentric figure in the world of jazz. We feature Simone in her most natural element: live on stage.
Friday, February 24
9:00 PM – Night Lights: Homecoming: Dexter Gordon in the Late 1970s
Exploring tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon’s triumphant return to the United States in the mid-1970s and the last years