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February 5, 2025 Sigrid Peterson Leave a Comment
In February, the United States celebrates Black History Month. With origins in the early 20th century, the month marks an extended commemoration of the wide ranging excellence and contributions of Black Americans to every aspect of our nation’s cultural, social, political and economic life. It also serves as a time to reflect on the ongoing struggles for civil rights faced by Black communities which continue to inform and inspire social movements across the globe.
Join PBS Wisconsin this month as we deliver new premieres, along with a selection of local and national programming from our Diverse Voices collection, to honor and uplift the essential and ever-evolving stories of Black America.

In Great Migrations: A People on the Move, join Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. as he embarks on a groundbreaking exploration of African American movement across the 20th and 21st centuries, revealing how migration has fundamentally reshaped American culture. This powerful, four-part documentary series traces three transformative migrations: the historic movement from the Deep South to Northern cities, the subsequent reverse migration back to the South, and the recent large-scale immigration of Africans and West Indians to the United States.
Featuring interviews with notable figures like Stacey Abrams and Charles Blow, the series delves deep into the complex motivations behind human movement — examining whether migration is driven by hope or fear, and uncovering how the fundamental human desire for freedom and opportunity has continuously redefined the Black experience in America. More than a historical account, Great Migrations is a profound meditation on resilience, identity and the ongoing journey toward self-determination.
Stream Part 1, “Exodus,” and don’t miss forthcoming premiere dates.

Examine the landmark 1968 trial of Huey Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, whose arrest and prosecution for the fatal shooting of a police officer in 1967 became a seismic moment in the fight for racial justice.
Newton’s trial exposed the deep racial biases in the legal system, challenged the all-white jury standard, and ignited a movement demanding fairness and equality under the law. Through firsthand accounts and historical analysis, the film explores the broader social and political impact of the case, highlighting how it shaped discussions on race, policing and self-defense in America.
Stream the full program, American Justice on Trial: People vs. Newton.

In 1898, Wilmington, North Carolina was a thriving, Black-majority city — a beacon of Reconstruction-era progress. But on November 10, white supremacists carried out the only successful coup d’état in U.S. history, violently overthrowing an elected, multiracial government.
American Coup: Wilmington 1898 uncovers this long-buried story, revealing how armed mobs terrorized Black citizens, destroyed businesses and forced political leaders into exile — erasing generations of Black prosperity and democracy in the South. A story of power, resistance and reckoning, American Coup forces us to confront our nation’s fragile democracy.
Stream the entire episode of American Experience, American Coup: Wilmington 1898.

Learn the story of Civil Rights leader Vel Phillips, a Wisconsin icon of many “firsts” as part of her legacy. Phillips was the first woman and Black person elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, the first Black woman elected as a judge and as the Wisconsin Secretary of State. A civil rights pioneer and powerhouse, Phillips advocated for fair housing, education and women’s equality. Phillips died in 2018 and made history again in 2024 when the Vel Phillips statue was unveiled at the Wisconsin state Capitol. Phillips is the first Black woman to be so memorialized.

With three seasons of episodes and a fourth in production, Why Race Matters is an award winning digital series that elevates issues of importance affecting Wisconsin’s Black communities. Producer and host Angela Fitzgerald connects in conversation with everyday people whose work and commitments center on race, identity and achieving racial equity in the state. The series shares stories of artists, community organizers, health professionals, and subject experts, and conveys the layered, lived experiences of Black people living in Wisconsin. It explores topics simultaneously historic and urgent, while offering hope, guidance and resources to thrive.

In 2012, Independent Lens aired a short documentary, More Than a Month from a young filmmaker, Shukree Hassan Tilghman. The filmmaker set out on a cross-country campaign to “end” Black History Month. He stops in various cities wearing a sandwich board to solicit signatures to abolish the observance, explaining that relegating Black History Month to the coldest, shortest month of the year is an insult, and that Black history is not separate from American history. Through this thoughtful and humorous journey, he explores what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in a “post-racial” America.
His film urges public conversation about the idea of ethnic heritage months, and whether separating it from American history denigrates the role of Black people and Black culture.
While the full episode is not longer streaming in full, watch these clips to consider wide ranging perspectives on this debate.
How Does Confederate History Mesh With Black History
Philadelphia’s Innovative Black History Requirement
Pounding the Pavement for Black History
Interview with the filmmaker: Where It’s At With Marco and Shukree!
Join PBS Wisconsin this month and all year round to honor Black history. You can find many more streaming options in out PBS Wisconsin Diverse Voices Collection.
Black Communities Black History Black History Month PBS Wisconsin Diverse Voices
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