BLACK HISTORY MONTH ON CBC - CBC Media Centre (2024)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH ON CBC

Throughout February 2022, CBC will offer audiences original storytelling and news content on all platforms in recognition of Black History Month, including the following programming highlights.

Set in the early 1920s and inspired by real events, new CBC original series THE PORTER (Feb. 21) follows the lives of Black train porters and their friends and families as they pursue conflicting paths to a better life.

BEING BLACK IN CANADA presents BEING BLACK IN CANADA: MY JOURNEY HERE, which chronicles the experiences of Black immigrants settling in Canada, and BEING BLACK IN CANADA AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES, which explores what it means for Black Canadian athletes to be representing more than just their country on the world's biggest stage.

CBC Gem’s BLACK HISTORY MONTH collection features four categories:
BLACK STORIES, MUST WATCH BLACK LEADS, CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY and BLACK MUSIC & ART; including Ken Burns’ acclaimed documentary series MUHAMMAD ALI; CONVICTION: THE STEPHEN LAWRENCE STORY, the gripping tale of the conviction of two suspects in Britain’s most infamous murder; and THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION.

Esi Edugyan's CBC Massey Lectures, OUT OF THE SUN: ON RACE AND STORYTELLING, now available to stream on CBC.ca/Ideas.

• THE PORTER (8x60, Drama, Inferno Pictures and Sienna Films, 2022, Canada)
  *Exclusive Canadian Premiere* on CBC TV and CBC Gem on Monday, February 21
  Set in the early 1920s and inspired by real events, THE PORTER follows train porters Junior Massey and Zeke Garrett, Junior’s wife Marlene, and upstart performer Lucy, as a tragedy in the community sets them on starkly different paths to a better life.

  While Junior takes advantage of a broken system to pursue money and power in gambling and bootlegging, Zeke fights the railway to change the system from within by unionizing the Black porters. Marlene questions whether her work as a Black Cross nurse is truly serving her community, while Lucy takes her success into her own hands – whatever the cost. As each pursues their goals, their once unbreakable bonds are stretched to their limits. Will they need to betray each other and their community to make their dreams reality? Starring Aml Ameen (I May Destroy You, Yardie), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Star Trek: Discovery, Pretty Hard Cases), Mouna Traoré (Self Made, The Umbrella Academy), Loren Lott (American Idol, Tag), Olunike Adeliyi (Titans, American Gods) and Alfre Woodard.

  See Also

  CBC Showcases Black Voices and Stories This February in Honour Of Black History MonthCelebrate Black History Month | CBC NewsCBC showcases Black stories and experiences in honour of Black History Month | CBC NewsCBC Showcases Black Stories and Experiences This February In Honour Of Black History Month

• BEING BLACK IN CANADA: MY JOURNEY HERE (6x5, CBC’s Being Black in Canada, 2022)
  Streaming in February on CBC Gem and broadcast on CBC News Network’s Canada Tonight throughout the month
  Black Canadian immigrants share the joys and obstacles on their paths to Black excellence. From their first steps in Canada to the moments that shaped their lives. These are their journeys here.

• BEING BLACK IN CANADA AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES (1x30, CBC’s Being Black in Canada/CBC Sports, 2022)
  Begins streaming Saturday, February 5 on CBC Gem and cbcsports.ca and broadcast on CBC News Network
  *Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
  CBC’s Tamika Forrester sits down with Black Canadian athletes to discuss what it means to be representing more than just their country on the world's biggest stage at The Olympic Games.

• BLACK ON THE PRAIRIES: PLACE EDITION (CBC Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, 2022)
  Available now at cbc.ca/blackontheprairies
  Led by CBC senior reporter Omayra Issa, this project explores the theme of place as it relates to the history and present lives of Black people on the prairies through articles, personal essays, images and more, and shows how the experiences of Black people are inextricably linked with the Prairies themselves.

• On February 22, CBC Docs will air the documentary Patty vs Patty, revisiting Toronto’s bizarre ‘Patty Wars’ of February 1985, when Canadian federal food inspectors suddenly deemed the beef patties that Jamaicans are familiar with to have been illegally named “patty”. Read more about this piece of Toronto history on CBC.ca.

• CBC Quebec: Black Changemakers: Starting February 1, visit cbc.ca/blackchangemakersqc to read profiles of individuals whose efforts to make a change in their community are bringing about a meaningful impact and inspiring others across Quebec.

• CBC Books has selected 25 notable books by Black Canadian authors to read this month (and every month). Visit CBC.ca/Books for top picks and interviews starting February 1.

Visit CBC’s Being Black in Canada site to discover even more.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH COLLECTION
View the collection on CBC Gem here.

• MUHAMMAD ALI (8x60, Florentine Films/Ken Burns, USA, 2021)
  Streaming Friday, January 28
  MUHAMMAD ALI brings to life one of the most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who captivated millions of fans across the world with his mesmerizing combination of speed, grace, and power in the ring, and charm and playful boasting outside of it. Ali insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere.

