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A rich vein of Black history in southern Ontario.
Canfield Roots airs Sunday, February 1 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
This six part docu-series, airing in its entirety Sunday afternoon, explores a rich vein of Black history in a rural area in southern Ontario, Canada, leads to attempts by descendants to protect and restore an abandoned freedom seeker cemetery with a connection to Harriet Tubman.
The life and career of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who authored 57 books, taught as a university professor and championed human rights over his decades-long career.
American Masters “Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire” airs Tuesday, January 27 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
Learn about Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of Night. After his internment at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and liberation from Buchenwald, Wiesel became a journalist in France before immigrating to America. Over the course of his life, Wiesel fought the “sin of indifference” by writing, teaching, speaking truth to power and championing for human rights.
Looking for the composers, performers, and music titles for your favorite syndicated orchestra series on WXXI Classical? Just click on the link below for the details for each program.
PERFORMANCE UPSTATE takes you into concert halls, sacred spaces, and festivals across Western and Central New York. You’ll hear a diverse and colorful array of pieces interpreted by passionate and skillful musicians from Rochester and beyond, along with some of the stories behind the music. Brenda Tremblay is your host. Many concerts are exclusive to WXXI Classical.
Enjoy a lively, exciting performance of the PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA each week from the comfort of your living room. Host Jim Cunningham and acclaimed Music Director Manfred Honeck bring you the symphonic works of Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Mahler and more with help from world-class soloists.
Known as Southern California’s leading performing arts institution, the LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA which performs in Walt Disney Hall, owes its birth to William Andrews Clark, Jr., a multi-millionaire and amateur musician who established the city’s first permanent symphony orchestra in 1919. Since 32-year-old Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel became the LA Philharmonic Orchestra’s 11th Music Director in 2009, his infectious emotional energy has won over even the most jaded souls in audiences and orchestras alike, making it one of the world’s most outstanding orchestras today.
Produced by Marty Ronish and hosted by Lisa Simeone, CHICAGO SYMPHONY, a two-hour series offers a unique format of engaging and lively content, including produced segments created to provide deeper insight into the music and programmatic themes found within the CSO’s concert season; interviews with CSO musicians, guest artists, and composers; and an exploration of the stories found within the CSO’s rich heritage of recordings and the Orchestra’s illustrious history in Chicago.
SYMPHONYCAST is a two-hour weekly radio program featuring a full-length concert by a national or international symphony orchestra. Concerts are drawn from Europe’s leading ensembles, along with U.S. orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra.
https://www.wxxi.org/highlights/syndicated-orchestra-series-weekdays-at-8pm-on-wxxi-classical/
Explores the journey of the thirteen American colonies as they unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government that would inspire democratic movements at home and around the globe.
The American Revolution airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
What begins as a political clash between colonists and the British government grows into a bloody struggle that will engage more than two dozen nations and forever change the world.
The American Revolution brings an expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film series follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
The Revolution began a movement for people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, their nations, and for humanity. It declared American independence with promises that we continue to strive for. The American Revolution opened the door to advance civil liberties and human rights, and it asked questions that we are still trying to answer today.
Episodes
Episode 1: In Order To Be Free (Jan. 9): The American Revolution In Order to Be Free Opposition in colonial North America to British policies over taxes, land, and sovereignty escalates into violent confrontation. Fighting in Massachusetts.
Episode 2: An Asylum For Mankind (Jan. 16): As New Englanders work to force the British Army from Boston, Congress puts George Washington in command of a new Continental Army. In July 1776, Congress declares American independence, insisting on the people’s right to resist tyranny..
Episode 3: The Times That Try Men’s Souls (Jan. 23): British General Howe soundly defeats General Washington at Long Island and in Manhattan, forcing the Americans to abandon New York City. After fleeing across New Jersey, Washington’s army regroups before attacking an outpost at Trenton.
Episode 4: Conquer by a Drawn Game (Jan. 30): After beating General Washington in battle, General Howe takes Philadelphia, forcing Congress to flee the city. But the Americans’ surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to openly support the United States.
