FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

PBS NORTH CAROLINA JOINS NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF HBCU WEEK

‘Fashion Forward,’ a PBS NC short about HBCUs’ role in fashion, is part of a slate of programs for the HBCU Week NOW content initiative, a public media partnership of eight PBS stations.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, 9/25/2025 — PBS North Carolina is pleased to announce its continued participation in HBCU Week, a celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), through the national programming initiative HBCU Week NOW. A dynamic lineup of eight new short films, including one about North Carolina HBCUs’ role in fashion, will premiere on the project’s YouTube channel beginning September. 

HBCU Week NOW is a public media partnership of eight PBS stations: Maryland Public Television (MPT), PBS North Carolina, Howard University Television (WHUT), Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WABE (Atlanta), South Carolina ETV, Alabama Public Television and WXXI (Rochester, NY). 

As part of the HBCU Week NOW partnership, PBS North Carolina presents Fashion Forward, a short film featuring students and professors who have emerged from fashion programs at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro and North Carolina Central University in Durham. Fashion Forward also explores how HBCU culture is not only producing industry trailblazers and artists but molding and defining fashion today. Fashion Forward premiered on the September 12 episode of Black Issues Forum. 

HBCU Week NOW will also present new films produced by partner PBS stations. They join 10 others released over the past two years and will begin premiering in mid-September to coincide with the HBCU Week observance. With a focus on the fine and performing arts, the films showcase Southern University’s jazz program, Spelman College’s Glee Club, Miles College’s award-winning Purple Marching Machine marching band and the Department of Theatre Arts at Howard University. 

In partnership with Black Public Media, MPT will also debut the HBCU Week NOW Student Film Festival in January 2026, featuring a selection of 10 original short-format projects. The films are selected from submissions by HBCU students, curated by Black Public Media and showcased on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel. 

MPT is also presenting new programs for television broadcast by PBS stations nationwide. This effort is anchored by Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect, a documentary about the life and work of former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The one-hour film premiered on PBS NC on September 9 and is available to stream free of charge at hbcuweeknow.com, PBS.org and via the PBS app. Additional information about the film, a suite of standards-aligned classroom learning materials, screening activities and resources and other materials are available at becomingthurgoodmpt.thinkport.org. 

“With HBCU Week NOW in its third year, we have significantly expanded our storytelling footprint while continuing to celebrate Historically Black Colleges and Universities as unique and cherished national resources,” said Travis E. Mitchell, MPT senior vice president and chief content officer and Morgan State University graduate. “We are grateful for the support and collaboration of dozens of HBCUs and their students, faculty and leadership as we continue to grow this important project.” 

Launched by MPT as a national project in 2023, HBCU Week NOW’s growth is supported by an investment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for 2024 and 2025, along with funding from MPT’s Center for Maryland History Films and Morgan State University. 

Congress defines an HBCU as “any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans.” Today, some 100 HBCUs continue to deliver on the promise of their founding, with more than 285,000 students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds currently enrolled, along with at least 1 million alumni from all walks of life. HBCUs are among the country’s most crucial institutions for providing access to higher education for generations of Americans from diverse backgrounds, including some of today’s most notable individuals such as former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. David Satcher, Samuel L. Jackson and many others. 

“We offer our heartfelt thanks to everyone at CPB for its support of this groundbreaking project,” added Mitchell. “Among public media’s most important roles is to bring the rich tapestry that is the American story to households across the country.” 

Related Programs 

WORLD, public television’s leading national digital channel, will present a lineup of HBCU-themed programs to complement the documentary Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect: 

• Opportunity, Access & Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs
• The Historic HBCU Photograph
• Roadtrip Nation: Thriving—Black Men in Higher Education 101
• Roadtrip Nation: Thriving—Black Men in Higher Education 102
• The Golden Year: Howard Women’s Basketball

Discover other HBCU-related content on WORLD at worldchannel.org. 

About Maryland Public Television 

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV network and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member offering entertaining and educational content delivered by traditional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computers and mobile devices via its online video player and the free PBS app. A state agency operating under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, MPT also produces local, regional and national programming and frequently earns regional Emmy® awards for its work. MPT’s commitment to educators, parents, caregivers and learners of all ages is delivered through its Maryland Center for Media Literacy & Education and Thinkport.org. MPT’s year-round community engagement activities connect viewers with resources covering a wide range of topics. More information is available at mpt.org. 

About Black Public Media 

Black Public Media (BPM) develops, produces, funds and distributes media content about the African American and global Black experience. Black Public Media supports the development of visionary content creators and distributes stories about the global Black experience to engage audiences and inspire a more equitable and inclusive future. Learn more at blackpublicmedia.org. 

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) 

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org. 

About WORLD  

WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and programming. WORLD’s original series examine the issues and amplify the voices of those often ignored by mainstream media. The multi-platform channel helps audiences understand conflicts, movements and cultures from around the globe. Its original work has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, an International Documentary Association Award, a National News and Documentary Emmy Award, two Webby Awards and many others honoring diversity of content and makers. WORLD is carried by 194 member stations in markets representing 77% of US TV households. Funding for WORLD is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. WORLD is produced by GBH in partnership with WNET and is distributed by American Public Television (APT). Find out more at WORLDChannel.org. 

About PBS North Carolina 

As North Carolina’s statewide PBS network serving the country’s third largest public media market, PBS North Carolina educates, informs, entertains and inspires its audience on air, online and in person. Through its unique partnership of public investment and private support, the network includes in-person engagement, digital-first social and online content delivery and four over-the-air channels: PBS NC, the North Carolina Channel, Rootle 24/7 PBS KIDS channel and the Explorer Channel. Its transformational events and content spark curiosity and wonder for all North Carolinians. Additionally, PBS North Carolina serves as the backbone for North Carolina’s state emergency services. To learn more about PBS North Carolina, visit pbsnc.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

-PBS NC-

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