Celebrating Black History Month Through Story

“When we share our stories, we are reminded of the humanity in each other. And when we take the time to understand each other’s stories, we become more forgiving, more empathetic and more inclusive.”

-Michelle Obama

VMRC’s office of marketing communications is proud to underwrite television programming offered through Virginia Public Media (VPM) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) throughout Black History Month. Programming will air on VPM/PBS in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg. Programs begin Thursday, February 2. Check your local station’s airtimes online at VPM or PBS.

Programs include: 

• Finding Your Roots

• Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World

• Great Performances: The Magic of Spirituals

The first program in the series, "American Experience: The American Diplomat" shares how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the US State Department during the Cold War. Watch the episode trailer here.

Programs and schedules throughout the month include the following.

Friday, Feb. 3

9 p.m.

MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE 
Hour one explores how free Black people, in the North and South, built towns, established schools and held conventions - creating robust networks to address the political, economic, and social needs of the entire Black community. Watch the trailer.

10 p.m.

MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
Hour two explores how African Americans turn within, creating a community that sustains and empowers. From HBCUs to Black businesses to the Harlem Renaissance to political organizations, Black life flourished.

Monday, Feb. 6

9 p.m.

LEGACY LIST WITH MATT PAXTON: A SPACE FOR HEALING (Birmingham, AL)
The 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, became a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement. Now, years later, Matt is in town to help Lisa and Kimberly, the sisters of one of the little girls who was killed, downsize their longtime home, filled with powerful memories and mementos from the tragedy.

10 p.m.

INDEPENDENT LENS: OUTTA THE MUCK
"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. Watch the trailer.

Tuesday, Feb. 7

8 p.m.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS
“Family: Lost and Found” features actor Joe Manganiello and football star Tony Gonzalez. Watch the trailer.

9 p.m.

FIGHT THE POWER: HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE WORLD “Under Siege” explores the 1980s and the birth of Hip Hop as social commentary in the Reagan Era with the emergence of artists like Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice-T and NWA. Watch the trailer.

Thursday, Feb. 9

8 p.m.

HOW THE MONUMENTS CAME DOWN  A timely and searing look at the history of white supremacy and Black resistance in Richmond, Virginia-the former capital of the Confederacy. Through stories of descendants and activists, the film reveals how monuments to Confederate leaders stood for more than a century and why they fell. Watch the trailer.

Friday, Feb. 10

9 p.m.

MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
To survive economic disaster, hour three shows how African Americans relied on informal economies, grassroots organizations and cultural innovations behind the color line to dismantle the oppressive realities of Jim Crow.

10 p.m. 

MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE (Part 2)
Despite the gains of legal desegregation, hour four reveals how Black political and cultural movements - from Black Power to Black Twitter - provide a safe space to debate, organize and celebrate.

Tuesday, Feb. 14

8 p.m.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS
The episode “Chosen” features David Duchovny and Richard Kind.

9 p.m.

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. The episode “Culture Wars”  shows how Hip Hop becomes a force that is attacked by all sides of the political establishment.

Thursday, Feb. 16

8 p.m.

HARRIET TUBMAN: VISIONS OF FREEDOM
Go beyond the legend and meet the woman who became of the greatest freedom fighters in U.S. history.

9 p.m.

AMERICA REFRAMED: BIG CHIEF, BLACK HAWK
Big Chief T is a high school senior and the youngest Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief in New Orleans. During COVID-19, he and the Black Hawk Hunters navigate the impacts of gentrification and systemic racism on their annual masking tradition. Through haute couture, movement, and words, BIG CHIEF, BLACK HAWK celebrates the beauty and resilience of ‘the culture’ even in the face of crisis and change.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

8 p.m.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS
“And Still I Rise” Features activist Angela Y. Davis and statesman Jeh Johnson.

9 p.m.

FIGHT THE POWER: HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE WORLD
“Still Fighting” follows 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, Feb. 23

8:30 p.m.

FANNIE LOU HAMER: STAND UP
The life of voting and women's rights activist and civil rights legend Fannie Lou Hamer is examined.

Friday, Feb. 24

9 p.m.

GREAT PERFORMANCES 
“The Magic of Spirituals” provides a glimpse behind the curtain at opera stars Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman's famed 1990 concert.

10 p.m.

NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
“Let My Children Hear Mingus” is a Kennedy Center performance celebrating jazz icon and social activist Charles Mingus at 100. Through performances and conversations, we explore how his outsized personality and inimitable style pushed boundaries and paved the way for future generations.

Tuesday, Feb. 28

9 p.m.

BIRTH OF A PLANET: RICHMOND ON PAPER
The story of the legendary black newspaper “The Richmond Planet” and the group of 13 formerly enslaved men in Richmond, VA, who under the leadership of its founder and editor, John Mitchell, Jr., operated a paper that gained a reputation as an advocate of racial equality.

9:30 p.m.

CAPTURING THE MOMENT
Take a diverse group of talented photographers. Ask them to create their own assignments in which to explore the theme of democracy in America. Then film their photo shoots on location. The result is Capturing The Moment: Democracy, a series of unique and multifaceted stories that depict the concept of democracy in our world today.We invite all to join us in watching the stories of our shared past to inform how we move together toward our future.