Black History

The Dream Whisperer • WXXI-TV

In the midst of segregation, the all-black Tennessee A&I Tigers were the first collegiate basketball team to win three consecutive national championships. Yet they were never duly recognized for this singular achievement.

The Dream Whisperer airs Sunday, November 3 at 2 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

In 1957, nine years before Texas Western’s NCAA title victory over Kentucky, there was the Tennessee A&I (now known as Tennessee State University) Tigers. And while Texas Western became the first team to win the NCAA title with an all-Black starting lineup, Tennessee A&I was the first Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) to win a national championship tournament. Led by Hall of Fame coach John McLendon, and future NBA players Dick Barnett and John Barnhill, Tennessee A&I closed out the 1950s winning the NAIA Tournament in 1957, 1958, and 1959, the first college team, on any level, to win three consecutive national titles.

Nearly 67 years after the Tigers’ first national championship of that historic run, comes the 2024 release of The Dream Whisperer, from presenting station Nashville Public Television. Eleven years in the making, the documentary chronicles New York Knicks legend Dick Barnett’s long and often frustrating journey to have his team recognized for its achievement at the highest level — induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Dream Whisperer, which won the Audience Favorite Award at the Pan African Film Festival, is not only a homage to a historic team from a small HBCU school which won three consecutive national championships in the midst of segregation in the Jim Crow South, but a testament to Barnett’s persistence and perseverance to make sure the Tigers’ legacy would be honored and remembered.

Narrated by Dr. Barnett, The Dream Whisperer features interviews with: John Thompson, Hall of Fame coach; Julius Erving, Hall of Fame NBA player; Walt Frazier, two-time NBA Champion; Bill Bradley, two-time NBA Champion; Phil Jackson, Hall of Fame coach; David Stern, Hall of Fame NBA Commissioner; Al Sharpton, Civil Rights activist & TV host; Joanna McLendon, Coach McLendon’s widow; Jim Satterwhite, Tennessee A&I championship team member; Harry Carlton, Tennessee A&I championship team member; Howard Gentry, former Tennessee State University Athletic Director; Dr. Harry Edwards, Civil Rights activist; John Doleva, President, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; and George Willis, sports journalist .

American Masters: Roberta Flack • WXXI-TV

Follow music icon Roberta Flack from a piano lounge through her rise to stardom.

American Masters: Roberta Flack airs Thursday, March 28 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

From “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to “Killing Me Softly,” Flack’s virtuosity was inseparable from her commitment to civil rights. Detailing her story in her own words, the film features exclusive access to Flack’s archives and interviews with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Peabo Bryson and more.

American Masters: Roberta Flack provides an intimate look into Flack’s artistry, life and triumphs over racism and sexism within and outside of the recording industry. Flack’s story is illuminated through interviews with Reverend Jesse Jackson (political activist and minister), Clint Eastwood (actor, director and producer), Yoko Ono (multimedia artist, singer-songwriter, activist), Angela Davis (political activist), Eugene McDaniels (singer-songwriter), Joel Dorn (producer), Peabo Bryson (singer-songwriter), Valerie Simpson (songwriter, producer and performer), Les McCann (musician), Sean Lennon (musician), Jason King (music scholar, musician and author), Ann Powers (music critic, author) and more. In addition to Flack’s timeless music, the film also features an original score from award-winning musician Martin Perna of Antibalas (Fela!: The Musical).

Photo: Roberta Flack
Credit: Provided by PBS

Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands On-Demand

Discover an international singer who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America.

American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands is available on-demand through 9/1/2024

The film explores the life, career, art and legacy of the African American contralto and civil rights pioneer in her own words using archival interview recordings. Marian Anderson’s singing and speaking voice are heard throughout the documentary, providing new understanding of the woman behind the music.

Spotlighting Anderson’s voice and point of view, the documentary draws from 34 cassette tapes of interviews recorded in the 1950s, when she was preparing to write her memoir, “My Lord, What a Morning,” and other archival interviews. Anchored by key performances in her career, American Masters – Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands shows how her quiet genius and breathtaking voice set the stage for Black performers in classical music, and a louder voice for civil rights. Additionally, with unprecedented access to the Marian Anderson Estate, the documentary draws on rare audio recordings, photographs and personal correspondence to and from family and friends, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Josephine Baker and Langston Hughes.

American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands • WXXI-WORLD

Discover an international singer who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America.

American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands airs Monday, February 17 at 2 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Extraordinary Women from Stories from the Stage On-Demand

What does it mean to be extraordinary? Defy the odds and redefine benchmarks of success. Homeless at 19, Natalie builds a career as a pediatric neurosurgeon; Rebecca, one of the “Lost Girls of Sudan,” finds a path to creating positive change; and Lachi fights discrimination as a disability rights advocate. Three storytellers, three interpretations of EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN; hosted by Theresa Okokon.

Running with My Girls On-Demand

Tired of watching local government ignore their communities’ interests, five diverse female activists run for municipal office in Denver – one of the U.S.’s fastest gentrifying cities. A story about an engaged community outrunning the deep pockets of the political establishment, RUNNING WITH MY GIRLS demonstrates that building a new kind of political power is not just aspirational but possible. Available to watch on-demand through 9/13/24

Two Wars l The Road to Integration • WXXI-TV

Segregation and the eventual integration of the United States Military.

Two Wars l The Road to Integration airs Tuesday, February 27 at 10:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Two Wars | The Road to Integration tackles the topic of segregation and eventual integration of the United States Military. Since the earliest days of the Republic, African Americans have been part of the nation’s fighting force. African American service members in the United States Military fought to defend the very freedoms they could not enjoy as citizens.

Photo: WWII soldiers • Credit: American Public Television

A Conversation with NAACP Image Award Recipient, Nikki Giovanni • On-Demand Facebook Live Event

Legendary Poet, Nikki Giovanni, Reflects on Her Literary Works that Inspire and Transcend the Imagination.

Watch PBS Books Event with Nikki Giovanni from Wednesday, April 3 at 8pm The event is archived here.

As part of its Wright Conversations series, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History presents Nikki Giovanni, one of this country’s most widely read poets and one of America’s most renowned poets worldwide. Her poem, “Knoxville, Tennessee,” is arguably the single literary work most often associated with that city. Giovanni has received numerous awards in the course of her career, including seven Image Awards from the N.A.A.C.P., more than two-dozen honorary degrees, the first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, the Langston Hughes Medal for Poetry, and the Carl Sandburg Literary Award; additionally, Oprah Winfrey recognized her in 2005 as one of twenty-five “Living Legends.” She continues to teach, write, and publish books. Her most recent collection, “Make Me Rain,” was released in October of 2020.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Poet Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather’s alma mater, Fisk University. Since 1987, she has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech, where she is an Emerita Professor in the Department of English. She has been nominated for a Grammy and a finalist for the National Book Award. She has authored three New York Times and Los Angeles Times best-sellers, highly unusual for a poet. For more information in the words of the poet herself, visit here.

Black History

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