From July 1 through July 15 WXXI Classical hosts will focus on American composers, cultural heritage, and orchestral storytelling by presenting 250 pieces of American music. More details to come including an America 250 playlist link.
America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together • WXXI-TV
A star-filled tribute to America’s Semiquincentennial from revolutionary Colonial Williamsburg. Featuring live performance, historic interpretation, large-scale spectacle and fireworks. This is the place where the path to independence truly began.
America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together airs Saturday, July 4 at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
A star-filled tribute to America’s Semiquincentennial set in the revolutionary capitol of Colonial Williamsburg. Blending live performance, music, historic interpretation, impactful narration and large-scale visual spectacle to create an inspiring national event that connects the nation’s founding directly to the present day, the broadcast is designed as both a celebration and a unifying national moment. It offers a heartfelt and powerful reflection that honors the past, engages the present, and inspires a season of civic renewal – all from the place where the path to independence truly began. From the first melodic sounds of a violin to the thunderous pyrotechnic finale, this is a program for all Americans to see themselves reflected in our nation’s continuing story.
Photo Credit: PBS
America 250 Series • WXXI News
WXXI News presents a series of stories that looks at America 250 through a complete lens.
Check them out here:
Aired 7/1: What’s fact and fiction in the area’s most legendary tale of Revolutionary valor. Click here to read or listen to the piece.
Aired 6/30: One of Mount Hope’s most interesting Revolutionary War vets is not who you think he is. Click here to read or listen to the piece.
Aired 6/29: Restored 1813 portrait of George Washington is back where it belongs at Capitol. Click here to read or listen to the piece.
Connect250, a Nationwide Storytelling Project
What happens when strangers sit down and truly listen to one another?
America’s story is made up of millions of individual stories. Through Connect250, StoryCorps, NPR’s Morning Edition, and WXXI are inviting people across the country to connect across differences and share meaningful conversations in honor of America’s 250th birthday. Record a conversation with someone from another community and contribute to a historic collection that will be preserved at the Library of Congress for future generations. To learn more and pre-register, visit connect250.org. Conversations start July 7.
Learn more.
Disability Pride Month Collection • On-Demand
Take time to honor Disability Pride Month observe the landmark anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26 and consider its wider impact and implications across culture and society.
Each year we honor Disability Pride Month which offers a time to observe the landmark anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26 and consider its wider impact and implications across culture and society. Our collection is grounded in this year’s theme, “The World Works Better With Us”, which promotes self-advocacy, support, education and advocacy for rights and inclusion across public spaces for all people living and thriving with disabilities. In this six-film suite, we share compelling stories that center intimate perspectives of lived experiences where self-love and acceptance are paramount, where fears and anxieties lead to profound moments of change, where community uplifts and finds power in collective action and shows how creativity provides pathways for communication.
In All Riders, a group of disabled NYC commuters rally together in their fight for accessibility on the MTA. Co-director Sam Habib documents his transition into adulthood in The Ride Ahead as he navigates his private and public life while living with a rare genetic disorder. I Didn’t See You There provides a personal and political perspective on the legacy of the spectacle of the Freak Show and the paradoxical nature of visibility and visibility for people with disabilities. Two stories foreground the isolating experience of disability; the director and protagonist in Is There Anybody Out There? searches for others who are like her while Pedro battles mental health issues as a young, blind undocumented immigrant in the award-winning film unseen. Finally, the communicative power of creative expression lights up the screen in The Beautiful Colors of Jeremy Sicile-Kira.
WXXI is proud to be a co-presenter of this collection as part of our Move to IncludeTM initiative, which promotes disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media. Built on the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”, Move to Include spotlights the lived experience of people with disabilities and highlights important issues around disability, including education, healthcare, housing, employment, and more – through television, radio, news, education, community events, and digital media.
Once Upon A Time In Space • WXXI-TV
At the dawn of a new space race, this four-part series tells the human story of our quest to explore the cosmos.
Once Upon A Time In Space Airs Tuesdays, July 14th- July 28th at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
Drawing on intimate, unseen archive and powerful first-hand testimony, this landmark 4-part series tells the human stories behind our quest to explore space, offering a unique perspective on our changing world and where we are headed.
Episodes:
“America First” airs July 14th. A pioneering class of astronauts is recruited by NASA to fly aboard its new Space Shuttle.
“The Russian Thing” airs July 21st. When the Soviet Union falls, Russia welcomes US astronauts to their space station Mir.
“Politics Always Wins” airs July 28th. The arrival of the International Space Station promises a new era of cooperation in space.
“Friends Forever” airs August 4th. Relationships aboard the ISS are tested when war breaks out on Earth.
Credit: Nasa
Independent Lens “Flood” • WXXI-TV
A filmmaker revisits her evangelical roots to find connection with her estranged father.
Independent Lens “Flood” airsMonday, July 13th at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
Returning home to California’s Inland Empire, filmmaker Katy Scoggin seeks to reconnect with her estranged father, who works as an elementary science teacher. He is the only evangelical left in the family, and as they face their differences on faith, family, and belonging, their journey becomes a portrait of empathy and resilience. Together, they find new ways to listen and bridge divides.
Credit: Spencer Worthley
Independent Lens “True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power” • WXXI-TV
How 1960s Montreal helped shape the global movement for Black liberation.
Independent Lens “True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power” airs Monday, July 6th at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
Through rare archival footage and firsthand accounts, True North revisits 1968 Montreal, where Black liberation movements converged at the Congress of Black Writers. As student protests ignited the Sir George Williams Affair, Black youth faced violent repression, unfolding a powerful chapter of the global Black Power era.
Credit: La Presse