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Celebrate Black History

Explore this collection of national and local programs honoring key historical events and cultural contributions of Black Americans.

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A close-up, black-and-white photo of Miles Davis in sunglasses playing a trumpet.

American Masters: Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
This film takes a hard look at the mythology that surrounds the musical giant.

A black-and-white image of Franklin H. Davis seated in a chair and wearing a suit. The image included the title and subtitle as well as the words, "narrated by Sterling K. Brown".

A Bridge to Justice: The Life of Franklin H. Williams
This half-hour documentary explores the life of Franklin Williams, the civil rights leader, lawyer and Peace Corps organizer.

A black-and-white photo of Fannie Lou Hamer with a microphone, a man holding a speaker aloft, and a crowd of people around them.

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America Reframed Special
Explore and celebrate the life of a fearless Mississippi sharecropper turned human rights activist and the injustices in America that made her work essential.

A collage of a photo of program host Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; a tree and sky; and the program title.

Finding Your Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uses cutting-edge DNA research and old-school genealogical sleuthing to help some of the nation’s most compelling personalities discover their buried family histories.

A collage of black-and-white images of the Klu Lux Klan; Wharlest Jackson, Sr.; Wharlest Jackson, Sr.’s family; Wharlest Jackson Sr.’s mangled truck; James Jackson; and the Natchez, MS, demonstrations.

Frontline: American Reckoning
An unsolved 1960s murder reveals an untold story of the civil rights movement and Black resistance.

An up-close image of Muhammad Ali looking back over his left shoulder along with the program title and the words, "a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns & David McMahon".

Muhammad Ali
This four-part documentary, by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon, chronicles the life of Louisville’s most famous son.

A close-up photo of a woman singing into a microphone with a red background.

Songs at the Center: Celebrating Black History Month
Talented African American singer-songwriters perform their original compositions across a wide variety of styles, describe their creative processes and discuss the struggles they’ve overcome.

Two men wearing track suits with heads bowed and each with a fist raised in the air.

The Stand: How One Gesture Shook the World
This film documents the first decade of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. which averages nearly 5 million visitors a year.

A black-and-white image of Fannie Lou Hamer with her right fist clenched along with the program title and subtitle.

This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer
When a poor Mississippi sharecropper fights the Jim Crow South, the civil rights movement finds an unlikely heroine. This film follows Hamer’s journey from beaten field-hand to political powerhouse.

Watch Now

A close-up of Maya Angelou with short gray hair and a shiny black blouse.

African American Lives 2
Maya Angelou shares the story of learning about her Mende heritage during an interview with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Three women in red tops, skirts, and dresses, and their heads wrapped in red fabric pose on steps outside between buildings.

AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange
This series is at the forefront of bringing informative and entertaining films about modern life in the African Diaspora to television audiences in the U.S.

A collage of black-and-white images of three men: Edward Dudley, Terence Todman, and Carl Rowan -- all three in coats and ties
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The American Diplomat on American Experience
The film examines the experience of African American diplomats serving during the Cold War.

A black-and-white photo of Marian Anderson singing.

American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands
Balancing Marian Anderson’s public triumphs with her personal struggles, this film charts the impact of one of the world’s greatest singers.

Barack Obama in a tie and white shirt with sleeves rolled up uses both hands to shake hands with people in a crowd behind a barricade.

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise (Parts 1 and 2)
In this series, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. studies the last 50 years of African American history.

Black in Appalachia
Learn about a project that showcases the contributions of Black communities of the Mountain South.

A black and white photo of a football player in a jersey with 20 on the chest holds a ball in his left arm and extends his right in a protective gesture.

Black in Blue
Learn the story of four African American football players at the University of Kentucky who broke the color line in the Southeastern Conference in the 1960s.

Renee Shaw, Bianca Lynne Spriggs, Crystal Wilkinson, and Nikky Finney sit at a table with microphones. In the foreground are a fern and two audience members and in the back is a blue curtain.

