Black History

An African American composer and pianist known as one of the greatest musicians of the 19th century, Thomas Wiggins (1849-1908) was blind from birth and likely autistic. Although born into slavery, Wiggins was the first African American to perform at the White House, and toured throughout the U.S., South America, and Europe.

Educational Resources: Thomas Wiggins: Composing the Future PBS LearningMedia Video, Discussion Questions and Teaching Tips (Grades 9-12)

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More About Thomas Wiggins: (1849-1908) was an African American composer and pianist known as one of the greatest musicians of the 19th century.

Wiggins was blind from birth and likely autistic. Although born into slavery, he was the first African American to perform at the White House, and toured throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Billed as “Blind Tom, The Blind Negro Boy Pianist” he became the highest grossing, most ticketed act of his time. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in 1863, Thomas Wiggins was fought over in the courts like a piece of property, leading to him being placed under a conservatorship until his death. In the course of his career, Wiggins earned his owners the largest fortune ever attained by a pianist at the time, the equivalent of over $32 million today.

Today, an estimated 1.3 million disabled people are under conservatorship or guardianship in the United States, and this intersection of disability, guardianship, and artistic exploitation continues to pervade our contemporary narratives, such as the recent public discourse surrounding the guardianship of pop icon Britney Spears, making this film exceedingly timely. Through Wiggins’ story, Renegades explores the broader, systemic issues related to lack of agency for individuals kept under conservatorships, and pose critical questions about our definitions of individual capacity, control, and freedom.

The episode features interviews with: Angela Miles-Williams, a descendant of Thomas Wiggins; jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker; composer and musicologist George E. Lewis; classical pianist John Davis; Lydia X.Z. Brown, Founding Executive Director of The Autistic People of Color Fund; and Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The episode also features performances by: Lachi, Matthew Whitaker, and John Davis.

The Decolonizing Mental Health series dismantles the racism that underscores the mental healthcare industry. By focusing its gaze on the transformative work of therapists and individuals of color, it calls for redressal of the ways in which we define psychiatric illness and health.

Shawna Murray-Browne | Decolonizing Mental Health: Before Shawna Murray-Browne’s brother was murdered, she dreamt about it. It was a residue from the trauma of seeing so many Black men being killed around her. This turning point in her career as an integrated psychotherapist made her focus on empowering communities of color to access ways of nurture, care, and healing, that the racist-capitalist society keeps away from them.

Lloyd Hale | Part 1 | Decolonizing Mental Health: Lloyd Hale was 13 when his first symptoms of schizophrenia appeared. He was smoking too much weed, he was told. Growing up in the projects, the intersecting matrices of race, poverty and incarceration prevented appropriate treatment while the larger society willfully ignored his welfare. Here’s his story of recovery, resilience and refusal to “sleep it off.”

Lloyd Hale | Part 2 | Decolonizing Mental Health: Lloyd Hale was 16 when undiagnosed schizophrenia led him to commit a crime that put him in prison. This is where he heard an overworked correction officer say the words that changed his life: “You don’t have to do this alone.” Now, a peer support specialist living in recovery, Lloyd spends his time making sure no one around him feels alone in their struggle against the voices in their heads.

Idris Mitchell | Decolonizing Mental Health:Idris Mitchell did everything there was to do on the Yale campus, until a diagnosis of bipolar disorder made him miss his finals, lose the perfect 4.0 and feel invisible. What does success mean to a Black queer man who had to be kept away from his pens? How does he turn around and adapt to a constant process of grieving for his previous self, while always being in pursuit of beauty and joy?

In Chicago, segregation has a profound impact on the city’s residents, touching every aspect of daily life. From disparities in housing, education and healthcare to economic inequality, FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION illustrates the high cost of segregation, not just in dollars, but in lives lost and unrealized potential.

In the episode, the urgent need to address these deep-seated divisions in one of America’s most segregated cities is uncovered. And through personal stories, we also witness the power of individuals to effect positive change as residents strive for a more integrated and equitable community.

Produced by WTTW, FIRSTHAND goes beyond the headlines to approach this topic differently than most media outlets that report on Chicago crime. This multi-platform initiative focuses on the perspectives – the firsthand perspectives – of people and communities with lived experience.

Available through 12/31/24.

The untold story of Black Americans in pursuit of higher education in the North when Southern graduate schools were white-only.

The academics – teachers, administrators, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals, who left the South during the Great Migration, returned to the Jim Crow South to apply their knowledge towards strengthening southern Black communities and to help end segregation in the United States. SEGREGATION SCHOLARSHIPS highlights these largely unsung trailblazers and civil rights foot soldiers while illustrating the key role of education in transforming social conditions in the U.S., past and present.

Available through 9/15/29.

The story of how the 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright – and the subsequent failure of the first federal attempt to prosecute a lynching – continues to haunt the small city of Sikeston, Missouri. Then, in 2020, the community is faced with the police killing of a young Black father. The film SILENCE IN SIKESTON explores the necessary questions about history, trauma, silence and resilience over 78 years. Available through 9/15/31.