BLACK TV
Independent Lens: “The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975″ – PBS, Feb. 9 at 10pm ET (check local listings). Combining startlingly fresh and candid 16 mm footage that had lain undiscovered in the cellar of Swedish Television for the past 30 years, with contemporary audio interviews from leading African-American artists, activists, musicians and scholars, ”Mixtape” looks at the people, society, culture and style that fueled an era of convulsive change, 1967-1975. Utilizing an innovative format that riffs on the popular 1970s mixtape format, this is a cinematic and musical journey into the black communities of America.
Independent Lens: “The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975″ – PBS, Feb. 9 at 10pm ET (check local listings). Combining startlingly fresh and candid 16 mm footage that had lain undiscovered in the cellar of Swedish Television for the past 30 years, with contemporary audio interviews from leading African-American artists, activists, musicians and scholars, ”Mixtape” looks at the people, society, culture and style that fueled an era of convulsive change, 1967-1975. Utilizing an innovative format that riffs on the popular 1970s mixtape format, this is a cinematic and musical journey into the black communities of America.
Watch Looking Back at the Black Power Movement on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.
Watch Looking Back at the Black Power Movement on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.
Black Magic (encore) – ESPN Classic, Feb. 10 at 10pm ET; Feb. 11 at 7:30pm ET; Feb. 12 at 7:30pm ET. This ESPN original documentary offers a look at the role and impact of Historically Black Colleges on professional basketball. Part 2 follows.
The Jackie Robinson Story (encore) – ESPN Classic, Feb. 11 at 3:30am & 8:30am ET; Feb. 18 at 10:30am & 4pm ET. Jackie Robinson plays himself in this 1950 biopic about how he became the first black major league baseball player. Ruby Dee costars.
Secret Game (encore) – ESPN Classic, Feb. 11 at noon ET; Feb. 17 at 10pm ET; Feb. 18 at midnight, 8pm & 10pm ET; Feb. 19 at midnight, 8pm & 10pm ET. This documentary is about how, in 1944, a secret game was arranged between the all-white Duke University team and the team from N.C. College for Negroes (now North Carolina Central University). For the time, the game was revolutionary, as the doors to the gym were locked, and no spectators were allowed. With the Klan being so active in Durham at the time, the game remained secret until now.
A Race Story (encore) – ESPN Classic, Feb. 11, 1pm ET; Feb. 12 at 10am ET; Feb. 19 at 1pm ET. ESPN’s original documentary looks at Wendell Scott’s historic ride to break the color barrier and become the only African-American driver to date to win a race in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Scott endured track officials who wouldn’t let him run, drivers who wrecked him and spectators who shouted slurs at him, but through dogged determination he persevered.
Images in Black and White (encore) – ESPN Classic, Feb. 12 at 8am ET; Feb. 18, 5am ET. This special looks at some of the most influential African-American sports personalities, through pictures.
Soul Mates: Dr. Maya Angelou and Common – BET, Feb. 12 at 11am ET. BET News brings together literary master Dr. Maya Angelou with celebrated hip-hop artist Common, and the result is exclusive access to one of the most accomplished African-American figures of our time relayed by one of today’s most popular artists.
Joe Louis: America’s Hero…Betrayed (encore) – HBO, Feb. 13 at 6am ET/PT. Joseph Louis Barrow — who became known as the “Brown Bomber” — was America’s first true crossover athlete. As the first black sports star worshipped by both black and white fans, he was respected not only for his boxing talents, but also for showing the world what a person of color could do if given the opportunity. This film underscores his importance during a critical time in America’s history. From the Great Depression through World War II and into the 1950s, Joe Louis was the poster boy for the American way of life. In 1938, when Louis defeated Germany’s Max Schmeling, his victory was interpreted as democracy’s defeat of Nazism, boosting public morale and transforming him into a true American hero.