Episode 5: The Soul of All America (Feb. 6 ):After Valley Forge and Monmouth, the French American alliance changes the war and moves it to other theaters. Navies battle off England and in the Caribbean, while armies advance in Indian Country and the South. The British take Charleston.
Episode 6: The Most Sacred Thing (Feb. 13): British General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states. Supported by the French, Washington wins the decisive victory at Yorktown. With independence secured, Americans aspire for a more perfect union
Our Sponsors
Sponsored By
Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Join WXXI for a special FREE 1-hour preview screening of The Inquisitor, produced by filmmakers: Angela Lynn Tucker, Trevite Willis and Moira Griffin. The preview screening will be followed by a moderated panel discussion. Registration is required.
About the Film: Explore the life and legacy of Barbara Jordan in The Inquisitor. Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moral clarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impeachment to civil rights battles, her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced struggles few ever knew of.
Indie Lens Pop-Up presents this free preview screening:
On Monday, February 16, 2026 at 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Doors Open at 6 PM)
At The Little Theatre, Theatre 1
240 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
The Film Preview will be followed by panel discussion moderated by Racquel Stephen, Racquel Stephen is WXXI’s health, equity and community reporter and producer. She joined the WXXI newsroom in 2021.
Panel TBD soon.
This film is presented with open captions. ASL interpretation will be provided for opening remarks and post-screening panel discussion. For more information on parking and accessibility, please visit https://thelittle.org/accessibility/.
Our Sponsors
Sponsored By
ITVS & Indie Lens Pop-Up.
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a WXXI media project that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Indie Lens Pop-Up features documentaries from the PBS hit series Independent Lens to draw the community together to share ideas and make connections that shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us and consider local impact of issues raised in the films.
A film that exploes the conflict between the civil rights leader and J. Edgar Hoover.
Marked Man: Martin Luther King and The FBI airing Monday, January 19 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
For years before Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, he was subjected to a campaign of intimidation by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. Hoover believed King was a puppet of the Communists, intent on destroying America, and he was determined to neutralize the threat. Marked Man: Martin Luther King and The FBI reveals the depth of Hoover’s vendetta against King and examines how and why he targeted the civil rights leader.
King was a visionary — a leader who had a dream of an America where the Black community could attain equal rights, freedom, and justice. A gifted orator, his life’s work was to achieve this goal through peaceful protest and the persuasive power of his words. In contrast, Hoover was a lifelong bureaucrat, fiercely resistant to change and intent on preserving America’s status quo. With unchecked power and unrivaled influence, Hoover headed his organization through intimidation and surveillance.
Unfortunately, Hoover used this power to relentlessly pursue King, tracking his every move and even sending him threatening letters that encouraged King to take his own life. In revealing the extent of this campaign, the documentary sheds light on the toll these actions took on King and the larger implications for American society.
Photo: Leaders at a March on Washington, August 28, 1963/ Credit: Robert W. Kelley, Getty Images
A nuanced portrait of the woman known as the conductor of the Underground Railroad, who risked her own freedom and life to liberate others from slavery.
Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom airs Monday, February 2 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
Go beyond the legend and meet the inspiring woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery. Born 200 years ago in Maryland, Harriet Tubman was a conductor of the Underground Railroad, a Civil War scout, nurse and spy, and one of the greatest freedom fighters in our nation’s history.
This new weekly series hosted by Nick Schifrin offers in-depth analysis on subjects like America’s global influence and rising international tensions, airing Sundays and streaming online.
Compass Points from PBS News airs Sundays at 6 p.m., beginning January 18 on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
Compass Points from PBS News takes an all-encompassing look at a prominent international topic each week and provides timely analysis with a panel of experts including former government officials and journalists on issues such as America’s power and influence abroad, the shifting world order under the Trump Administration, and what global conflicts and rising tensions could mean for America’s interests. Hosted by Peabody and duPont-Columbia award-winning journalist and PBS News Hour foreign affairs and defense correspondent Nick Schifrin, Compass Points is executive produced by Stephanie Kotuby, who also serves as executive producer of Washington Week with The Atlantic and senior editorial producer for PBS News Hour.
Please note: This program replaces PBS NewsHour Weekend. PBS cancelled the show due to the loss of federal funding for public media.