This three-part miniseries based on Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel about the end of slavery in Jamaica follows July (Tamara Lawrance, King Charles III), an indomitable, young slave who works on a sugarcane plantation with her detestable mistress, Caroline Mortimer (Hayley Atwell, The Avengers). Their lives change with the arrival of the charming new overseer, Robert Goodwin (Jack Lowden, Dunkirk) who sets out to improve the plantation for both the slaves and the mistress.

Encores on CPTV Sunday, February 7 at 7 p.m.
Antiques Roadshow honors Black History Month with this special episode. Highlights include an 1821 U.S. citizenship certificate for George Barker, a free man of color; and an African American beauty book written by Madam C.J. Walker, the first American female millionaire.

Nicknamed "Architect to the Stars," African American architect Paul R. Williams had a life story that could have been dreamed up by a Hollywood screenwriter. From the early 1920s until his retirement 50 years later, Williams was one of the most successful architects in the country. But at the height of his career Williams wasn't always welcome in the restaurants and hotels he designed or the neighborhoods where he built homes, because of his race. Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story explains how he used talent, determination and even charm to defy the odds and create a body of work that can be found from coast to coast.

Discover why the Bronx burned in the 1970s. Through rich archival and home movie footage, the film reveals the real reasons for the devastation and shows what can happen when a community chooses to fight back and reclaim their neighborhood.

Hear the extraordinary history of Greenwood, a successful Black community in segregated Tulsa. In a nostalgic celebration of old-fashioned neighborhood life, Black residents of "T-Town" relive their community's remarkable rise and ultimate decline

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.

Learn the true story behind the brutal murder of a 14-year-old African American boy by two white men in Mississippi in 1955. The film uncovered new eyewitnesses to the crime and helped prompt the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen the case.

In 1969, the Chicago Black Panther Party began to form alliances across lines of race and ethnicity with other community-based movements in the city, including the Latino group the Young Lords Organization and the southern whites of the Young Patriots organization. Banding together in one of the most segregated cities in postwar America to collectively confront issues such as police brutality and substandard housing, they called themselves the Rainbow Coalition. By 1973, the coalition had collapsed under the weight of relentless harassment by local and federal law enforcement. Although short-lived, it had an outsize impact: Breaking down barriers between communities, it created a permanent shift in Chicago politics and an organizing model for future activists and politicians across the nation.

Encores on CPTV Monday, February 15 at 11 p.m.
Follow the amazing story of the first black superstar. Baker, born into poverty in Missouri in 1906, moved to France where she became a dancer hailed as the Queen of Paris; joined the French Resistance; created her dream family, "The Rainbow Tribe," adopting 12 children from four corners of the world; and ultimately became a civil rights activist.

Explore the fascinating life of celebrated singer Marian Anderson. In 1939, after being barred from performing at Constitution Hall because she was Black, she triumphed at the Lincoln Memorial in what became a landmark moment in American history.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Pharrell Williams and filmmaker Kasi Lemmons uncover extraordinarily rare first-person accounts of their enslaved ancestors.

Retrace the 400-year-old-story of the Black church in America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., exploring its role as the site of African American organizing, resilience, autonomy, freedom and solidarity. Participants include gospel legend Yolanda Adams, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of The Episcopal Church, singers Jennifer Hudson and John Legend, Rev. Al Sharpton, scholar Cornel West and Oprah Winfrey.

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Discover how the Cold War and Civil Rights movement collided when America asked Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman to travel as cultural ambassadors and combat racially charged Soviet propaganda through their music.

Encores on CPTV Sunday, February 21 at 10 a.m. and Tuesday, February 23 at 11 p.m., and on CPTV Spirit Sunday, February 21 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, February 27 at 1 p.m.

Is white supremancy AN issue in our state or THE issue?

In January, Joseph Biden became the first President of the United States to expressly mention “white supremacy” in his inaugural address as a primary problem America must face. And it’s no wonder — not after the racial reckoning that exploded onto the streets of America — including Connecticut — in 2020.

In light of this critical moment in our history, Connecticut Public has produced an hour-long program called Cutline: Everyday White Supremacy. Why “everyday”? That’s because it seems fairly common to think of “white supremacy” in terms of the type of white-hooded or Swastika’d thuggery that we see “every now and then.” But racist jokes, systematic racism, and racist language coded to sound less threatening — these things are much more “everyday” than “every-now-and-then.”

As these two forms of white supremacy are interconnected, host John Henry Smith will discuss them both with a diverse group of voices who can speak about conditions and experiences both here in Connecticut and around the country. Join us for Cutline: Everyday White Supremacy. The discussions won’t be comfortable, but they will make you think.

More at content.ctpublic.org/cutline>>

During the civil rights movement, one African-American pioneer ushered giants and rising stars of Black culture onto public television. In 1968 Ellis Haizlip created the groundbreaking PBS series SOUL!, which became one of the most culturally significant television shows in U.S. history. Mr. SOUL!delves into this critical moment in television history, as well as the man who guided it, through participants’ recollections and archival footage, highlighting a turning point in representation that continues to resonate to this day.

Theadra Fleming hands over the needle and thread to host Eric Gorges as this quilter explains the African American tradition of quilting with a focus on colors, symbolism and the history of African textiles.

The gifted duo skillfully and daringly combines classical with hip-hop - and tantalizes fans of both genres. Think Bach's Brandenburg Concerto meets Biggie. Wil B and Kev Marcus play pieces by Aaron Copeland, J. S. Bach, Imagine Dragons and their own powerful compositions. In their interview, Wil and Kev speak about their mission to break stereotypes.