The 2012 BET Honors – BET, Feb. 13 at 9pm ET. Actress Gabrielle Union hosts the fifth annual installment of this event that celebrates the outstanding achievements of African-American figures in music, literature, entertainment, media, service and education. This year’s honorees are poet/author Maya Angelou (Literary Arts); musician Stevie Wonder (Musical Arts); singer Mariah Carey (Entertainer); filmmaker Spike Lee (Media); World War II fighter-pilot squad the Tuskegee Airmen (Service); and coach and mentor Beverly Kearney (Education). Performances will be given by Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Cicely Tyson and Common, with appearances by Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard and Willow Smith.
Slavery By Another Name – PBS, Feb. 13 at 9pm ET (check local listings). A Sundance Film Festival selection for 2012 (where its director, Sam Pollard, received a nearly two-minute standing ovation after the film’s screening), this new documentary based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Wall Street Journal senior writer Douglas A. Blackmon explores the little-known story of the post-Emancipation era and the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted well into the 20th century. Blackmon examines the concept of “neoslavery,” which sentenced African-Americans to forced labor for violating an array of laws that criminalized their everyday behavior. Actor Laurence Fishburne narrates.
Frontline: “The Interrupters” – PBS, Feb. 14 at 9pm ET (check local listings). This critically acclaimed (though snubbed by the Oscar nominating committee) documentary follows a group of former gang leaders in Chicago who try to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they themselves once committed. Steve James (Hoop Dreams) directs this compelling observational journey into the stubborn, persistent violence that plagues our American cities.
Independent Lens: “More Than a Month” – PBS, Feb. 16 at 10pm ET (check local listings). Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 29-year-old African-American filmmaker, is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. Through this tongue-in-cheek journey, More Than a Month investigates what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in a “post-racial” America.
The 43rd NAACP Image Awards – NBC, Feb. 17, Live at 8pm ET. This special showcases the best achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, winners and presenters. For a list of nominees and special honorees, click here.
BET Takes Hollywood – BET, Feb. 17 at 10pm ET. BET’s first Oscar special looks at this year’s nominees Viola Davis (nominated for Best Actress in The Help) and Octavia Spencer (nominated for Best Supporting Actress in The Help). Veteran celebrity journalist Shaun Robinson of Access Hollywood sits down with each of the major African-American nominees of 2012 to discuss their race to the Academy Awards.
Shadow Boxing: The Journey of the African-American Fighter (encore) – ESPN Classic, Feb. 18 at 7am ET. A documentary that looks at African-American fighters who broke the color barrier in boxing.
Soul Power – Centric, Feb. 19 at 9pm ET. This legendary music festival (dubbed Zaire ’74) featured such musical luminaries as James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz and a host of others. At the peak of their talents and the height of their careers, these artists were inspired by this to return to their African roots, as well as the enthusiasm of the Zairian audience, to give the performance of their lives. The concert has achieved almost mythological significance in the minds of some as the definitive Africa(n)-American musical event of the 20th century.
Phunny Business: A Black Comedy – Showtime, Feb. 23 at 8:30pm ET/PT. Writer/director/producer John Davies’ docu-comedy is a bittersweet Valentine to Chicago’s All Jokes Aside — which, for a decade, was one of the preeminent comedy clubs in the country, gave early exposure to important young comedians and was the most influential black comic showcase in America. With no comedy clubs booking minority acts on a regular basis at the time, the 300-seat venue in Chicago’s South Loop filled a void by showcasing black talent and entertaining black audiences in an upscale setting. This mostly unheralded “star factory” introduced audiences to future household names like Steve Harvey, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, Mo’Nique, Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer and many more. Eventually, All Jokes Aside closed, but the artists and entertainers never forgot, and several of them nostalgically share memories and relive the glory days in the film, which incorporates stills, archival performance footage and interviews.
American Masters: “Cab Calloway: Sketches” – PBS, Feb. 27 at 10pm ET; March 2, 9pm ET (check local listings). This new episode profiles Cab Calloway, the legendary jazz artist who was one of the first black musicians to tour the segregationist South and who was a regular performer at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club.
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