PBS announced today an expansive slate of programs profiling the rich history, culture and contributions of African-Americans. The programs air as part of PBS’ celebration of Black History Month. With new programs that delve into the archives of history, this year’s schedule provides an in-depth look at a variety of historical events from the post-Emancipation era to the rise of the black power movement. Several Black History Month programs will be highlighted as part of PBS’ presentations at the TCA Press Tour on January 4-5, 2012, in Pasadena, California. Notable talent appearing as part of PBS’ INDEPENDENT LENS panel includes political activist Angela Davis for “Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975” and filmmakers Sharon La Cruise (“Daisy Bates”) and Shukree Hassan Tilghman (“More Than a Month”). 

Premieres

INDEPENDENT LENS “Daisy Bates: The First Lady of Little Rock,” premiering Thursday, February 2, at 10:00 p.m., tells the story of Bates’ life and her public support of nine black students who registered to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas (See an advanced clip here.) Premiering on Thursday, February 9, at 10:00 p.m. is a compilation of interviews from leading African-American artists, activists, musicians and scholars in “Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975.” (See an advanced clip here.) In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Swedish television journalists came to America to document the burgeoning black power movement. This long-lost trove of film, combined with contemporary interviews to create an irresistible mosaic chronicling the movement’s evolution, features interviews with seminal black power leaders, including Stokely Carmichael and Eldridge Cleaver, as well as author/activist Angela Davis. And in “More Than a Month,” premiering on Thursday, February 16, at 10:00 p.m., Shukree Hassan Tilghman, an African-American filmmaker, is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. Through this tongue-in-cheek and thought-provoking journey, “More Than a Month” investigates what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in a “post-racial” America.

For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2011/black-history-month.