Perspectives on Black America

This summer, tune in to NEPM Sundays at noon for rebroadcasts of important documentaries on the topic of race in America. Through the work of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to Ken Burns, with Independent Lens, American Masters, POV and Great Performances, you can find perspective that's relevant today.

Black America Since MLK: and Still I Rise
Sunday, July 12 at 12 p/m.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes a personal journey through the last 50 years of African American history, charting the incredible progress made — as well as the obstacles that remain. Features conversations with Jesse Jackson, Nas and Donna Brazile.

Reel South: All Skinfolk Ain't Kinfolk
Sunday, July 19 at 12 p.m.
After a contentious race, the 2017 runoff for mayor of New Orleans came down to two candidates: Desiree Charbonnet and LaToya Cantrell, two very different black women. The winner of this election would take office as the first female mayor of New Orleans and the city's fourth black mayor.

Independent Lens: Always in Season
Sunday, July 19 at 12:30 p.m.
In 2014, African American teenager Lennon Lacy was found hanging from a swing set. His mother believes he was lynched. Stark inconsistencies and few answers from officials drive her to lead efforts in what has become an ongoing fight for the truth.

American Masters: Lorraine Hansberry
Sunday, July 26 at 12 p.m.
Explore the life and work of the A Raisin in the Sun playwright and activist who played a significant role in the civil rights movement. LaTanya Richardson Jackson narrates. Anika Noni Rose is the voice of Lorraine Hansberry.

The Central Park Five
Sunday, August 2 at 12 p.m.
Ken Burns tells the story of five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem - told from their perspectives -- who were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park in 1989.

POV: Whose Streets?
Sunday, August 9 at 12 p.m.
When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St. Louis. Whose Streets? is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising. As the national guard rolls in, citizens mount a powerful battle cry announcing that their generation is fighting not just for their civil rights, but for the right to live.

Charlottesville
Sunday, August 16 at 12 p.m.
This WCVE PBS Richmond documentary covers the 2017 white supremacist and neo-nazi rally. Through first-hand accounts, "Charlottesville" offers local insight and perspective on the events that garnered national and international attention, prompting us to ask questions about who we are as a people, what we can learn from this experience, and how we can come together as a country.

Great Performances
Twilight: Los Angeles
Sunday, August 23 at 12 p.m.
Anna Deavere Smith’s one woman/multi-voiced theater piece about the 1991 Rodney King beating, the violent aftermath of the 1992 verdict, and the lasting impact of the Los Angeles riots on America's conscience. She virtually "becomes" some 30 real life characters -- a Korean grocer, a Hollywood agent, L.A.P.D. captain Daryl Gates, a juror, even NRA spokesperson Charlton Heston. Recounting their stories verbatim, Smith chronicles this complex tragedy from its many cultural perspectives.