Celebrating Black History: Stories of Courage, Culture, and Change

Join WLRN in celebrating Black History Month with an exceptional lineup of award-winning television.

DRIVING WHILE BLACK - Documentary
An in-depth look at the history of African Americans on the Road from the 1930s to the 1960s and Beyond.

• Feb. 1st, 7am and Feb. 20th, 4pm

Driving While Black

Discover how the rise of the automobile brought new mobility and freedom to African Americans, while also exposing them to discrimination and deadly violence, and how that history continues to resonate today.

RAISE YOUR HEAD UP: FREEDOM COLONIES IN AMERICA - Documentary
After the Civil War, formerly enslaved people formed Freedom Colonies to build independent lives. Raise Your Head Up: Freedom Colonies in America explores the lasting resilience and legacy of these communities through their descendants.

• Feb. 5th, 10pm

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After the American Civil War, over four million formerly enslaved people were set free, but most had no place to go. Wanting some autonomy over their own lives, many formed Freedom Colonies in an endeavor to live as far away from the racism of Jim Crow as possible. In 1988, documentary photographer Richard Orton began a decades-long project that followed the descendants of four of these communities. Raise Your Head Up: Freedom Colonies In America explores their accomplishments, along with the challenges they face to keep these legacies alive.

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI - Drama (2020) - R
A fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.

• Feb. 7th, 9pm and Feb. 12th, 8pm

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Set on February 25, 1964, One Night in Miami follows a young Cassius Clay on the night he shocks the world by defeating Sonny Liston to become Heavyweight Champion. Barred from celebrating in Miami Beach due to segregation, Clay gathers at the Hampton House Motel with close friends Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. As the city celebrates outside, the four icons spend the night debating their influence, responsibility, and role in advancing equality for Black Americans, emerging the next morning resolved to help shape a new future.


BLACK AND JEWISH AMERICA - Documentary
Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. traces the complex history between Black and Jewish Americans, an alliance shaped by shared struggle, solidarity, and enduring tensions.

• Feb. 10th, 5pm

Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History

In the premier episode Let My People Go, Gates explores the early history, alliances and the core differences at the start of the Black and Jewish American stories, as well as overlapping struggle, faith, resilience, and early civic partnerships by the 1920s.

MARKED MAN: MARTIN LUTHER KING AND THE FBI - Documentary
Martin Luther King, Jr. galvanized the civil rights movement, it was a revolution, but among his enemies was head of the FBI.

• Feb. 12th, 10pm

Marked Man: Martin Luther King Jr and the FBI

For years before Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, he was subjected to a campaign of intimidation by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Hoover believed King was a puppet of the Communists, intent on destroying America, and he was determined to neutralize the threat. This program reveals the depth of Hoover's vendetta against King and examines how and why he targeted the civil rights leader.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS: GREAT MIGRATIONS - History/Culture
Rapper Wiz Khalifa and actor Sanaa Lathan learn about ancestors who left the American South in search of better lives in the North.

• Feb.12th, 11pm

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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces rapper Wiz Khalifa and actor Sanaa Lathan to ancestors who left the American South in search of new jobs and better lives in the North, boldly breaking racial barriers . Journeying into the depths of the Jim Crow era, Wiz and Sanaa reimagine themselves as they learn the heroic stories of the people forever transformed their families.

AMERICAN COUP: WILMINGTON 1898 - Documentary
The little-known story of the deadly 1898 race massacre and coup d’etat in Wilmington, NC.

• Feb. 15th, 7am

American Experience: American Coup Wilmington 1898

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898, the only coup d’état in the history of the US. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government. Black residents were murdered and thousands were banished. The story of what happened in Wilmington was suppressed for decades until descendants and scholars began to investigate. Today, many of those descendants, Black and white, seek the truth about this intentionally buried history.


FINDING YOUR ROOTS: CARIBBEAN ROOTS - History/Culture
Exploring the Caribbean heritage of actors Liza Colón-Zayas and Delroy Lindo.

• Feb. 13th, 9am and Feb.19th, 11pm

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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Caribbean roots of actors Liza Colón-Zayas and Delroy Lindo—meeting ancestors who crisscrossed the globe to help their families move forward, often taking enormous risks. Along the way, Delroy and Liza both gain a new understanding of the ancestors, enslaved and free, who laid the groundwork for their success.


BLACK AND JEWISH AMERICA - Documentary
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. speaks with dozens of scholars, activists, religious leaders, and writers about the kinship between the two groups, defined by powerful moments of solidarity and painful episodes of division.

