Black History Month programming and events

Below is a comprehensive list of programming that will be broadcast during Black History Month.

ABC
ABC is planning to air a series of public-service announcements directed by Spike Lee.
Feb. 5 at 1 p.m.: “A Passion to Lead: A Celebration of the African-American Athlete.”

NBC
Feb. 20 at 9 p.m.: “Little Richard.” NBC original movie stars Leon, Garrett Morris and Carl Lumbly in a biographical account of the rock ‘n’ roll icon. Robert Townsend directs.

WNET/13
Feb. 2 at 8 p.m.: “American Masters” presents “Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light.” Actress/director Lee Grant narrates a look at the life and career of the legendary black actor.
Feb. 5 at 9 p.m.: “Cinema Thirteen” presents “Blackboard Jungle.” Sidney Poitier stars as a troubled youth in a New York City school.
Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.: “Homecoming . . . Sometimes I am Haunted by Memories of Red Dirt and Clay.” Film maker Charlene Gilbert takes a look at the decline of black farming in the last 80 years.
Feb. 7 at 10 p.m.: “Duke Ellington’s Washington.” Hour-long documentary takes a look at the growth of the black community in Washington, D.C., in the last century.
Feb. 8 at 12:30 a.m.: “Black Is . . . Black Ain’t.” Program examines racism, sexism and homophobia in the black community.
Feb. 9 at 10:30 p.m.: “Lockin’ Up.” Film maker Nicole T. Atkinson’s autobiographical film on the significance of dreadlocks in African-American culture.
Feb. 11 at 9 p.m.: “I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts.” Vanessa Williams narrates this six-hour series showcasing black creative achievements in the last 100 years. Parts 1 and 2.*
Feb. 11 at 12 a.m.: “Great Performance” presents “Porgy and Bess: An American Voice.” Ruby Dee narrates and offers many insights into the Gershwin folk opera.
Feb. 12 at 9 p.m.: “Jeni LeGon: Living in a Great Big Way.” Dancer Jeni LeGon was the first African-American performer to sign a contract with a major Hollywood studio.
Feb. 16 at 8 p.m.: “Great Performances” presents “Aida’s Brothers and Sisters: Black Voices in Opera.” Documentary salutes African-American opera stars, including Sissieretta Jones, an ex-slave who performed for four U.S. Presidents.
Feb. 16 at 9:30 p.m.: “Nadro.” Documentary about the African artist.
Feb. 17 at 10 p.m.: “Ellis Marsalis: Jazz Is Spoken Here.” This special profiles jazz great Wynton’s father, who also happens to be a pianist, teacher and role model.
Feb. 18 at 9 p.m.: “I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts.” Parts 3 and 4 take a look at racial barriers being broken.
Feb. 21 at 9 p.m: “A Walk Through Harlem With David Hartman and Historian Barry Lewis.” An exploration of New York’s most famous neighborhood.
Feb. 21 at 10:45 p.m.: Ralph Ellison’s “King of the Bingo Game.” A dramatic adaptation of Ellison’s short story.
Feb. 23 at 1 a.m.: “Black Women On: The Light, Dark Thang.” This documentary explores racial prejudice in the black community from the female perspective..
Feb. 24 at 1 a.m.: “Great Performances” presents “Dance in America: A Hymn for Alvin Ailey.” Dancer/choreographer Judith Jamison and performance Artist Anna Deavere Smith pay tribute to Ailey.
Feb. 25 at 9 p.m.: “I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts.” The last two parts profile African-American artists from the 1960s to the present.
Feb. 27 at 10:30 p.m.: “All God’s Children.” A documentary on the alienation of the gay community.
Feb. 27 at 12 a.m.: The Kennedy Center Presents: “A Tribute to Muddy Waters, King of the Blues.” Billy Dee Williams hosts; Bo Diddley, Phoebe Snow, Peter Wolf and others perform.
Feb. 28 at 9 p.m.: “The America Experience” presents “John Brown’s Holy War.”

BET
The Black Entertainment Television Channel celebrates Black History Month with “A Century Rich in Color,” a special collection of films, premieres and documentaries. Coretta Scott King and her daughter, Yolanda King, will serve as guest hosts. Check local listings.

DISCOVERY
Feb. 13 at 10 p.m.: “Inside the KKK: Faces of Hate.”

DISNEY
For Black History Month, Disney offers all-new specials of its original series. Also on schedule:
Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.: “The Color of Friendship,” a network original movie, is about a white South African student and the African-American family in whose care she is entrusted. Starring Carl Lumbly & Penny Johnson.

E! ENTERTAINMENT
On Feb. 21, E! offers profiles & biographies on some of the most talented faces in show business.
Beginning at 9 a.m., “Uncut,” a series of personal interviews, will feature the stories of personalities like Morgan Freeman, Wesley Snipes, Debbie Allen & Quincy Jones.
Starting at 1 p.m., “Celebrity Profile” will feature Della Reese, Danny Glover & others.
At 6 p.m., “Mysteries & Scandals: Paul Robeson,” reveals how the American government destroyed this actor’s reputation after he began fighting for the rights of African-American people.

HGTV
Feb. 2 at 10 a.m.: “Homes of African-American Visionaries” takes a look at the homes of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King & more.
Feb. 20 at 9 p.m.: “Return to Harlem.” Ossie Davis narrates this special, which examines the new number of African-Americans who are creating a Harlem renaissance.

