Black History Month: Watch & listen with KERA
Black history is American history! Join three of our outlets – KERA TV, WRR 101.1 FM, and KXT 91.7 FM – in celebrating Black History Month 2025 with programming that captures the essence of the African and American experience.
KERA TV
Dozens of documentaries and specials are scheduled this month, full of insight, information and inspiration. Tap each week to see what’s on. Browse our entire interactive TV schedule right here.
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Week of February 1-8
Tap to visit this day on the full evening TV schedule
▸ SUNDAY, FEB 2
• 9am: Great Migrations: A People on the Move “Exodus” #101 – Episode one of Great Migrations explores the first wave of the Great Migration (1910-1940), when more than a million Black Americans fled the Jim Crow South for the promised lands of the North, forever changing the country and themselves.
• Noon: The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song #101 – Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of African American religion beginning with the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the extraordinary ways enslaved Africans preserved and adapted faith practices from the brutality of slavery to emancipation.
• 3pm: The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song #102 – Discover how the Black church expanded its reach to address social inequality and minister to those in need, from the Jim Crow South to the heroic phase of the civil rights movement, and the Black church’s role in the present.
• 6pm: Rising: The Hall of Negro Life – From the City of Dallas Arts & Culture Office
▸ TUESDAY, FEB 4
• 8pm: Great Migrations: A People On the Move “Streets Paved with Gold” #102 – Learn about the second wave of the Great Migration when Northern and Western Black communities matured through migration and transformed the cultural and political power of Black America.
• 10:30pm: American Justice on Trial: People vs Newton – In one of the “trials of the century” that still reverberates today, Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton faced the death penalty for killing a white policeman in a late-night car stop in 1967 Oakland. While Newton and his maverick attorneys boldly indicted racism in the courts and the country, and a groundbreaking jury led by a historic Black foreman deliberated Newton’s fate, the streets of Oakland and the nation were set to explode if the jury, as expected, returned a verdict of murder. Note, this film will be packaged with the short “The Truth about Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap” from PBS Digital Studios.
• 11:30pm: Next at the Kennedy Center “Let My Children Hear Mingus” #102 – The Kennedy Center celebrates jazz icon and social activist Charles Mingus at 100. Through performances and conversations, we explore how his outsized personality and inimitable style pushed boundaries and paved the way for future generations.
▸ FRIDAY, FEB 7
• 8pm: Bird: Not Out of Nowhere – As the world celebrates the centennial of Charlie “Bird” Parker’s birth, this film looks back at the twenty-one years Charlie spent at home in Kansas City and on his long-lasting impression on Kansas City Jazz.
• 11:30pm: Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World #101 – Discover the factors that led to the birth of Hip Hop and its first socially conscious hit The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in 1982.
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Week of February 9-15
Tap to visit this day on the full evening TV schedule▸ SUNDAY, FEB 9
• 9am: Great Migrations: A People On the Move “Streets Paved with Gold” #102 – Learn about the second wave of the Great Migration when Northern and Western Black communities matured through migration and transformed the cultural and political power of Black America.
• Noon: Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts – Explore the complex history of Black Americans who enlisted in the U. S. military as a path to citizenship, a livelihood, and greater respect, and how they fought in military conflicts abroad and civil rights struggles at home.
• 1:30pm: 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.
• 3pm: Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom – Go beyond the legend and meet the woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery. One of the greatest freedom fighters in U.S. history, Tubman was an Underground Railroad conductor, a Civil War scout, and a spy.
• 4:30pm: Great Performances “The Magic of Spirituals” – Glimpse behind the curtain at opera legends Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman’s famed concert at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990, featuring performance clips and new interviews with opera star Angel Blue, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb and more.
• 6pm: South Dallas Pop
▸ TUESDAY, FEB 11
• 8pm: Great Migrations: A People on the Move “One Way Ticket Back” #103 – Explore how the reverse migration of Black Americans to the South-driven by mass movements, economic change, and an ongoing struggle for freedom-continued to reshape the country.
• 9pm: Chautauqua at 150: Wynton Marsalis – Celebrate the story and lasting impact of this iconic institution through inspiring stories of faith and democracy with a stirring performance of Marsalis’ All Rise and appearances by Kathryn Hahn, Kwame Alexander, Misty Copeland, and more.
• 10pm: Eyes on the Prize #101 – Revisit this landmark series, the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life.
• 11pm: Eyes on the Prize #102
▸ FRIDAY, FEB 14
• 8pm: Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful – Recorded at The Tropicana in Atlantic City on October 27, 2006 in celebration of his 50 years in show business, JOHNNY MATHIS: WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL! features Johnny performing many of his hits including “In the Morning”, “Wonderful! Wonderful!”, “What I Did For Love”, “Chances Are”, “Misty”, “Maria”, Stranger in Paradise”, and “A Certain Smile.”
