PBS is celebrating Black History Month by throwing a Block Party! Throughout the month of February, stream new and beloved programs celebrating Black excellence. Whether it’s history, music, documentaries, science or genealogy, PBS is your destination. Join the party at pbs.org/blockparty
FINDING YOUR ROOTS | New episodes Tuesdays starting Jan. 7 on KPBS TV and the PBS app - For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.
GREAT MIGRATIONS: A PEOPLE ON THE MOVE | Tuesdays, Jan. 28 - Feb. 18, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app + Encores Wednesdays, Feb. 5 - 26 at 8 a.m. on KPBS 2 - The series explores the transformative impact of Black migration on American culture and society. From the waves of Black Americans to the North—and back South—over the last century to the growing number of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean today, the film shows how movement is a defining feature of the Black experience
Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church | Now streaming with KPBS Passport - Trace the legendary guitarist’s journey to the Atlanta International Pop Festival and his unforgettable performance on July 4, 1970, captured in 16mm multi-camera footage. Hendrix drew nearly 500,000 people to his “Electric Church” for a concert that included “Purple Haze,” “Foxey Lady,” “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” “Hey Joe,” “Stone Free” and many more.
"Mavis Staples at Symphony Center, Chicago" | Now streaming with KPBS Passport - Join the legendary singer and civil rights icon for a one-night only, hometown performance for the ages, recorded Feb. 4, 2023. Staples brings her iconic smoky sound to Orchestra Hall in a scintillating evening of soul, gospel and her signature brand of R&B. Performances include ““Respect Yourself,” “Let’s Do it Again” and “No Time for Crying.”
AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIAL "People v. Newton" | Now streaming with the PBS app - Black Panthers co-founder Huey Newton is accused of murdering a white policeman after a car stop in 1967 Oakland. A landmark trial ensues and Newton's defense team calls out racism in the judicial system. With a death penalty looming, a shocking verdict is delivered that still reverberates today
Wynton Marsalis' All Rise: Live at Chautauqua | Feb. 11 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - Celebrate the story and lasting impact of this iconic institution through inspiring stories of faith and democracy with a stirring performance of Wynton Marsalis' All Rise and appearances by Kathryn Hahn, Kwame Alexander, Misty Copeland, and more.
FINDING EDNA LEWIS | Feb. 18 - From Freetown, Virginia, to New York City, Edna Lewis carved a remarkable path. She introduced many Americans to seasonal cooking, Southern cooking — the cooking of the Black community in rural Virginia that raised her. Yet despite a life that included fame and acclaim, she is not a household name. In "Finding Edna Lewis," Deb Freeman travels to the places where Miss Lewis made her mark.
AMERICAN MASTERS "The Disappearance of Miss Scott" | Feb. 21 - Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television 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 Hazel Scott.
INDEPENDENT LENS "Bike Vessel" | Feb. 24 - 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. 4 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.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP" | Feb. 25 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - While many consider the birth of the civil rights movement to be 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, the stage had been set decades before by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Some of the NAACP leaders are familiar, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Thurgood Marshall, but Walter White, head of the NAACP from 1929 to 1955, has been all but forgotten. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Walter White looked white; he described himself as “an enigma, a Black man occupying a white body.” Like virtually all light-skinned African Americans of his day, White was descended from enslaved Black women and powerful white men. But he was Black — by law, identity, and conviction and spent his entire life fighting for Black civil rights.
RITUAL | Now streaming with the PBS app - Host Tank Ball explores how rituals across the south reveal complexities of the past and new possibilities for the future. Throughout the series, Tank meets with community members, culture bearers, and historians to observe the ways that placing ceremonial boundaries around death, environmental stewardship, and collective renewal shapes a community's sense of reality.
IN THE MARGINS | Now streaming with the PBS app - This series covers the history they didn’t teach in school, exploring obscure, yet captivating tales that offer unique insights into their time and place.
Sharks Unknown with Jasmin Graham | Now streaming with the PBS app - Shark scientist Jasmin Graham travels to shark hotspots in North America to interview her scientist peers and research collaborators. Jasmin and her guests investigate little-known shark species and use cutting-edge technology to solve mysteries about shark biology and ecology. This series showcases the next generation of shark scientists who exemplify the growing diversity in shark science.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: American Coup: Wilmington 1898 | Now streaming with the PBS app - American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government.
AMERICAN MASTERS "Searching for Augusta Savage" | Now streaming with the PBS app - Augusta Savage was the first person in the U.S. to open a gallery dedicated to African American art. A Harlem Renaissance sculptor and art educator, she was also one of the first Black women art activists of her time and fought for the inclusion of Black artists in the mainstream canon. Art historian Jeffreen M. Hayes, Ph.D. explores Savage's legacy, and why her artwork has been largely erased.
NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER: Cynthia Erivo & Friends | Now streaming with KPBS Passport - Cynthia Erivo invites you to a musical New Year's Eve with Ben Platt, Joaquina Kalukango.
Block Party Playlist: What even is a block party without music? This party is moving to the sounds of some of the most beloved gospel and gospel-inspired songs through the ages. Hear artists like The Clark Sisters, Mahalia Jackson, Kirk Franklin, and more of your favorite artists in this playlist inspired by Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr's upcoming film GOSPEL.
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