WHYY Press Room

Download this press release (MS Word document)

WHYY CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH SPECIAL PROGRAMMING ON TV12 AND 91FM
WHYY will honor Black History Month with a series of specials throughout the month of February on TV12 and 91FM. Programs will highlight African-American themes and issues, and honor the contributions of African-Americans throughout history.

WHYY-TV

• Saturday, February 1 at 8 p.m. on TV12
  SOUNDER
  Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield star in this uplifting story about a family of black sharecroppers in 1930s rural Louisiana.
• Sunday, February 2 at 3:20 p.m. on TV12
  BLACK PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
  Singer Patti LaBelle narrates this original WHYY production examining the rich history of African-Americans in the Delaware Valley.
• Sunday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. on TV12
  FREEDOM: A HISTORY OF US "A WAR TO END SLAVERY"
  This episode of the 16-part series looks at the role of African-Americans during the Civil War.
• Tuesday, February 4 at 11:30 p.m. on TV12
  GREAT MUSEUMS "THE DUSABLE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY: AMERICAN SOUL"
  The groundbreaking museum celebrates the achievements of such black pioneers as Bessie Coleman and Harold Washington.
• Sunday, February 9 at 4 p.m. on TV12
  ARE YOU BLACK, WHITE OR WHAT?
  In this original WHYY program, seven biracial Philadelphia-area residents are interviewed in order to gain insight into raising biracial children.
• Sunday, February 9 at 5 p.m. on TV12
  WHISPERS OF ANGELS: A STORY OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
  This locally-made film focuses on the collaboration between Quaker abolitionist Thomas Garrett and free black anti-slavery activist William Still.
• Monday, February 10 at 10 p.m. on TV12
  AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "PARTNERS OF THE HEART"
  Morgan Freeman narrates this profile of a black doctor and a white surgeon who worked together during the mid-20th century, pioneering daring operations that saved children.
• Tuesday, February 11 at 10 p.m. on TV12
  MUHAMMAD ALI: THROUGH THE EYES OF THE WORLD
  Through extensive film footage and revealing personal interviews, this definitive film biography explores the life of the legendary athlete.
• Wednesday, February 19 at 11 p.m. on TV12
  THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN
  During World War II, a group of African-American aviators were the first within the segregated U.S. military to prove that blacks had what it took to fly in combat.
• Thursday, February 20 at 11 p.m. on TV12
  THE MARSALIS FAMILY: A JAZZ CELEBRATION
  Pianist Harry Connick Jr. and bassist Roland Guerin help brothers Branford (saxophone), Delfeayo (trombone), Jason (drums) and Wynton (trumpet) salute their father, legendary New Orleans jazz pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis.

WHYY-FM

• Monday, February 24 at 9:30 p.m. on 91FM
  DIARY OF A NURSE
  This program tells the story of Jane Edna Hunter, founder of the National Phillis Wheatley Association, who defied social and economic odds to build a housing sanctuary for women.
• Tuesday, February 25 at 9 p.m. on 91FM
  FATHER TO SON
  Discover how Adam Clayton Powell Sr. escaped poverty in West Virginia to lead one of the largest and oldest churches in America.
• Friday, February 28 at 9 p.m. on 91FM
  BACK TO THE FUTURE OF CIVILIZATION: 30 YEARS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES
  In this locally-produced program, scholars including Tricia Rose, Michael Eric Dyson, Barbara Smith, Molefi Asante, Cornel West and T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting discuss the past and future of the study of African-American life, community, thought and philosophy, in celebration of 30 years of African-American studies at the University of Pennsylvania.