In celebration of Black History Month, KLRN will broadcast a lineup of new and encore presentations honoring African-American history.
JAN. 31 | 8PM
FIGHT THE POWER: HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE WORLD, EP. 1
Chuck D of Public Enemy explores Hip Hop's political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators he tracks Hip Hop's socially conscious roots. From The Message to Fight The Power 2020, he examines how Hip Hop has become "the Black CNN.
FEB. 1 | 3PM
FANNIE LOU HAMER'S AMERICA: AN AMERICA REFRAMED SPECIAL
Fannie Lou Hamer's America is a portrait of a civil rights activist and the injustices in America that made her work essential. Through public speeches, personal interviews, and powerful songs of the fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist, Fannie Lou Hamer's America explores and celebrates the lesser-known life of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders.
FEB. 1 | 4:30PM
The documentary examines the life of civil rights legend Fannie Lou Hamer, offering first-hand accounts by those who knew her and worked side by side with her in the struggle for voting rights.
FEB. 3 | 8PM
MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE, EP. 1
Making Black America: Through the Grapevine is a four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people -beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders, and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.
FEB. 3 | 9PM
MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE, EP. 2
Making Black America: Through the Grapevine is a four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people -beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders, and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.
FEB. 6 | 8PM
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: CELEBRATING BLACK AMERICANA
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW honors Black History Month with the special episode Celebrating Black Americana. Highlights include an 1821 U.S. citizenship certificate for George Barker, a free man of color; an African American beauty book written by Madam C.J. Walker, the first American female millionaire.
FEB. 6 | 10PM
INDEPENDENT LENS: OUTTA THE MUCK
Wade into the rich soil of Pahokee, Florida, a town on the banks of Lake Okeechobee. Beyond its football legacy, including sending over a dozen players to the NFL (like Anquan Boldin, Fred Taylor, and Rickey Jackson), the fiercely self-determined community tells their stories of Black achievement and resilience in the face of tragic storms and personal trauma.
FEB. 7 | 3PM
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: CELEBRATING BLACK AMERICANA
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW honors Black History Month with the special episode Celebrating Black Americana. Highlights include an 1821 U.S. citizenship certificate for George Barker, a free man of color; an African American beauty book written by Madam C.J. Walker, the first American female millionaire.
FEB. 7 | 10PM
IDA B. WELLS: AMERICAN STORIES
There are few Chicago historical figures whose life and work speak to the current moment more than Ida B. Wells, the 19th century investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and passionate suffragist.
FEB. 8 | 3PM
IDA B. WELLS: AMERICAN STORIES
There are few Chicago historical figures whose life and work speak to the current moment more than Ida B. Wells, the 19th century investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and passionate suffragist.
FEB. 8 | 4PM
HARRIET TUBMAN: VISIONS OF FREEDOM
Go beyond the legend and meet the inspiring woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery. Born 200 years ago in Maryland, Harriet Tubman was a conductor of the Underground Railroad, a Civil War scout, nurse and spy, and one of the greatest freedom fighters in our nation’s history.
FEB. 8 | 8PM
A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids over 400 million miles from Earth thought to hold important clues about the origins of our solar system. Just hours before, in Senegal, West Africa, a team of scientists sets out to capture extraordinarily precise observations vital to the success of the Lucy mission.
FEB. 9 | 4PM
As early humans spread out across the world, their toughest challenge was colonizing the Americas because a huge ice sheet blocked the route. It has long been thought that the first Americans were Clovis people, who arrived 13,000 years ago. But an underwater discovery in Mexico suggests people arrived earlier — coming by boat, not on foot.
FEB. 10 | 2PM
A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids over 400 million miles from Earth thought to hold important clues about the origins of our solar system. Just hours before, in Senegal, West Africa, a team of scientists sets out to capture extraordinarily precise observations vital to the success of the Lucy mission.
FEB. 10 | 4PM
SECRETS OF THE DEAD: THE WOMAN IN THE IRON COFFIN
Follow a team of forensic experts as they investigate the preserved remains of a young African American woman from 19th century New York and reveal the little-known story of early America’s free Black communities.
FEB. 10 | 8PM
MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE, EP. 3
Making Black America: Through the Grapevine is a four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people -beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders, and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.
FEB. 10 | 9PM
MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE, EP. 4
Making Black America: Through the Grapevine is a four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people -beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders, and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.
FEB. 13 | 9PM
SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: AMERICAN MASTERS
The first major film documentary to examine Sammy Davis, Jr.'s vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th century America.
FEB. 14 | 8PM
FIGHT THE POWER: HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE WORLD, EP. 2
Chuck D of Public Enemy explores Hip Hop's political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators he tracks Hip Hop's socially conscious roots. From The Message to Fight The Power 2020, he examines how Hip Hop has become "the Black CNN."
FEB. 15 | 3PM
SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: AMERICAN MASTERS
The first major film documentary to examine Sammy Davis, Jr.'s vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th century America.
FEB. 20 | 10PM
AMERICAN MASTERS: HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE
The inspiring story of how six iconic African American female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process.
FEB. 21 | 7PM
FINDING YOUR ROOTS: AND STILL I RISE
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the unexpected family trees of activist Angela Y. Davis and statesman Jeh Johnson, using DNA and long-lost records to redefine notions of the black experience—and challenge preconceptions of America’s past.
FEB. 21 | 8PM
FIGHT THE POWER: HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE WORLD, EP. 3
Chuck D of Public Enemy explores Hip Hop's political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators he tracks Hip Hop's socially conscious roots. From The Message to Fight The Power 2020, he examines how Hip Hop has become "the Black CNN."
FEB. 21 | 9PM
FIGHT THE POWER: HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE WORLD, EP. 4
Chuck D of Public Enemy explores Hip Hop's political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators he tracks Hip Hop's socially conscious roots. From The Message to Fight The Power 2020, he examines how Hip Hop has become "the Black CNN."
FEB. 21 | 10PM
Renowned African American embalmer, James Bryant, puts his faith in a new generation to continue the legacy of Black funeral homes in San Antonio, Texas. But his young intern, Clarence Pierre, is conflicted about his commitment due to the judgment he receives as a queer, Christian man.
FEB. 22 | 2PM
FINDING YOUR ROOTS: AND STILL I RISE
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the unexpected family trees of activist Angela Y. Davis and statesman Jeh Johnson, using DNA and long-lost records to redefine notions of the black experience—and challenge preconceptions of America’s past.
FEB. 22 | 3PM
AMERICAN MASTERS: HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE
The inspiring story of how six iconic African American female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process.
FEB. 24 | 8PM
GREAT PERFORMANCES: THE MAGIC OF SPIRITUALS
Discover the behind-the-scenes story of Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle’s famed concert at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990. With legendary African American contralto Marian Anderson in attendance, many wondered if the two singers would compete or join forces and sing together. Showcasing extended excerpts of Norman and Battle in performance, the documentary examines the preparation required and the historic concert’s enduring impact.
FEB. 24 | 9:30PM
LINES BROKEN: THE STORY OF MARION MOTLEY
In 1946, Canton native Marion Motley was one of four African American men to break pro football’s color barrier when he joined the Cleveland Browns. This local production tells the Canton native’s story of adversity, personal tragedy and triumphs using rarely heard archival interviews and new interviews with historians, friends and descendants.
FEB. 28 | 7PM
BLACK BROADWAY: A PROUD HISTORY, A LIMITLESS FUTURE
This one night only concert celebrates iconic performances by Black actors, highlights iconic roles made famous by Black artists, and lifts up the next generation of Black Broadway stars.