CELEBRATING
THE DREAM
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAMMING ON WQED tv13
Back
to Index
PITTSBURGH,
PA - In February, join WQED Multimedia for a celebration of the history,
culture and contributions of African-Americans. Local and national programming
on tv13 will highlight influential individuals and important events that
not only comprise the substantial legacy of black Americans, but also
shape the history and present-day culture of all Americans.
LOCAL
Weeknights
live at 7:30 p.m., encore broadcasts weeknights at 11:30 p.m. and
12:30 p.m. the following weekday
OnQ special reports:
OnQ profiles M. Gayle Moss, the new Pittsburgh NAACP president. Tonia
Caruso reports.
William Strickland of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild reflects on the
accomplishments of his personal hero, K. Leroy Irvis. Chris Moore reports.
The Bidwell Training Center, which grows orchids, has named an orchid
for the late Frieda Shapira, who worked selflessly for positive change
in the African-American community, and in Pittsburgh as a whole. Doug
Oster reports.
OnQ profiles Andre Raphel Smith, the first African-American to be named
music director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. Jim Cunningham reports.
OnQ looks back at the impressive history of the Kingsley Association,
the venerable social service agency in East Liberty. Chris Moore reports.
Fridays
at 9:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Black Horizons
Black Horizons covers Pittsburgh’s African-American community every
month of the year. Host Chris Moore interviews interesting guests and
highlights events and activities from the local community. Also, look
for two “Black Horizons” specials in the line-up this month.
Thurs., Feb. 3, live at 8 p.m., encore broadcast Sun., Feb 6, 3 p.m.
“ WQED Presents: K. Leroy Irvis: The Lion of Pennsylvania”
K. Leroy Irvis made history in 1977 when he became the first (and ultimately,
longest-serving) African-American Speaker of the House in Pennsylvania.
Before he retired in 1988, Irvis fought tirelessly for civil rights, health
care, consumer protection, prison reform, improvements in housing and
education, and government reform. This documentary, narrated by Julian
Bond, follows the life of K. Leroy Irvis through his formative years,
his struggles as an activist, his legendary political speeches and his
commitment to achieve social justice for all Pennsylvanians. The program
will be presented live in Pittsburgh by host Chris Moore. Guests: Mrs.
Cathryn L. Irvis (wife, activist and early learning advocate); Robert
Hill (vice chancellor, Univ. of Pittsburgh and exec. producer of Irvis
documentary); and Laurence Glasco (assoc. prof., Dept. of History, University
of Pittsburgh). They will discuss why the University decided to produce
this documentary, and reflect on Mr. Irvis' ties and importance to the
University of Pittsburgh.
Thurs., Feb. 17, 8 p.m.
“ The House: A Black Horizons Special”
“
The House” is an in-depth and loving look at Pittsburgh's Westinghouse
High School. Since the 1930's, Westinghouse has produced an amazing array
of writers, educators, musicians and athletes. At the center of the special
is the 64-65 Westinghouse Bull Dogs football team, who were all city champions.
The program focuses on those players and where they are today, as well
as others who were part of the Westinghouse success story.
Thurs., Feb. 17, 9 p.m.
“ Wylie Avenue Days”
The only street in the U.S. that began at a church & ended at a jail,
Wylie Ave., in Pittsburgh's hill district. This 1-hr special recalls
when it represented the heart of black life in Pittsburgh, much as Harlem did
in New York. This program captures it all - clubs like the Crawford
and
the Hurricane where the music attracted both blacks and whites, the
church picnics and family businesses that were all a part of life in this unique
neighborhood.
NATIONAL
Tues., Feb. 1, 10 p.m.
Independent Lens
“ February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four”
On February 1, 1960, four college students staged a sit-in at a Woolworth's
lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, a pivotal event in the civil
rights movement. In this intimate portrait, viewers learn what led these
four friends to protest — and how their lives have been affected.
Sun., Feb. 6, 4 p.m.
“ Safe Harbor”
“
Safe Harbor” is an incredible story of strength and determination,
told through the eyes of the slaves and the people who risked their lives
to save them. From free black communities to middle-class white society,
groups of freedom fighters defied race and gender in one of the greatest
survival stories of all time. “Safe Harbor” follows the
Underground Railroad through a little-known passage to freedom in the
northernmost corner of Pennsylvania. Character voices, reenactments, documents
and diaries create a vivid account of Pennsylvania in the years leading
up to the Civil War.
