February is Black History Month, a time to honor the contributions, resilience and cultural richness of the Black community. These stories take center stage, inviting us to reflect on the many ways Black voices and experiences have shaped American culture, politics, art and more.
This month, dive into a collection of documentaries that explore Black culture and history, including Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History, a new series from renowned historian and Finding Your Roots host Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. Also, examine our nation’s complicated history with the Peabody Award-nominated film American Coup: Wilmington 1898, and hear from a variety of Black voices on the long-running PBS NC series Black Issues Forum.
Watch stories about our collective history on PBS NC and the free PBS app.
Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History is a four-part series tracing the rich, complex relationship between Black and Jewish Americans — defined by solidarity and strained by division. Drawn together by racism and antisemitism, they forged civic and cultural bonds, especially during the civil rights era. The series explores both the challenges and enduring promise of that alliance.
Watch Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History, premiering Tuesday, 2/2, 9 PM on PBS NC and the PBS app.
Explore the intersecting and diverging fates of Black and Jewish communities up to the 1920s, shaped by exile, faith, migration, and early solidarity.
Examine how Black and Jewish communities collaborated in music and film and fought fascism from the 1920s to the 1950s, while navigating growing cultural divides.
Trace the 1960s “Grand Alliance,” when Black and Jewish activists joined forces in the civil rights movement — and the tensions that tested their solidarity.
Trace the 1960s “Grand Alliance,” when Black and Jewish activists joined forces in the civil rights movement — and the tensions that tested their solidarity.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of basketball superstars Brittney Griner and North Carolinian Chris Paul—revealing that they are not the first extraordinary people in their family trees. Telling stories that stretch deep into the past, Gates introduces his guests to relatives who showed courage, talent and grit—connecting Brittney and Chris to their ancestors in ways that they never imagined possible.
Watch Finding Your Roots' “Love & Basketball,” streaming now on the PBS app.
Black Issues Forum is a platform for Black voices in North Carolina. Each week, host Kenia Thompson and a panel of notable guests address current topics, representing the community and encouraging a range of perspectives. Executive Producer Deborah Holt Noel takes you inside NC communities with special reports.
Watch new episodes of Black Issues Forum, Fridays, 7 PM on PBS NC and the PBS app.
Discover the story of the deadly 1898 race massacre and coup d’état in Wilmington, North Carolina, when white supremacists overthrew the multi-racial government of the state’s largest city through a campaign of violence and intimidation.
Watch American Experience’s “American Coup: Wilmington 1891," Monday, 2/16, 9 PM on PBS NC and streaming now on the PBS app.
PBS North Carolina invites you to explore the history, stories and situations leading up to and following the tragic events of Wilmington in 1898, and presents opportunities for students and teachers to examine and analyze crucial themes and issues that remain pertinent today through educational lesson plans and more.
Learn how a rural community in Warren County, North Carolina, mobilized to fight plans to place a toxic landfill in their county. This landmark action, the first to articulate the concepts of environmental racism and environmental justice, brought together civil rights activists and environmentalists to fight for a common goal.
Watch Our Movement Starts Here, Thursday, 2/19, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and streaming now on the PBS app.
Examine a complex, talented, and passionate photographer, illuminating the fortitude it takes to be an outsider documenting outsiders. As is necessary in this moment, this film also probes the question of “who can tell whose story?” while spotlighting an overlooked, but richly deserving artist.
Watch Always Looking: Titus Brooks Heagins, Thursday, 2/12, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and streaming now on the PBS app.
We could all use some inspiration in our lives and this collection of documentaries and performances featuring pioneering Black artists will do just that. These stories guide you throughout history and mediums where you'll find unparalleled creativity and innovation: see artists making their mark from music across genres like blues, jazz and rock 'n' roll, painting and sculpture.
Two high school classmates from 1965—Jimmie, a Black football star, and De, a white student who respected him from afar—reunite 50 years later after a discovery linking their families changes their lives forever. This personal yet profoundly American story reveals the legacy of slavery, the complexities of race and privilege, and the power of truth in their journey toward healing.
Watch A Binding Truth, Thursday, 2/5, 9:30 PM on on PBS NC and streaming now on the PBS app.
Celebrate Black History Month with PBS KIDS characters from Lyla in the Loop, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum and more. Kids can explore stories about inspiring figures like Frederick Douglass, Maya Angelou, Jesse Owens and more while learning about Black history and culture and the power of making a difference through fun and engaging episodes.
PBS KIDS For Parents
Black History Month is a time to celebrate African American heroes who have made a difference in our world. Here are some inspiring activities that you can do with your child to celebrate Black History Month and help your child value their own strengths.
PBS LearningMedia
This collection is curated to showcase Black excellence through contributions, achievements and ideas across subjects and eras. These resources aim to inspire educators to intentionally include Black stories in all curricula.
PBS KIDS For Parents
Understanding and celebrating diverse cultures begins the moment children begin exploring and reading books. Here are nine books that celebrate and offer windows into the world of Black lives and culture.
