PBS celebrates Black History Month with special programs and New Black culture website

PBS celebrates Black History Month with special programs and New Black culture website

Whitney Young 

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

 (Internet photos)

Blacknews.com

     Arlington, VA. (BlackNews.com) — In celebration of Black History Month and as part of its year around commitment to diverse programming, PBS recently announced an on-air lineup commemorating the contributions of African Americans in music, dance, television and civil rights, providing an indepth look at key figures and events that shaped Black – and American – history. In addition to these programs, PBS announced it will launch the PBS Black Culture Connection, a digital storybook of Black films, history, trends and discussion that’s available throughout the year on PBS.org, on Feb. 1, 2013. A video Showcasing the PBS Black History Month programming schedule and PBS Black Culture Connection is available to view or embed here.

    “PBS’ mission is clear – to provide accessible, educational, informative programs of every genre and culture all year long.

    Since February is Black History Month, our schedule is heavily focused on the contributions of African Americans,” said Donald Thomas, Vice President, Programming. “During the month, we are also continuing our commitment to feature stories and films from diverse and independent producers, which remains a staple of our content offerings year round.”

    The PBS Black Culture Connection, featuring video from films, award-winning documentaries and popular series like  American Experience and Frontline will link the diverse national content found on PBS with local programs,  interviews and discussions from PBS member stations and from around the web. In addition to aggregating more than 100 digital resources about Black history and culture in one place within BS.org, the PBS Black Culture Connection will feature the- matic film collections, biographies and profiles, original productions made just for the web and local station spotlights. After exploring the site, users are encouraged to connect with others through online discussion and to challenge themselves with a suite of quizzes.

    “The PBS Black Culture Connection is a digital resource that unites a diverse collection of films and other content across PBS. It’s a screening room for award-winning documentaries and films, a forum to engage in meaningful discussions, and a library to explore hundreds of videos, articles, quizzes and resources like historical maps and timelines,” said Jason Seiken, PBS SVP and General Manager, Digital.

    The PBS Black Culture Connection is made available through partnerships with member stations including WNET and  WGBH and public media partners like the National Black Programming Consortium. It will also feature the works of  producers like Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Stanley Nelson and Tavis Smiley.

    The full Black History Month programming lineup can be found at thewestsidegazette.com. Most films listed will also be available via streaming video on the PBS Black Culture Connection.