Zora Neale Hurston | Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum

Grades K-2
Learn about Zora Neale Hurston, widely regarded as the most important pre-World War II African American woman writer and author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, with this video clip, printable biosketch reader, and support materials.

Jackie Robinson | Athlete and Activist

Grades 3-8
Jackie Robinson was a sports hero who became a civil rights activist. When Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he became the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era. Demonstrating skill as a professional baseball player and consistent dignity both on and off the field, Robinson became an advocate for civil rights, as well as a role model.

Sojourner Truth | Abolitionist and Women’s Rights Activist Video

Grades 3-8
An abolitionist and feminist during the nineteenth century, Sojourner Truth demanded not less discrimination, but no discrimination. Truth escaped enslavement and, despite being unable to read or write, rose to be a leader in the fight for equality and fair treatment for both women and African Americans. Learn about the remarkable career of this persevering woman who lived up to her self-chosen name.

Katherine Johnson | NASA Computer

Grades 3-12
Examine the life and career of NASA computer Katherine Johnson, and engage in a discussion of the qualities Johnson exhibited that helped her break racial and gender barriers.

NOVA: Percy Julian: Chemistry and Civil Rights collection

Grades 3-12
This collection of resources, adapted from NOVA: Forgotten Genius, explores how Percy Julian revolutionized chemistry with the first synthesis of a chemical compound, as well as the challenges he overcame as an African American facing legalized segregation. Learn more about Percy Julian’s contributions to science and civil rights and check out the Teacher’s Guide for this NOVA program.

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture collection | Sesame Street in Communities

Grades PreK-3
Sesame Street in Communities provides parents, caregivers, and family childcare providers with support to help lay the foundations for children’s healthy development. Resources in the Race, Ethnicity, and Culture collection provide tools to help think about, ask about, and talk about race with young children, develop pride in their own unique identities, and cope with difficult race-related situations and experiences. Specific resources include content to address anti-Black racism.

8 Tips for Choosing “Good” Picture Books Featuring Diverse, BIPOC Characters

Grades PreK-5
This article from embracerace.org contains advice for choosing, and evaluating the quality of, picture books featuring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) characters.

How to Use Children’s Books to Talk About Race and Racism

Grades PreK-5
Storytime opens up new worlds for our children. Here are seven ways Dr. Aisha White recommends using picture books (with questions and conversation starters!) to talk about race and racism.

Confronting Anti-Black Racism collection

Grades 6-12
Use these materials with middle and high school students to help them understand the long history of anti-Black racism in the United States, and think about ways to address it in their own families and communities. Resources include news coverage of recent protests, videos on the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests against police brutality within the past decade, iconic PBS documentaries on the histories of race and racism in America, and activities addressing civic engagement and elevating students’ voices.

Connecting Past and Present: The Tulsa Race Massacre and Recent Police Killings | Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten

Grades 9-12
Discover how past and present are linked in this video from Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten. Nicole Austin-Hillery (Human Rights Watch), Drew Diamond (former Chief of the Tulsa Police) and others explain how unresolved racial violence links past to present by connecting the massacre to present-day police violence, the killing of George Floyd, and the demand for justice. Support materials include an activity for high school students which focuses on developing an argument and provides students with the opportunity to develop this skill.

Friday, February 2

1 PM: Talking Black in America: Performance Traditions

African American artistic forms like the Blues, Spirituals, Spoken Word, Preaching, Comedy and Hip Hop reveal a story about the creative use of African American Language and its function as a tool for survival, liberation and belonging within the Black Community.

2 PM: Prelude: The Legacy of Garth Fagan Dance

Travel the twists and turns of Garth Fagan’s storied, collaborative and prolific career. Through archival videos shot throughout the last 50 years, experience the evolution of a master and the multi-cultural dance company that incorporated African American, Jamaican and American dance styles into a new approach and dance technique and the challenges and successes along the way.

Tuesday, February 6

1 PM: Abolition: The Friendship of Frederick Douglass and John Brown

Abolition: The Friendship of Frederick Douglass and John Brown is the story of two friends. John Brown – he whose “body lies a-mouldering in the grave” – who led the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, a major stepping stone toward the War. And Frederick Douglass who was born a slave in Maryland, escaped to freedom at 20, and became an important voice in America. In this film, the bond and strife between these two men is explored in an intimate re-imagination of the era.

• PBS LearningMedia: John Brown: Martyr or Criminal | The Abolitionists

2 PM: Becoming Frederick Douglass

Discover how a man born into slavery became one of the most influential voices for democracy in American history. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson explores the role Douglass played in securing the right to freedom for African Americans.

• PBS LearningMedia: Becoming Frederick Douglass collection

Wednesday, February 7

2 PM: Chicago Stories: Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion

In 1864, the powerful industrialist and engineer George Pullman brought luxury to overnight train travel with his revolutionary sleeping cars, where passengers were served by an army of former slaves who became known as Pullman Porters and Maids. Pullman soon established a company town for employees on Chicago’s South Side that gave him complete authority over every aspect of their lives. Chicago Stories: Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion tells the story of the Pullman Workers Strike and how it paved the way for a Black middle class and a civil rights movement that forever changed the course of American history.

