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PBS Explores African-American Contributions to History and Society
January 6, 2010Throughout the year, PBS invites viewers to explore the vast contributions of African Americans. In honor and celebration of Black History Month, February 2010, PBS presents new and encore programs, beginning in January and continuing through February. Acclaimed Harvard scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. investigates the ancestry of 11 renowned Americans, including poet Elizabeth Alexander, who composed and read the poem at President Barack Obama's inauguration, and writer Malcolm Gladwell, with FACES OF AMERICA, a new four-part series. INDEPENDENT LENS brings race to the forefront with two new films in February. "Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness" explores the often overlooked legacy of Jewish anthropologist Melville Herskovits, whose ideas in the 40s and 50s challenged the accepted assumptions about race and culture. "Behind the Rainbow" unearths once-hidden realities of South Africa's political obstacles on the path to democracy. Full release.