• 9pm: Marvin Gaye: Greatest Hits Live – MARVIN GAYE: GREATEST HITS LIVE was recorded on Marvin Gaye’s first European Tour in 1976, and captures the legendary soul singer at his unparalleled best. Filmed at Edenhalle Concert Hall in Amsterdam before a sell-out audience, this show, preserved now for prosperity, was one of the rare live performances captured on film. The program features 23 classic songs, including “You’re a Wonderful One,” “You,” “It Takes Two,” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
• 11pm: Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World #102 – Explore the 1980s and the birth of Hip Hop as social commentary in the Reagan Era with the emergence of artists like Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice-T, and NWA.
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Week of February 16-22
Tap to visit this day on the full evening TV schedule▸ SUNDAY, FEB 16
• 9am: Great Migrations: A People on the Move “One Way Ticket Back” #103 – Explore how the reverse migration of Black Americans to the South-driven by mass movements, economic change, and an ongoing struggle for freedom-continued to reshape the country.
• Noon: 100 Years From Mississippi – 100 YEARS FROM MISSISSIPPI profiles the life of Mamie Lang Kirkland, who left Mississippi at seven years old to escape racial violence and would not return to the state until a century later.
• 1pm: Gospel #101 – GOSPEL’s hour 1 takes viewers north to Chicago, where southern migrants Thomas A. Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe fused blues and jazz with testimonies of God’s goodness to create a genre enduring for generations.
• 3:30pm: Gospel #102 – In GOSPEL’s hour 3, gospel family dynasties dominate the charts while other children of the church use their musical prowess to influence soul music. Black pastors also distinguish their sound with prophetic voices and sermonettes. Gospel’s Platinum Age reflected a new generation embracing secular rhythms to modernize the gospel sound. GOSPEL’s hour 4 explores the movement that brought songs about faith to millions at clubs, on cable TV and on urban radio.
• 6pm: Recovering the Stories “Freedman’s Town, Fair Park, South Dallas”
▸ TUESDAY, FEB 18
• 8pm: Great Migrations: A People on the Move “Coming to America” #104 – Hear the story of African and Caribbean immigrants in the United States and examine their profound impact on American culture and what it means to be Black in America.• 10pm: Eyes on the Prize #103
• 11pm: Eyes on the Prize #104
▸ FRIDAY, FEB 21
• 8pm: Charley Pride: I’m Just Me – Traces the improbable journey of Charley Pride (1934-2020), from his humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son on a cotton farm in segregated Sledge, Mississippi, to his career as a Negro American League baseball player and his meteoric rise as a trailblazing country music superstar.
• 9pm: American Masters “The Disappearance of Miss Scott” #3607 – Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, Scott faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality.
• 11:30pm: Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World #103 – Experience the 1990s during the Clinton years and the unstoppable rise in popularity of Hip Hop, which becomes a force that is attacked by all sides of the political establishment.
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Week of February 23-28
Tap to visit this day on the full evening TV schedule▸ SUNDAY, FEB 23
• Noon: Great Migrations: A People on the Move “Exodus” #101 – Episode one of Great Migrations explores the first wave of the Great Migration (1910-1940), when more than a million Black Americans fled the Jim Crow South for the promised lands of the North, forever changing the country and themselves.
• 1:30pm: Great Migrations: A People On the Move “Streets Paved with Gold” #102 – Learn about the second wave of the Great Migration when Northern and Western Black communities matured through migration and transformed the cultural and political power of Black America.
• 3pm: Great Migrations: A People on the Move “One Way Ticket Back” #103 – Explore how the reverse migration of Black Americans to the South-driven by mass movements, economic change, and an ongoing struggle for freedom-continued to reshape the country.
• 4:30pm: Great Migrations: A People on the Move “Coming to America” #104 – Hear the story of African and Caribbean immigrants in the United States and examine their profound impact on American culture and what it means to be Black in America.
▸ MONDAY, FEB 24
• 8pm: American Masters “Little Richard: The King and Queen of Rock and Roll” #3408 – “When I first heard Tutti Frutti, my heart nearly burst with excitement. The music filled the room with energy and color and outrageous defiance. I had heard God.” -David Bowie. It’s time. Little Richard is a legend from the golden era of rock. Richard is the cultural lightning rod who influenced some of rock music’s most distinguished icons who will join us to validate Richard’s unquestionable role in rock history: Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Prince and Bruce Springsteen. As Richard boastfully claims, “I am The King and Queen of Rock and Roll.”