HISTORY
Feb. 1 at 6 p.m.: “Harlem Hellfighters.” The story of the 369th Infantry Regiment, which fought against the Germans.
Feb. 5 at 8 p.m.: “The Port Chicago Mutiny.” Fifty black seamen refused to return to duty after two munitions ships exploded during WWII.
Feb. 11 at 2 p.m.: “20th Century with Mike Wallace: Little Rock/Boston Busing.”
Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.: “History’s Lost & Found.” Long-lost objects are tracked down, among them: Louis Armstrong’s personal recordings.
Feb. 12 at 6 a.m.: “Abolitionists and the Underground Railroad.”
Feb. 12 at 6 a.m.: “The African Burial Ground: A History.” Part 2.
Feb. 16 at 9 a.m.: “The Black Cowboys.” Danny Glover hosts this look at African-American cowboys.
Feb. 18 at 6 a.m.: “The Underground Railroad – Part II”
Feb. 19 at 6 a.m.: “The Talented Tenth.” A look at five prominent African-American families.
Feb. 19 at 10 a.m.: “Shaka Zulu.” Acclaimed miniseries.
Feb. 20 at 6 a.m.: “The African Burial Ground: People and Politics.” Part 3.*
Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.: World premiere. “20th Century with Mike Wallace: South Africa: Free at Last.” A look at the history of South Africa.
Feb. 23 at 8 p.m.: World premiere. “History’s Mysteries: Discharged Without Honor: Brownsville.” A look at the 1906 discharge of an entire black infantry after a midnight raid on Brownsville, Tex.
Feb. 26 at 6 a.m.: “Black Georgetown Remembered.”
Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.: World premiere. “Murder in Memphis: Unanswered Questions.” A look at the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Feb. 27 at 6 a.m.: “The African Burial Ground: An Open Window.” Part 4.
Feb. 29 at 6 a.m.: “Frederick Douglas.”
Feb. 29 at 1 p.m.: “Royal Federal Blues”

LIFETIME
Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.: “Intimate Portrait aEUR” Florence Griffith Joyner.”
Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.: “Intimate Portrait aEUR” Harriet Tubman.”

SHOWTIME
Feb. 6 at 8 p.m.: “A Storm in Summer.” Directed by Rod Serling, this film, about an old Jewish deli owner who takes in a young African-American boy, stars Peter Falk, Andrew McCarthy, Ruby Dee and Nastassja Kinski.
Feb. 7 at 10 p.m.: Four short films: “Kings,” “Louisville,” “The Wedding,” “Next Afternoon.” Michael Jace and Heavy D star.
Feb. 13 at 8 p.m.: “It’s Black Entertainment.” Vanessa Williams hosts this show highlighting memorable music performances by African-Americans in film over the past 70 years. Interviews with Whitney Houston, Little Richard, Smokey Robinson, Gregory Hines, Ice T, Wynton Marsalis, Busta Rhymes And more.
Feb. 13 at 9:30 p.m.: “Delroy Lindo in Conversation With Charles Burnett” Actor Lindo sits with director Burnett to discuss making movies.
Feb. 20 at 8 p.m.: “The Wishing Tree.” Alfre Woodard stars as a lawyer who returns to her hometown and reconnects with her roots. Blair Underwood co-stars.
Feb. 27 at 8 p.m.: “Down in the Delta.” Maya Angelou directs Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman, Esther Rolle and Wesley Snipes.

TBS
Feb. 7 at 11 p.m.: “Boyz ‘N the Hood.” Laurence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding Jr. star in this drama about the life of a young man in South Central L.A.
Feb. 13 at 9 p.m.: “Love Jones.” Larenz Tate and Nia Long star as a young couple playing the dating game in Chicago.
Feb. 22 at 8:05 p.m.: “Ghosts of Mississippi.” Alec Baldwin and Whoopi Goldberg star in the story of the trials dealing with the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers.
Feb. 23 at 1:35 a.m.: “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Gregory Peck and Robert Duvall star in this classic about racial prejudice in 1930s Alabama.
Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.: “In the Heat of the Night.” Sidney Poitier stars as a Philadelphia homicide expert wrongly accused of murder in Mississippi.
Feb. 26 at 1 p.m.: “Glory.” Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington star in this story of America’s first unit of black
soldiers.
Feb. 26 at 8:05 p.m.: “The Trumpet Awards.” Debbie Allen and Kweis Mfume host this honors show, which salutes African-American achievements in diverse fields.

TCM
Turner Classic Movies celebrates Black History Month every Sunday in February. Some highlights:
Feb. 7 at 1:15 a.m.: “Hallelujah,” starring Daniel Haynes.
Feb. 7 at 5 a.m.: “The Bronze Buckaroo,” starring Herbert Jeffries.
Feb. 14 at 4 a.m.: “Duke Is Tops,” with Ralph Cooper and Lena Horne.
Feb. 20 at 1:45 p.m.: “The Long Ships,” starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier.
Feb. 20 at 4 p.m.: “The Defiant Ones,” starring Tony Curtis and Sidney
Poitier.
Feb. 21 at 4:30 a.m.: “King Solomon’s Mines,” starring Paul Robeson.
Feb. 27 at 10 p.m.: “Princess Tam Tam,” starring Josephine Baker.
Feb. 28 at 4 a.m.: “The Jackie Robinson Story,” starring Jackie Robinson & Ruby Dee.