Independent Lens | Outta the Muck
Premieres on DPTV Tuesday, Feb. 7, 11 p.m.
Wade into the rich soil of Pahokee, Florida, a town on the banks of Lake Okeechobee. Beyond its football legacy, including sending over a dozen players to the NFL (like Anquan Boldin, Fred Taylor, and Rickey Jackson), the fiercely self-determined community tells their stories of Black achievement and resilience in the face of tragic storms and personal trauma.
Nova | Star Chasers of Senegal
Premieres on DPTV Wednesday, Feb. 8, 9 p.m.
A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids over 400 million miles from Earth thought to hold important clues about the origins of our solar system. Just hours before, in Senegal, West Africa, a team of scientists sets out to capture extraordinarily precise observations vital to the success of the Lucy mission.
Great Performances | The Magic of Spirituals: Kathleen Battle & Jessye Norman at Carnegie Hall
Premieres on DPTV Friday, Feb. 24, 10 p.m.
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.
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On Demand Viewing
Music Legends:
Roberta Flack | American Masters
Follow the music icon from a piano lounge through her rise to stardom. From “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.
Charley Pride: I’m Just Me | American Masters
Explore the complicated history of the American South and its music through the life of country star Charley Pride. Raised in segregated Mississippi, his journey shows the ways that artistic expression can triumph over prejudice and injustice.
Full episode available with DPTV Passport.
Sam Cooke: Legend
This Grammy-winning film documents the rise of soul music legend Sam Cooke, from his beginnings as a gospel singer to his crossover to the pop and R&B charts. An exploration of more than just his music alone, the biography also looks at Cooke’s personal life and his role as a civil rights activist. The film includes interviews with Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Dick Clark, and others.
Full episode available with DPTV Passport.
The Roots Residency | Next at the Kennedy Center
Hip Hop legends The Roots give an electrifying performance during their residency at the Kennedy Center. Beyond the stage, the band endeavors to inspire others and explore the depths of their creative potential.
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Civil Rights:
Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming A Space | American Experience
Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Also a trained anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston collected folklore throughout the South and Caribbean — reclaiming, honoring and celebrating Black life on its own terms.
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How It Feels To Be Free | American Experience
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.
Full episode available with DPTV Passport.
The Big Packback | Independent Lens
An Evanston, Illinois rookie alderwoman led the passage of the first tax-funded reparations bill for Black Americans. While she and her community struggle with the burden to make restitution for its citizens, a national racial crisis engulfs the country. Will the debt ever be addressed, or is it too late for a reparations movement to finally get the big payback?
The Picture Taker | Independent Lens
The vibrant life of Ernest Withers—civil rights photographer, and FBI informant—was anything but black and white. From his Memphis studio, Withers’ nearly 2 million images were a treasured record of Black history but his legacy was complicated by decades of secret FBI service revealed only after his death. Was he a friend of the civil rights community, or enemy—or both?