Black History Month Collection

For early aviators, conquering the forces of gravity was a daunting challenge. But black aviators had an additional challenge – to conquer the forces of racism. Meet the men and women of color who took to the skies throughout the 20th Century and helped prove to a segregated nation that skin color didn’t determine skill level. From biplanes to commercial jets and from barnstormers to war fighters, meet the path-breaking pilots who opened the skies for all.

It was an average Woolworth's lunch counter, but these were no average customers. What transpired on Elm Street in Greensboro, North Carolina 50 years ago sent shockwaves through every block across America. This is the story of the Greensboro Four, college freshman who led a nonviolent sit-in and taught a country that it was finally time to serve everyone. In February of 1960, a simple coffee order at America's favorite five-and-dime store sparked a series of events that would help put an end to segregation in the United States. Join us as we detail the extraordinary story of otherwise ordinary young men, four African-American college students whose nonviolent sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter started a revolution.

April 4, 1968. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is gunned down on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. It was all caught on film, tape and audio. So why have we seen so little of it? The well-known photograph of Dr. King’s aides pointing toward the direction of the gunfire is iconic, but tells only part of the story. For the first time, a remarkable collection of recently rediscovered footage has been chronologically reassembled. The resulting documentary allows us to revisit the tumultuous events surrounding one of the most shocking assassinations in America and relive history through the voices of the era.

Huddie Ledbetter was born into poverty, battled racism, and did time, but in spite of his early hardships, or perhaps because of them, he became one of the great musicians of the 20th century. We trace the life and career of Lead Belly, a man praised by critics and revered by artists, whose unique music crossed a host of genres and influenced countless industry legends, from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Nirvana and beyond. See how his talent, humanity, and determination defeated all that stood in his way to make his voice heard, then and now.