Streaming platforms and TV channels have lined up a number of programs in honor of Black History Month this year.
Throughout the 28 days of Black History Month, documentaries and films will be aired in order to tell the stories of Black figures and culture across the arts, politics, sports and more.
PBS will be airing “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America Reframed Special,” a documentary on civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. Airing on Feb. 22 at 9 p.m., it was created in partnership with Hamer’s great-niece, Monica Land, and follows Hamer’s life as she fought for voting rights in the 1960s. In addition to narration and interviews, the broadcast uses supplementary speeches made by Hamer herself as well as unseen family photos to tell her story.
The channel will also be airing American Reckoning on Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. The film, created by documentary series Frontline and news organization Retro Report, revolves around the murder of Wharlest Jackson, a NAACP treasurer for their division in Natchez, Mississippi. On February 27th, 1967 at 8 p.m., Jackson was killed when a car bomb put under his driver’s seat went off. With his murder still unsolved, the documentary seeks to put the pieces together while also more broadly covering the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Here are five other programs that are available for Black History Month:
Trayvon Martin: 10 Years Later (CBS News Streaming Network): This hour-long program looks back at the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Hosted by journalist Gayle King, the broadcast discusses the impact Martin’s made, including the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Featuring interviews, King speaks with Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, about her son and the organization she leads, Mothers of the Movement, made specifically for the mothers of victims of gun violence or victims at the hands of the police.
The special will be available on the CBS News Streaming Network and Smithsonian Channel from Feb. 26. It will also air on BET on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m.
Between The World & Me (HBO MAX): This 2020 HBO special adapted Ta-Nehisi Coates’ bestseller, “Between the World & Me,” and the 2018 Apollo Theater play it inspired for the small screen. The film includes passages from the book in which Coates writes a letter to his 15-year old son about what it means to be Black in the U.S. and his experience growing up. In addition to the passages, the film includes scenes from the protests around the world following the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by the police. Also interspersed are actor performances.
With Kamilah Forbes, curator at the Apollo Theater, as director, the cast includes Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett and many more.
The Loyola Project (CBS Sports Network): Airing on Feb. 8 at 9 p.m, the documentary follows the Loyola University Chicago Ramblers. In their 1963 season, on March 15, Loyola beat an all-white opposing team to win the NCAA tournament championship. The integrated team included more than two Black players on the court. They changed history as this was the first time that the coaches’ rule allowing only two Black players on the court at the same time was broken.
Lucas Williamson, a current Loyola player, looks back at the historic team and their list of achievements, including an induction into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Phat Tuesdays (Amazon Prime): This documentary series is about the creation of Phat Tuesdays at the Comedy Store in L.A. This significant showcase, developed by Guy Torry, was made specifically for Black comedians, helping launch the careers of stars such as Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx and more. Coming just after the 1992 L.A. riots, “Phat Tuesdays” helped give an audience to Black comedians that were discriminated against in popular clubs.
The comedy night grew in popularity, bringing together celebrities such as Prince, Kobe Bryant and Tupac together for a laugh. Featuring interviews from Regina King, Anthony Anderson and more, the documentary series is available to watch on Feb. 4.
Uprooted (Discovery +): In 1986, 19-year-old Keith Warren was found hanging from a tree. Without performing an autopsy, the medical examiner ruled off murder, writing down the cause as a suicide. For the last couple of decades, Warren’s sister, Sherri, has tried to find the answer to what actually happened to her brother.
The documentary covers Sherri’s quest for the truth as she continues to try and change the cause of death written on her brother’s certificate. A podcast held by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza will also be released along with the series. Split into six parts, Garza holds conversations with multiple activists and academics as they discuss the institution that let Warren’s case be swept away as it was and the effect it has today. The series will air on Feb. 18 on the platform.
