Celebrate Black History Month with Arkansas PBS as we share stories including the arts, culture, history, music and sports.
Hear from legendary African Americans, such as Toni Morrison, as they rise above criticism to reach prominence. Celebrate the Black culture with “Great Migrations: A People on the Move.” Follow the life of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, the music that continues to impact the industry and the sports figures that are larger than life.
HOW TO WATCH
Members who contribute a tax-deductible gift of at least $5 per month, or an annual gift of $60 or more, are eligible for Arkansas PBS Passport – an extended, on-demand library of your favorite PBS shows, films and specials.
As a reminder, you can watch anywhere, anytime on myarkansaspbs.org, or by using the PBS app, available on your TV, phone or tablet.
Arts
“American Masters: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” – Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers and critics in exploring the powerful themes she confronted throughout her literary career in this artful and intimate meditation that examines the life and work of the legendary storyteller.
Passport Only:
"American Experience: Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming A Space"
"American Masters: Ailey"
"American Masters: How it Feels to be Free"
"American Masters: In The Making"
"Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future"
"Independent Lens: The Picture Taker"
Culture
“Great Migrations: A People on the Move” – This four-part docuseries from Emmy-nominated executive producer, host and writer Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. tells the story of the African American movement over the 20th and 21st centuries, and how it has shaped our nation, by exploring the meaning behind those movements.
“NOVA: Lee and Liza’s Family Tree” – Many descendants of enslaved people have little record of their family's ancestry. Follow one family's quest to discover their lost history, and see how science and genealogy can help rebuild a family tree broken by slavery. Join filmmaker Byron Hurt at his extended family reunion as they celebrate the joy of family in the African diaspora, and discover new details of their history that they thought were lost forever.
Passport Only:
"The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song"
"Making Black America: Through the Grapevine"
History
“Shuttlesworth” – Beginning with his segregated childhood in the Oxmoor Valley, this film follows the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth’s life through Bethel Baptist Church, the Birmingham Campaign and the reactionary violence unleashed by the city's white power structure. Through this lens, “Shuttlesworth” examines the City of Birmingham, its unique history and culture, and how the city became the symbol for social justice and the American Civil Rights Movement.
“Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten” – Learn about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, on the 100th anniversary of the crime, and how the community of Tulsa is coming to terms with its past, present and future.
Passport Only:
"American Experience: The American Diplomat"
"American Experience: The Blinding of Isaac Woodard"
"Becoming Frederick Douglass"
"Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts"
"Eyes on the Prize"
"Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America ReFramed Special"
"Harriet Tubman"
"How the Monuments Came Down"
"Independent Lens: The Big Payback"
"Independent Lens: Storming Caesars Palace"
"James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket"
"Slavery by Another Name"
Music
“American Masters: The Disappearance of Miss Scott” – Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own TV show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality. The film features interviews with Mickey Guyton, Tracie Thoms, Amanda Seales and Sheryl Lee Ralph as the voice of Scott.
"Jazz" – Filmmaker Ken Burns tells the story of jazz – the quintessential American art form. The 10-part series follows the growth and development of jazz music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to the Lincoln Gardens on Chicago's south side, where Louis Armstrong first won fame, from Prohibition-era speakeasies to the wide-open clubs of Kansas City, from the elegant Roseland Ballroom in Times Square, where only whites were allowed to dance, to the more egalitarian Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, where people of all colors mingled.
“Mavis Staples at Symphony Center, Chicago” – Civil rights icon and living legend Mavis Staples returned home to Chicago and the Symphony Center for one night only on Feb. 4, 2023. Staples brings her iconic smoky sound in a scintillating evening of soul, gospel and her signature brand of R&B.
“Next at the Kennedy Center: Continuum: Jason Moran and Christian McBride” – Music icons Jason Moran and Christian McBride collaborate for an electrifying performance at the Kennedy Center. They share stories about their legendary teachers and introduce us to their remarkable protégés.
“Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes” – This film is an intimate portrait of the quiet genius of Ron Carter who speaks with his music, and who brought the upright bass out from the background into the spotlight.
Passport Only:
"American Masters: Roberta Flack"
"American Masters: Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes"
"Gospel"
"Great Performances: The Magic of Spirituals"
"Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World"
"In Their Own Words: Chuck Berry"
"Just A Mortal Man - The Jerry Lawson Story"
"The Musicians’ Green Book: An Enduring Legacy"
"My Music with Rhiannon Giddens"
"NEXT at the Kennedy Center: The Roots Residency"
"NEXT at the Kennedy Center: Let My Children Hear Mingus"
"NEXT at the Kennedy Center: Robert Glasper's Black Radio"
Sports
“Jackie Robinson, a Film by Ken Burns” – Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.” After baseball, he was a widely-read newspaper columnist, divisive political activist and tireless advocate for civil rights, who later struggled to remain relevant as diabetes crippled his body and a new generation of leaders set a more militant course for the civil rights movement.
“Independent Lens: Bike Vessel” – Knowing his dad miraculously recovered from three open-heart surgeries after discovering a passion for cycling, filmmaker Eric D. Seals proposes an ambitious idea: Bike together from St. Louis to Chicago. 350 miles. Four days. On their journey, the two push each other as they find a deeper connection and a renewed appreciation of their quests for their own health and to reimagine Black health.
“Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson” – Jack Johnson – the first African American Heavyweight Champion of the World, whose dominance over his white opponents spurred furious debates and race riots in the early 20th century – enters the ring once again in this provocative documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns.
Passport Only:
"Muhammad Ali"
"Independent Lens: Outta The Muck"
HOW TO WATCH
Members who contribute a tax-deductible gift of at least $5 per month, or an annual gift of $60 or more, are eligible for Arkansas PBS Passport – an extended, on-demand library of your favorite PBS shows, films and specials.
As a reminder, you can watch anywhere, anytime on myarkansaspbs.org, or by using the PBS app, available on your TV, phone or tablet.