▸ TUESDAY, FEB 25
• 8pm: American Experience “Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP” #3701 – While many consider the birth of the civil rights movement to be1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, the stage had been set decades before, by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Some of the NAACP leaders are familiar, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Thurgood Marshall, but Walter White, head of the NAACP from 1929 to 1955, has been all but forgotten. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Walter White looked white; he described himself as “an enigma, a Black man occupying a white body.” Like virtually all light-skinned African Americans of his day, White was descended from enslaved Black women and powerful white men. But he was Black – by law, identity, and conviction and spent his entire life fighting for Black civil rights. Forgotten Hero:Walter White and the NAACP traces the life of this neglected civil rights hero and seeks to explain his disappearance from our history.
• 10pm: Eyes on the Prize #105
• 11pm: Eyes on the Prize #106
▸ FRIDAY, FEB 28
• 10pm: Terence Blanchard: Live in Dallas – TERENCE BLANCHARD IN DALLAS celebrates the music of two-time Academy Award-nominee and seven-time Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. In February 2023, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra presented two evenings of Blanchard’s work, shining a light on his musical genius and groundbreaking compositions. With extensive jazz and classical performances from the stage of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, TERENCE BLANCHARD IN DALLAS is a remarkable musical event that celebrates one of the most important and groundbreaking musicians working today.
• 11pm: Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World #104 – Follow the evolution of Hip Hop as its artists turn into multimillionaires and successful entrepreneurs. As a cultural phenomenon, Hip Hop continues to change history and is adopted as the voice of protest around the world.
Spotlight! Recovering the Stories: Exploring the History & Resilience in Dallas Communities
Our video series explores little-known stories and events in historic communities of color in Dallas. We recommend these three, especially, for Black History Month:
KXT
Since 2008, our nonprofit music radio station has been airing new, local and legendary sounds that North Texas listeners love. Tune in to 91.7 FM, or stream at kxt.org or on the app, and enjoy Black excellence throughout the day:
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Mornings: Women+hip-hop+R&B
Your mornings need this! Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Janet Jackson, Lauren Hill, Salt-N-Pepa and more. Host and Program Director Benji McPhail gets started at 6am weekdays. - +
Midday: Black impact
Host La Bell traces the long history and impact of Black musicians from Robert Johnson through today. Her show airs weekdays starting at 10am. - +
Late afternoons: Black royalty
Starting at 3pm weekdays, host and Assistant Program Director Lesley James celebrates Black Royalty feat. Prince, Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, King of Pop Michael Jackson, Queen of Dallas Erykah Badu, and more. - +
Evenings: Essential funk
… and more genres you need to keep your evening moving – jazz (Thelonius Monk and Sun Ra,) blues (Howlin’ Wolf and Freddie King), rock and punk (Death and Bad Brains), and underground hip/jazz-hop (MF DOOM and and Digable Planets). Catch host and Manager of Radio Operations Jackson Wisdorf at 7pm most weeknights.
WRR
One of the oldest radio stations in the country joined the KERA public media family in 2023, but it’s been broadcasting classical in North Texas for decades. Join WRR hosts in celebrating classical composers, conductors and soloists of African descent all month long. Listen on the dial at 101.1 FM, or stream at wrr101.org or on the app.
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Weekdays 9am: Black prominence
Hear a Black History Month Musical Spotlight at 9 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays this month. Kurt Rongey spotlights a significant Black figure in classical music with a special introductory explainer and an accompanying piece of music. Tap to view a list of each day’s spotlight artist.
▸ Kurt is Assistant Program Director of WRR and the host of Morning Classical weekdays from 6-10am. Tap to learn more about him. - +
Midday: Black women
Prominent Black women composers, such as Florence Price, Valerie Coleman and Margaret Bonds, are featured during Amy Bishop’s Midday Show, starting at 10 am.
▸ Amy is also the Marketing Manager of WRR. Tap to learn more about her.
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Late afternoons: African influence
During the Homestretch with Emilio Alvarez daily starting at 3pm, explore the ways African musical heritage has influenced classical music by composers of all backgrounds.
▸ Emilio is WRR’s Music Director. Tap to learn more about him.
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Evenings & weekends: African heritage
The Dinner & Evening concert programs weekdays starting at 7pm with Matt Rogers, as well as the Sunday Evening Concert with David Ginder at 7pm, unfurl an enhanced playlist of music by composers, singers, conductors and instrumentalists of African descent from the 18th century to today.
▸ Tap to learn more about Matt here and about David here. - +
ALSO – February 2: Take Me to the Water
7pm ▸ Enjoy this one-hour special hosted by Vernon Neal, focusing on harpist Ashley Jackson’s program “Take Me to the Water” recorded at American Public Medias studios. It’s an immersive audio experience that touches on themes from African mythology, the antebellum spiritual tradition and water’s transportive, transmogrifying nature.
