Black Heritage and Culture

Explore the WXXI Black Heritage and Culture site: Your resource and guide to the films, stories, and voices centered around Black history and culture, current events, and issues. And be sure to visit WXXINews.org for coverage of community events and issues that are important to Rochester and beyond. Explore. Watch. Connect!

This initiative is made possible with additional support from:

Featured Programming

WXXI Celebrates African-American Contributions

Saturday, May 1, 2021 - 6:00am

Learn more about the amazing contributions these 40 individuals have made.

Jesse Owens: American Experience

Saturday, August 7, 2021 - 4:00pm

on WXXI-TV

This film traces the story of Jesse Owens’ remarkable victories in the face of Nazi racism during the 1936 Olympics.

POV: Minding the Gap

Monday, August 9, 2021 - 10:00pm

on WXXI-TV

This POV film gives us an intimate look into friendships initiated via a passion for skateboarding and cemented by shared experience.

Conversations on Muhammad Ali: Ali, Race and Religion

Thursday, September 9, 2021 - 7:00pm

Join hour-long discussions with Ken Burns and special guests, featuring clips from the upcoming four-part series, MUHAMMAD ALI.

On-Demand: Finding Your Roots Discussion Event

Watch On-Demand :WXXI Education and The Local History & Genealogy Division of the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County for a a chat about the Finding Your Roots Series with a focus on conducting family history by people of color. Learn about local resources and local stories.

Coming Together - Sesame Street Resources on Racial Literacy

Sesame Workshop continues its major commitment to racial justice with new resources and content called "Coming Together" to help families talk to young children about race and identity.

The Life of George Floyd Podcast

on AM 1370 - NPR News & Talk

The Washington Post explores the life and experiences of the man who sparked a movement. Listen to the Podcast.

Watch On-Demand Metcalfe Park: Black Vote Rising

Follow a mother and daughter team as they prepare their Milwaukee community for the 2020 presidential election.

PBS Digital Studios Playlist: Race, civil rights, and the American justice system on-demand playlist

A playlist of content from PBS Digital Studios and friends that addresses race, civil rights history, and the American justice system.

WATCH LIVE: Q&A on police reform and the racial justice movement, one year after George Floyd’s killing

Join the PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz as she talks with the Center For Policing Equity’s Tracie Keesee and journalist Justin Ellis as they take your questions on the state of police reforms and other calls to action around the country. Watch On-Demand

Race Matters: America After George Floyd: A PBS Newshour Special On-Demand

A look at America a year after the death of George Floyd, including communities around the U.S. that have seen protests, police killings and hate crimes in this PBS Newshour Special Report. Watch On-Demand

The Talk – Race in America On-Demand

Learn how families of color counsel their kids to stay safe if they’re stopped by police.

PBS Playlist Race & Racism in America On-Demand

PBS continues to provide programming on-air and on-demand regarding race, racism as resources for everyone to educate themselves and continue the conversation on all the ways that inequality in America shows up in everyday life.

PBS LearningMedia East Lake Meadow: A Public Housing Story Collection

PBS LearningMedia has a wide range of learning resources for students in grades 7-12th grade, focused on public housing and civil rights. East Lake Meadows, the public housing project opened by the Atlanta Housing Authority in 1970 and demolished a generation later, and provides resources to understand housing policy and racism.

Resources on Race, Racism, Civil Rights, Current Events, and more

WXXI Education staff collected resources from PBS LearningMedia to support educators and families while discussing the following topics: race, racism, protesting, civil rights, Black history and historical individuals, bias, past and current events, and more.

Resources for Young Children on Race, Racism, and more

WXXI Education staff collected the following resources to support families and educators of young children as they talk, watch, read, and learn about race and racism.

On-Demand: PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism

Watch On-Demand: PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism is a special co-viewing program for families with young children to watch and discuss together.

The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special - On Demand

Watch the Sesame Street special The Power of We anywhere, anytime on-demand thanks to the PBS KIDS Video Player.

On-Demand World Channel: Race in America

A collection of films by and about individuals regarding race across the country and around the globe. Watch on-air, stream online and share the voices, the stories on WORLD and from our partners in public media.

On-Demand World Channel: Black Stories

A collection of films by and about individuals amplifying and affirming black voices across the country and around the globe. Watch on-air, stream online and share the voices, the stories on WORLD and from our partners in public media.

Unmarked from Reel South On-Demand

Vast amounts of African American gravesites and burial grounds for enslaved persons have been disappearing over the years and with them personal connections unless these locations are restored.

American Experience: Remembering the Tulsa Massacre

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 - 4:30pm

Join American Experience for a conversation commemorating the 1921 Tulsa massacre

The Black Church Virtual Screening and Q&A

Thursday, February 11, 2021 - 7:00pm

Series Host and Executive Producer Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and PBS Chief Programming Executive Sylvia Bugg discuss the upcoming PBS special The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song.