01/27/2023
Arkansas stories, ‘Making Black America’ screenings, ‘Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,’ among featured programming
CONWAY, Ark. (Arkansas PBS) — Arkansas PBS elevates Black stories this February and all year long with programming and events, highlighted by Arkansas stories such as “Dr. Terrance Roberts: A Conversation About ‘The U.S. and the Holocaust,’” and national specials “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World” and “American Experience: Zora Neal Hurtson: Claiming a Space.”
Most recently, Arkansas PBS sat down with Dr. Terrance Roberts to discuss his role as a member of the Little Rock Nine, growing up in the Jim Crow South, his father’s and other African American’s experiences during World War II, life after Central High School and the documentary film “The U.S. and the Holocaust” by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein.
Additional related local content includes “AR PBS Sports – Returning Home: Cedric Houston,” “AR PBS Sports – Pippen’s Court: UCA Renames Court for One of NBA’s Greats” and “Dream Land: Little Rock’s West 9th Street.”
All of these Arkansas PBS-produced stories are available for viewing on YouTube at bit.ly/elevatingblackstories.
As part of our Philander Forward Film Series program, Philander Smith College will host four screening events encompassing the “Making Black America” series, beginning Feb. 1. The series chronicles the social networks and organizations created by and for Black people.. RSVP for the free screening events here.
Additional February content that honors the Black experience can be found from trusted PBS producers including “American Experience,” “NOVA,” “American Masters,” “Great Performances” and more. The full schedule can be found at myarpbs.org/schedule.
Among special programming premiering this February on Arkansas PBS is “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,” which explores hip hop’s political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators, Chuck D of Public Enemy 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.” The program will air in four parts beginning Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m. and continuing Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 8 and 9 p.m.
In “NOVA: Star Chasers of Senegal,” 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 – crucial data needed to help NASA navigate Lucy to its asteroid targets across millions of miles of space. “NOVA: Star Chasers of Senegal” premieres Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. and encores Friday, Feb. 10, at 2:30 p.m.
Then, Friday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m. “Great Performances: The Magic of Spirituals” provides a glimpse behind the curtain at opera legends Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman’s famed concert at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990, featuring performance clips and new interviews with opera star Angel Blue, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb and more.
Additional programming available on demand at watch.myarkasnaspbs.org includes:
“American Experience: Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space.” Raised in the small all-Black Florida town of Eatonville, Zora Neale Hurston studied at Howard University before arriving in New York in 1925. She would soon become a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, best remembered for her novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” She studied her own people, an unusual practice at the time, and during her lifetime became known as the foremost authority on Black folklore.
About Arkansas PBS
Arkansas PBS, Arkansas’s only statewide public media network, empowers learners of all ages by educating, informing, entertaining and inspiring communities. Arkansas PBS serves as a daily and essential resource for Arkansans by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around Arkansas stories and classic, trusted PBS programs through multiple digital platforms, including livestreaming at myarpbs.org/watch, on-demand services and YouTube TV, and the distinct channels Arkansas PBS, Arkansas PBS Create, Arkansas PBS KIDS, Arkansas PBS WORLD and Arkansas PBS AIRS on SAP. Members with Arkansas PBS Passport have extended on-demand access to a rich library of public television programming. Arkansas PBS depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at myarkansaspbs.org. Arkansas PBS is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), KETZ (El Dorado), KETS (Lee Mountain), KETS (Forrest City) and KETS (Gaither).
---###---