“A new four-part documentary series by Ken Burns paints a sweeping portrait of a man whose life intersected with many of modern America’s most profound changes.” –Finn Cohen, The New York Times

“Muhammad Ali is another success story for Ken Burns..” –Kristen Lopez, Indiewire

• CONVICTION: THE STEPHEN LAWRENCE STORY (3x60, Drama, Hat Trick Mercurio, UK, 2021)
  Begins streaming Tuesday, February 1
  A gripping tale about the conviction of two suspects in Britain’s most infamous murder. An investigation beset by hostility, obstruction and sabotage exposed astonishing levels of complacency, racism and corruption within the UK’s largest police force, taking 18 years to reach a conviction.

“Stephen folds the known facts and the known characters into a riveting story...” - Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

• VOICE OF FREEDOM (2x50, Documentary, WGBH Educational Foundation, USA, 2021)
  Begins streaming Tuesday, February 1
  ​​On Easter Sunday, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson stepped up to a microphone in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Inscribed on the walls of the monument behind her were the words “all men are created equal.” Barred from performing in Constitution Hall because of her race, Anderson would sing for the American people in the open air. VOICE OF FREEDOM interweaves Anderson’s rich life story with this landmark moment in history, exploring fundamental questions about talent, race, fame, democracy, and the American soul.

“...so moving a tribute to so remarkable a figure.” - John Anderson, The Wall Street Journal

• THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG (4x60, Documentary, McGee Media LLC, USA, 2021)
  Begins streaming Tuesday, February 1
  An intimate four-hour series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Finding Your Roots), THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG explores the 400-year-old story of the black church in America, the changing nature of worship spaces, and the men and women who shepherded them from the pulpit, the choir loft, and church pews.

“The series brings that story to the present - a time of rejuvenated racial justice protests in America.” - Tambay Obenson, indieWire

“Though The Black Church is fast-moving, Gates' research is expansive, and he leaves nearly no detail on the subject unturned.” - Aramide Tinubu, Shadow and Act

• THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (1x112, Documentary, Firelight Films, Inc., USA, 2015)
  Begins streaming Tuesday, February 1
  In the turbulent 1960s, change was coming to America and the fault lines could no longer be ignored — cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding, and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and it sought to drastically transform the system. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would, for a short time, put itself at the vanguard of that change. THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION is the first feature-length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for Black people, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails.

“A pulsing soul-power soundtrack, extensive and rare archive footage and fiercely honest contemporary interviews drive Stanley Nelson's blistering account of the rise and fall of the Black Panther party.” - Mark Kermode, Observer (UK)

“Stick with this movie. It has a lot to say...” - Dwight Brown, National Newspaper Publishers Association

• BLACK BOYS (1x95, Documentary, Never Whisper Justice, USA, 2020)
  Begins streaming Tuesday, February 1
  *Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
  BLACK BOYS illuminates the full humanity of Black men and boys in America. An intimate, inter-generational exploration, BLACK BOYS strives for insight to Black identity and opportunity at the nexus of sports, education, and criminal justice. Speaking with an array of figures — ranging from educators, athletes, journalists, activists, parents, and youth — the documentary explores the body, mind, voice, and heart of Black boys and the double edged sword of having to build up their own self worth while knowing the world is not built for them.

“It’s as searing and as sobering an overview of the Black American experience as any.” - Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette

• MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE (1x114, Documentary, The People’s Poet Media Group, 2016, USA)
  Begins streaming Tuesday, February 1
  This unprecedented film weaves Maya Angelou’s (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, which paint hidden moments of her exuberant life during some of America’s most defining moments. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana to her poetry reading for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, the film takes us on an incredible journey through the life of a true American icon.

“It's hard not to be inspired by a life this well lived.” - Ken Jaworowski, New York Times

“Through interviews, archival footage, and her written words, Dr. Maya Angelou effectively tells her own story in this film.” - Aramide Tinubu, Shadow and Act

• I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (1x90, Documentary, Velvet Film, 2017, USA)
  Begins streaming Tuesday, February 1
  I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO envisions the book James Baldwin (The Fire Next Time) never finished, a radical narration about race in America, using the writer’s original words, as read by actor Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction). Alongside a flood of rich archival material, the film draws upon Baldwin’s notes on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. to explore and bring a fresh and radical perspective to the racial narrative in America.

• ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT: THE CONVERGENCE OF HIP HOP & SKATEBOARDING (1x89, Documentary, Elkin Editions, 2021, USA)
  Begins streaming Monday, February 21
  The culture-shifting collision of hip hop and skateboarding is thoroughly and passionately unpacked in this dynamic new documentary from Montreal-born director Jeremy Elkin (Call Me Caitlyn), a seasoned skate-video maker. Narrated by Eli Morgan Gesner (Condemned), co-founder of the iconic NYC skateboarding company Zoo York, ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT zeroes in on a pivotal chapter in New York history, 1987 to 1997, when Manhattan’s cauldron of youth-led subcultures married hip hop with skateboarding and gave birth to a potent (and profitable) ​“street culture” movement that infiltrated every urban corner of the globe.

“The film excels when it harnesses the wistful thrill of a bygone era, reminding us of a rich, creative past that deserves ample recognition.” - Isabelia Herrera, New York Times

“It doesn't matter if you're a ‘hip hop head,’ a skater, or a stockbroker. You'll be engaged from beginning to end.” - Dante James, Film Threat

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