Monday, Feb. 7, 10 p.m.
P.O.V.
“
Chisholm ’72—Unbought and Unbossed”
New York Democratic congresswoman Shirley Chisholm entered the 1972 presidential
race. Her bid for the Oval Office engendered strong and sometimes bigoted
opposition, setting off currents that affect American politics and social
perceptions to this day.
Wed., Feb 9 and 16, 9 p.m.; encore broadcasts Sun. Feb. 13 and 20, 3
p.m.
Slavery and the Making of America
This groundbreaking series, narrated by Morgan Freeman, chronicles the
institution of American slavery from its origins in 1619 — when
English settlers in Virginia purchased 20 Africans from Dutch traders — through
the arrival of the first 11 slaves in the northern colonies, the American
Revolution, the Civil War, the adoption of the 13th Amendment and Reconstruction.
New perspectives on slavery challenge many long-held notions (such as
the idea that slavery was strictly a southern institution) and highlight
the contradictions of a country that was founded on the principle of “liberty
and justice for all” but embraced slavery.
Fri., Feb. 11, 10 p.m.
“
The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend”
For more than 150 years, the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama have made
quilts reflecting their world, and continue the tradition today.
Over generations, they worked in isolation and poverty, continuing to
inhabit the remote plantation land their forefathers once slaved. Today,
art critics worldwide are comparing them to the great creative enclaves
of the Italian Renaissance.
Mon., Feb. 14, 10:30 p.m., encore broadcast Fri., Feb18, 10 p.m.
“ An Unlikely Friendship”
A surprising friendship emerged between an embittered Ku Klux Klan leader
and an outspoken black activist who were on opposing sides of the debate
over public school integration. Told in their own words, this rich and
compelling story is as sincere as the protagonists themselves.
Fri., Feb. 18, 10:30 p.m., encore broadcast Sun., Feb 27 at 4:30 p.m.
“ The Long Walk To Freedom”
The Long Walk To Freedom is a documentary about how 12 ordinary people
from different racial and economic backgrounds became involved with the
civil rights movement, which changed the face of the nation. The film
demonstrates that the struggle of civil rights, justice, and equality
is indeed a “long walk.”
Mon., Feb. 21, 9 p.m.
American Experience
“Malcolm X — Make It Plain.”
Malcolm X expressed the anger of African-Americans and their insistence on
dignity and freedom. The story of this complex man whose ideas continue to
resonate is told through archival material and unprecedented interviews with
his associates and family members, including Malcolm’s brothers and sisters,
and wife Betty Shabazz.
Fri., Feb 25, 10 p.m.
“ Briars in the Cotton Patch: The Story of Koinonia Farm”
Koinonia Farm may have been the most daring social experiment in the South
during the last century. Blacks and whites lived together equally on the
Georgia farm. The commune, started in 1942, became the target of white
anger — with bombs, boycotts and shootings. Out of this violent
history grew the worldwide movement of Habitat for Humanity International.
Sun., Feb. 27, 3 p.m.
“ The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords”
African-American newspapers have existed in almost every major city in
the United States since the early 1800s. The program gives life to this
fascinating, little-known history by weaving interviews with editors,
photographers and journalists (including the Courier’s Frank Bolden)
of the black press with archival footage, photographs and the music of
Grammy award-winning jazz artist Ron Carter.
Sundays at 5 p.m.
America Beyond the Color Line With Louis Henry Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard’s chair of Afro-American Studies,
travels to four different parts of America — the East Coast, the
deep South, inner-city Chicago and Hollywood to explore black culture
and community. He explores this rich and diverse landscape, social as
well as geographic, and meets the people who are defining black America
WQED
Multimedia provides educational, cultural and informational products
and services
that enhance
and engage the community. It is the parent company
of WQED tv13, WQEX – your America’s Store channel, WQED fm89.3,
WQEJ fm89.7/Johnstown, a publishing division that includes PITTSBURGH
magazine, local and national television and radio productions, www.wqed.org
and the WQED Education and Community Resource Center.
For
additional information, please e-mail: promotion@wqed.org