• Feb. 17th, 5pm

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In episode 2, Strange Fruit spotlights how Black and Jewish communities collaborated in the early 20th century on music, movies, and the universal fight against fascism, navigating tensions while shaping culture, confronting injustice, and leaving a lasting social impact.



SECRETS OF WWII: BLACK GI’s IN BRITAIN - Documentary
In Secrets of WWII: Black GI's in Britain presenter Nadifa Mohamed reveals Winston Churchill’s controversial decision to allow America’s segregated army into the U.K. during World War II, bringing in 15,000 Black troops who endured discrimination and hostility from white GIs.

• Feb. 19th, 10pm

Secrets of World War II: Black GI's in Britain

Secrets of WWII: Black GIs in Britain uncovers a hidden chapter of World War II, exploring the experiences of Black American soldiers stationed in Britain. Facing segregation, prejudice from white GIs, and restrictive military policies, tensions sometimes erupted into violent clashes, including the Battle of Bamber Bridge. Through personal stories like Leroy Henry and William Crossland, the film examines the lasting impact of wartime racism and Britain’s complex role in these events.

FORGOTTEN HERO: WALTER WHITE AND THE NAACP - Documentary
Examines the story of Walter White, an unsung hero of the 20th century who led NAACP to national prominence and fought for equality for African-Americans.

• Feb. 22nd, 7am

American Experience: Forgotten Hero

While many consider the birth of the civil rights movement to be 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, the stage had been set decades before by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Some of the NAACP leaders are familiar, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Thurgood Marshall, but Walter White, head of the NAACP from 1929 to 1955, has been all but forgotten. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Walter White looked white; he described himself as “an enigma, a Black man occupying a white body.” Like virtually all light-skinned African Americans of his day, White was descended from enslaved Black women and powerful white men. But he was Black — by law, identity, and conviction and spent his entire life fighting for Black civil rights.  Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP traces the life of this neglected civil rights hero and seeks to explain his disappearance from our history.


BLACK AND JEWISH AMERICA - Documentary
This episode captures the moment the ‘Grand Alliance’ was formed, uniting Black and Jewish leaders in the fight for civil and voting rights.

• Feb. 24th, 5pm

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In episode 3, The Grand Alliance traces the 1960s’ “Grand Alliance” as Black and Jewish communities fought for civil rights in a transformative interracial coalition, and the imbalances that quickly tested their alliance.


A FULLER EDUCATION - Documentary
A Fuller Education highlights the groundbreaking journey of Dr. Howard Fuller, a civil rights leader and educator whose bold ideas transformed urban education and continue to influence schools nationwide.

• Feb. 26th, 10pm

A Fuller Education

A Fuller Education is an hour-long program that follows the unique journey of Dr. Howard Fuller, an African American civil rights leader and educator who has personally won support from figures as politically diverse as George W. Bush and Barack Obama. As the leader of a big-city school district, Fuller initiated radical new ideas in education that catalyzed a major shift in perspective and are now being emulated nationwide.

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If you love Florida stories, WLRN has plenty to captivate and inspire you. As your storyteller station, we bring you award-winning, locally produced programs that uncover Florida’s fascinating history, remarkable people, and unforgettable places. We shine on spotlight on these two programs that celebrate the contributions of Black Americans. You can watch anytime online with WLRN Passport.

NEVER DROP THE BALL - Documentary/Culture
Discover a time when Major League Baseball was born, but the color line divided the field.

Never Drop the Ball - Now Streaming on WLRN Passport

Explore the journey of Black baseball players during decades of exclusion from Major League Baseball, culminating in Jackie Robinson’s 1947 success. Their passion for the game led to the creation of the Negro Major League and Negro American League. Set in an era when Major League Baseball began but was segregated, these players' love for the game transcended Jim Crow laws and adversity.

HOMETOWN HERO: THE WINSTON SCOTT STORY - Documentary
Former NASA astronaut Capt. Winston Scott reflects on his childhood in segregated Miami, the influential figures who shaped his path, and the defining moment that launched him on a remarkable journey.

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The inspiring story of one man’s journey of a lifetime. Miami native and former NASA Astronaut Captain Winston Scott traveled on three missions into space, but his road from adolescence to aeronautics was anything but simple. From a young child Winston was fascinated with flight and science, but growing up in segregated Coconut Grove, he had little to no access to science, technology, and engineering courses that would foster these interests. Winston then discovers he has a talent for music and begins to pursue it. This path turns out to be the key that opens the door to the future of his dreams, proving that through ingenuity and perseverance, anything is possible.