Black Women Writers Forum
Writers Nikky Finney, Crystal Wilkinson and Bianca Lynne Spriggs discuss the experiences of and challenges faced by Black women in the South. Renee Shaw moderates.

A black and white photo of a close-up of a car with several adults inside along with one boy who looks straight at the camera.

Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America
Discover how the automobile brought mobility and freedom for African Americans but also exposed them to discrimination and violence.

A black and white photo of a man with his back to the camera with a US flag waving behind him. On the white lines on the flag, names are written.

The Talk: Race in America
This film discusses the conversation taking place across the country between parents of color and their children about how to behave if they are ever stopped by the police.

Jessye Norman seated on set in a green jacket holds a copy of her memoir.

Great Conversations: Jessye Norman and Gloria Steinem
Opera singer Jessye Norman discusses her memoir “Stand Up Straight and Sing!”. She is interviewed by Gloria Steinem, feminist activist and co-founder of Ms. magazine.

A black-and-white image depicting six black people on the underground railroad.

Kentucky’s Underground Railroad — Passage to Freedom
An account of the fugitive slave movement in Kentucky, focusing on those who lived in Kentucky and sought to escape to the North. A 2000 KET production.

Several people standing around and looking up at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

The Stone of Hope: Moving the Dream Forward
This film documents the first decade of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. which averages nearly 5 million visitors a year.

A black and white photo of a man with his back to the camera with a US flag waving behind him. On the white lines on the flag, names are written.

The Talk: Race in America
This film discusses the conversation taking place across the country between parents of color and their children about how to behave if they are ever stopped by the police.

For Passport Members

A black and white photo of Tulsa shop fronts with a marching band in the road.

American Experience: Goin’ Back to T-Town
Learn about the Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa — once a flourishing Black community in the 1920s and 30s despite rampant and hostile segregation.

In the foreground are two men with young boys riding on their shoulders. In the background are many people walking along a road lined with trees and buildings.

The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross
Presented and written by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this six-hour series takes viewers on a journey across two continents and five centuries to explore the transition of African Americans.

From behind an illustration of a church with a steeple, the sun radiates outward in multi-colored sections designed to look like stained glass. In the foreground are a minister, choir member, and three others.

The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song
This intimate two-part, four-hour series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., explores the 400-year-old story of the black church in America.

A close-up of Dave Chapelle in large, squarish black glasses and a black leather jacket.

Dave Chappelle: The Mark Twain Prize
An outstanding lineup of entertainers gathers in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to salute Dave Chappelle, recipient of the 22nd annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

A black-and-white photo of Jackie Robinson with a young boy on his lap, a young girl at his side, being hugged by a young woman, with an older woman seated next to Jackie and the boy.

Jackie Robinson — Parts 1 and 2
Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his fame to speak out against discrimination.

A close-up of Billie Holiday singing at an old-fashioned silver microphone with light lines across the image for mood.

Jazz — A Ken Burns series
Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns takes an in-depth look at jazz, the most original American art form, in this miniseries.

A close up of John Lewis in a coat and tie.

John Lewis – Get in the Way
Follow the journey of this civil rights hero, congressman and human-rights champion. At the Selma March, he came face-to-face with club-wielding troopers and exemplified non-violence.

A woman in a white blouse, tan long skirt, and a long peach-colored apron strides toward the camera on a path with sugar cane plants on either side of her.

The Long Song on Masterpiece
This three-part series based on Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel follows a slave and her mistress.

Tina Turner in a fitted black dress with her head turned to the side.

Tina Turner: One Last Time
In 2000, Tina Turner’s final UK concert was filmed at London’s Wembley Stadium. Turner’s inspiring, powerful performance made it an unforgettable event.

An old photo of William Still in a white shirt, dark tie and coat.

Underground Railroad: The William Still Story
This is the story of a Philadelphia clerk who risked his life shepherding runaway slaves to freedom in the years leading up to America’s Civil War.

An old photo of Jack Johnson bare-chested in a boxing pose.

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Follow Jack Johnson’s remarkable journey from his humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas, as the son of former slaves, to the world of professional boxing.

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