WJCT-TV Celebrates Black History Month
January 30, 2008
(Jacksonville, FL); WJCT-TV broadcasts programming created by and about African Americans year-round, from drama to public affairs to history to independent film. In celebration of Black History Month, February 2008, WJCT will broadcast a lineup of new and encore presentations honoring and exploring African-American history.
Programs premiering in Black History Month include AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2, in which Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., reveals the triumphs and tragedies within the family histories of an all-new group of remarkable participants, and PRINCE AMONG SLAVES, which tells the true story of an African prince enslaved in Mississippi for 40 years before achieving fame and freedom. THE CLINTON 12 and COME WALK IN MY SHOES revisit the American civil rights movement, while THE BETTER HOUR: THE LEGACY OF WILLIAM WILBERFORCE profiles the British abolitionist.
These and other programs in celebration of Black History Month are highlighted below, in chronological order. WJCT’s Black History Month programming is supported by Citibank and CSX Transportation.
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 Like the original series, AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 profiles some of the nation’s most intriguing and well-known African-Americans in a fascinating and revealing way. Combining personal interviews, historical research and cutting-edge technology, host Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and a team of genealogical experts set out to tell the unique and powerful histories of the four-hour series’ celebrity guests. Using family lore, historic records and a DNA sample from each guest, the series explores the mysteries and surprises of the guests’ origins and heritage. The powerhouse guest list includes rock ‘n’ roll legend Tina Turner, actors Morgan Freeman and Don Cheadle, comic Chris Rock, athlete Jackie Joyner Kersee, author Bliss Broyard, radio host Tom Joyner, publisher Linda Johnson Rice, theologian Peter Gomes, and poet Maya Angelou. Also featured in the series is Kathleen Henderson, an “ordinary citizen” selected from more than 2,000 nationwide applicants for genealogical examination. (Premieres Wednesdays, Feb. 6 and 19 from 9-11p.m., rebroadcasts Sunday, Feb. 17* from noon-4 p.m.)
PRINCE AMONG SLAVES tells the true story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima, an African prince who was sold into slavery in the American South in 1788. Trilingual, a successful military general and true heir to a West African nation the size of Great Britain, he remained enslaved for 40 years before regaining his freedom and returning to Africa. Mos Def narrates. (Mon., Feb. 4 at 10 p.m.)
OPRAH’S ROOTS, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES SPECIAL looks again at the compelling story of TV pioneer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey. Building upon the discoveries of the first AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES in 2006, Winfrey and Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., use genealogical and historical research and state-of-the-art DNA analysis to unearth exciting discoveries about Winfrey’s ancestry. (Mon., Feb. 4 at 11 p.m.)
ETTA JAMES Music legend Etta James has been wowing critics and fans for more than 50 years. A Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award winner, she continues to be one of the most respected R&B singers in America. Highlights from her performance on AUSTIN CITY LIMITS include All the Way Down and At Last. (Sat., Feb. 9 at midnight)
THE CLINTON 12 captures a pivotal moment in the American civil rights movement. On August 27, 1956, a small group of courageous black students walked into an all-white high school in Clinton, Tennessee, and into history. Award-winning actor James Earl Jones narrates the compelling story of the desegregation of the first public high school in the South following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education. (Mon., Feb. 11 at 11 p.m.)
COME WALK IN MY SHOES provides a fresh, first-person perspective on the nonviolent protests that challenged segregation laws in the South and prompted the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. During the film, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) leads colleagues from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, religious leaders and others on an emotional pilgrimage to the “sacred sites” of the civil rights movement. The journey begins in Montgomery, Alabama, where the then-18-year-old college student first met Martin Luther King, Jr. and ends on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where an angry mob brutally beat the future congressman while leading a peaceful march. (Mon., Feb. 18 at 11 p.m.)
BANISHED. This INDEPENDENT LENS film tells the story of three counties that forcefully banished African-American families from their towns 100 years ago – and the descendents who return to learn a shocking history. (Tues., Feb. 19 at 11 p.m.)
TRIBUTE TO BLUESMAN JIMMY REED Joined by blues luminaries James Cotton, Delbert McClinton, Lou Ann Barton and others, guitarist Jimmie Vaughan joins AUSTIN CITY LIMITS to pay tribute to Jimmy Reed, composer of blues classics Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby, Big Boss Man, and Baby, What You Want Me to Do. (Sat., Feb. 23 at midnight)
THE BETTER HOUR: THE LEGACY OF WLLIAM WILBERFORCE dramatizes the life of social reformer William Wilberforce, a leader in the British abolitionist movement of the early 19th century. Wilberforce’s own words, the words of his contemporaries and interviews with scholars paint a portrait of the Minister of Parliament — a man of privilege, social position and wealth — whose efforts help free all of the slaves in the British Empire. (Mon., Feb. 25 at 11 p.m.)
WJCT is the community-supported public broadcasting station for the First Coast.
