Black History Month

The Story of Migration

Learn about some major African-American migrations from Africa to America and within the United States throughout the course of 500 years. Check out this great PBS resource for more information: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/on-african-american-migrations/

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. looks at the last 50 years of African-American history — from Stokely Carmichael to Barack Obama, James Brown to Beyoncé — charting the remarkable progress made, and raising hard questions about the obstacles that remain. Airs Sunday Feb 17th from 3 – 7:00 pm.

LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHY | Veterans Coming Home

We meet a Vietnam veteran, who discovered a passion for photography, that after the war, turned into a career. Watch Michael Hansen’s Veterans Coming Home story on Clifford Oliver, who as a African-American, faced racism in the Deep South during his time in the service.

Historian Reacts to Fulton Fryar’s Experience of Racial Inequality

North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association President Jackie Madison understands discrimination. She grew up in North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s, and fully comprehends the segregation Fulton Fryar experienced when he was growing up in the same state. Now a resident of the Adirondack region in New York State, Madison shares her views about the racial inequality Fryar faced, after he was invited to sing at an Adirondack music colony in the late ’50s. A small building addition where Fryar slept, separated from the other singers, is now a permanent exhibit at The Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.

To learn about Fulton Fryar’s experience and the historic “Closet” where he slept, explore the webpage Spotlight: Fulton Fryar’s Closet, at mountainlake.org/fulton.

Courageous Characters Sing about Voting Rights in an Adirondack Opera

https://youtu.be/iKwrnc9VD30

This “Spotlight” story is the second in a series, documenting the creation of “Promised Land: an Adirondack Folk Opera.” This piece looks at two of the historical people, Timbuctoo landowner Lyman Epps, and Mary Brown, the wife of Abolitionist John Brown. Their lives helped inspire the action and music of the opera.

This story features music sung by the Northern Lights Choir, under the artistic direction of Helen Demong. Soloists include Jason Alexander Holmes, Kimberly Weems and Kearstin Piper Brown.

The segment is supported by the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life for year-round residents of the Adirondack Park. “Spotlight” is also supported by Hill and Hollow Music.