Black History

NYS Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King • WXXI-TV

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King with an hour-long special.

NYS Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King airs Monday, January 15 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Join your colleagues, friends, and the community for the broadcast of the 2024 New York State Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute. This year’s observance will focus on four pillars: Resilience, Service, Faith/Unity, and Empowerment. These pillars serve as the theme for an exciting, hour-long tribute to Dr. King, highlighting people and organizations from across the state who are inspired by his teachings and continue to bring them to life in the present day.

Photo: Title card • Provided by PBS

AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange | Season 15 On-Demand

Celebrating a notable 15th season, AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange spotlights the power of Black art and how it reflects realities, restores spirits, celebrates triumphs, issues calls to action and unites people across around the world. The award-winning series continues its mission to focus on independent documentaries and short films about contemporary life, art and culture from the African diaspora. Watch on WORLD – TV, online and YouTube or at the Playlist Above for full episodes, trailers and digital extras.

Explore the AfroPoP website at BlackPublicMedia.org & PBS Video Player AfroPoP Series Page

AfroPoP Digital Shorts: A Limited Digital Series Playlist

Redlining: Mapping Inequality in Dayton & Springfield On-Demand

This film tells the national story of redlining, a practice which embedded racial segregation and inequality into the development of American cities and suburbs.

What makes some neighborhoods more desirable than others? Why are similar homes in two parts of town dramatically different in value? Why are some neighborhoods falling apart while others are thriving? And how does this all play into the wealth and education gap we’re facing today?

Redlining maps, introduced in the 1930s, delineated risk areas for federally backed mortgages and home-ownership programs. Risk was determined almost entirely by race. Neighborhoods where no loans would be made were outlined in red, or literally “redlined.”

The film explores the stories of local families who were impacted by redlining, and the lasting effects of federal housing policies on the Miami Valley and the nation. It also makes some surprising discoveries about the roots of redlining and introduces some larger-than-life personalities who have been all but forgotten.

Virtual Screener Discussion On-Demand

Independent Lens: Razing Liberty Square • WXXI-TV

The Liberty Square public housing community in Miami becomes ground zero for climate gentrification

Independent Lens: Razing Liberty Square airs Wednesday, February 19 at 3:30 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Liberty City, Miami, was home to one of the oldest segregated public housing projects in the U.S. Now with rising sea levels, the neighborhood’s higher ground has become something else: real estate gold. Wealthy property owners push inland to higher ground, creating a speculators’ market in the historically Black neighborhood previously ignored by developers and policy-makers alike.

Watch the Trailer:

Razing Liberty Square Trailer | Independent Lens

Learn More: Film Website

PBS Independent Lens: Razing Liberty Square

Making Black America: Through the Grapevine

Renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the vibrant cultural and social spaces at the heart of the African American experience.

Making Black America: Through the Grapevine, Pts. 1 & 2 of 4, airs Saturday, January 20 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Making Black in America chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” The documentary series recounts the establishment of the Prince Hall Masons in 1775 through the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders and old friends including Charles M. Blow (journalist and commentator), Angela Davis (political activist, scholar and author), André Holland (actor), Fab 5 Freddie (hip-hop pioneer and visual artist), Jason King (chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music), Killer Mike (rapper and activist) to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.

Pts. 3 & 4 airs Saturday, January 27 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Photo: Title card • Provided by PBS

Finding Your Roots: Forever Young • WXXI-TV

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actors Valerie Bertinelli and Brendan Fraser.

Finding Your Roots: Forever Young airs Sunday, January 9 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets Valerie Bertinelli and Brendan Fraser—two actors who found fame when they were young and lived their lives in the limelight, cut off from their roots. Each discovers ancestors who paved the way for their success.

Photo: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Credit: PBS

Razing Liberty Square Screening • The Little Theatre

The Liberty Square public housing community in Miami becomes ground zero for climate gentrification

Join WXXI for a special FREE screening and discussion of Razing Liberty Square, a film by Katja Esson. Liberty City, Miami, was home to one of the oldest segregated public housing projects in the U.S. Now with rising sea levels, the neighborhood’s higher ground has become something else: real estate gold. Wealthy property owners push inland to higher ground, creating a speculators’ market in the historically Black neighborhood previously ignored by developers and policy-makers alike.

Indie Lens Pop-Up presents this free screening:
On Monday, January 29, 2024 at 6:30-8:30 p.m.
At The Little Theatre, Theatre 5
240 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

Razing Liberty Square Trailer | Independent Lens

The film will be followed by a panel discussion.

Moderator: Mary Lupien, Rochester City Council Member, is passionate about preserving a livable climate through policy, increasing safe, stable and affordable housing and fighting poverty and institutional racism. For many years, Mary was an organizer with Mothers Out Front, a group working to inspire bold climate action and mobilize the community to achieve a sustainable future for our children. She has also focused on community efforts to halt displacement and create access to quality, affordable housing and Mary has supported efforts to Re-imagine how her city provides Public Safety to the community in a way that keeps all residents safe.

Panelists:
Scott C. Benjamin, President & CEO, Charles Settlement House & Community Place of Greater Rochester;

Dr. LaShunda Leslie-Smith, DSW, LMSW, Executive Director, Connected Communities, Inc.

Panelists Bios:

Scott Benjamin, CEO of Charles Settlement House & Community Place of Greater Rochester: Scott has been in the non-profit human services field for 29 years, working at The Salvation Army, Charles Settlement House and The Community Place of Greater Rochester. Charles Settlement House & Community Place formerly affiliated in 2021. Prior to entering the human services sphere, Scott worked in radio and TV news for 18 years. He is the co-chair of the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Center for Community Health & Prevention Community Advisory Council. He is also a board member of the Rochester Community Transportation Foundation, a board member of the Settlement Houses of Rochester Foundation, and past president of the Rochester Northwest Rotary Club. Scott is a graduate of the Leadership Rochester program.

Watch the Trailer:

Learn More: Film Website

PBS Independent Lens: Razing Liberty Square

About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a community series that brings people together for film screenings and conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most. Learn more at pbs.org/indielenspopup

Presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Stream anytime on the PBS App. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens.

Fighting on Both Fronts: The Story of the 370th On-Demand

The remarkable, but little known, story of one of few African-American regiments to have fought in combat during World War I. They were America’s unsung heroes – a group of men from Illinois, largely from Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. They fought on two fronts – the war against the Germans and the war against racism and inequality.

Watch Trailer: Watch the Episode On-Demand