• PBS LearningMedia: Why Is There a Minimum Wage? | Origin of Everything

Thursday, February 8

1 PM: George H. White: Searching for Freedom

Explore the life and legacy of one of the most significant African American leaders of the Reconstruction Era. White served in the US Congress from 1887 to 1901. The documentary offers insight into White’s groundbreaking accomplishments as a politician and civil rights leader.

• PBS LearningMedia: Reconstruction: America After the Civil War collection

1:30 PM: This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer

A poor, Mississippi sharecropper escapes debilitating abuse to become an indomitable force against the political elite and a voice for millions fighting for the right to vote in 1964.

• PBS LearningMedia: The Fight for Representation | Fannie Lou Hamer’s America

2 PM: John Lewis: Get in the Way

Follow the journey of civil rights hero, congressman and human rights champion John Lewis. A film by Kathleen Dowdey, “John Lewis – Get in the Way” is the first biographical documentary about Lewis, an inspiring portrait of one man cast into extraordinary times and his unhesitating dedication to seeking justice for the marginalized and ignored. The film spans more than half a century, tracing Lewis’ journey of courage, confrontations and hard-won triumphs.

• PBS LearningMedia: The Right to Vote | John Lewis: Get in the Way

Friday, February 9

1 PM: Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans

Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans features a candid interview with one of New Orleans’ most celebrated musical icons as well as never-before-seen footage of Irma in concert with songwriter, producer and arranger Allen Toussaint.

2 PM: Wham-Re-Bop-Boom-Bam: The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham

Through the testimonials of family, friends and devoted fellow musicians of all ages, Wham-Re-Bop-Boom-Bam: The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham follows the musical journey of this often overlooked, but totally unique, musical genius. As a trombonist, guitarist, writer and arranger, he helped to author the signature sounds of Count Basie, Benny Moten, Jimmie Lunceford and Glenn Miller.

• PBS LearningMedia: Ken Burns in the Classroom | Jazz collection

Tuesday, February 13

1 PM: American Masters | How it Feels to Be Free

The inspiring story of how six iconic African American female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process.

• PBS LearningMedia: Marian Anderson and the Concert that Challenged Racism

Thursday, February 15

1 PM: The Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights

The Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights explores the Black elite and intellectual society at the turn of the 20th century, a class rarely presented. It examines the heated debate and conflict between W.E.B DuBois and William Monroe Trotter with Booker T. Washington on how to best uplift the race and secure equality for their community.

• PBS LearningMedia: The Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights collection

2 PM: Alpha Kappa Alpha: A Legacy of Service

Narrated by Phylicia Rashad, Alpha Kappa Alpha: A Legacy of Service, documents the 115-year history of one of the nation’s oldest African American women’s organizations. Since its founding at Howard University in 1908, the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha have empowered communities across the globe.

• PBS LearningMedia: Historically Black Colleges and Universities | Making Black America

Friday, February 16

1 PM: GOSPEL Live! Presented by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

GOSPEL Live! Presented by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a one-of-a-kind musical celebration that honors the legacy and influence of Gospel music in America. Contemporary artists will join celebrated gospel singers to perform their favorite gospel classics.

• PBS LearningMedia: What Makes Black Gospel Musicians So Skilled? | Sound Field

2 PM: A Symphony Celebration: The Blind Boys of Alabama with Dr. Henry Panion, III

A truly unique television program bringing together songs performed by musical legends The Blind Boys of Alabama and a full symphony orchestra. Throughout the program, a documentary storytelling thread uses small vignettes to connect the artists and their songs. Beautifully orchestrated and conducted by Dr. Henry Panion III, A Symphony Celebration focuses on messages of humanity, peace and love.

• PBS LearningMedia: Alabama’s Musical Heritage and Culture collection

Monday, February 19

1 PM: Gospel: The Gospel Train

Gospel explores the history and profound cultural impact of gospel music within African American culture. For over a century, African Americans have pioneered countless music styles that have shaped American culture – from the blues to hip hop. While genres come and go, gospel music has endured as a source of strength, courage, and wisdom for the Black community – both in churches and beyond. Gospel, the latest history series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., digs deep into the origin story of Black spirituality through sermon and song. Hour 1, The Gospel Train, follows the sonic influences of blues and jazz music.

• PBS LearningMedia: Exploring Intent-Based Composition through Gospel Music | Mountain Lake Journal

2 PM: Gospel: The Golden Age of Gospel

Hour 2 traces the Golden Age of Gospel from the Lord’s music to the mainstream.

Tuesday, February 20

1 PM: Gospel: Take the Message Everywhere

Hour 3, gospel goes mainstream, taking the good news everywhere.

2 PM: Gospel: Gospel’s Second Century

Hour 4 explores how gospel and preaching achieved platinum-selling success.

Tuesday, February 27

1 PM: Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America

Discover how the advent of the automobile brought new mobility and freedom for African Americans but also exposed them to discrimination and deadly violence, and how that history resonates today.

• PBS LearningMedia: Movement and Mobility While Black | Driving While Black