The WNET Group Celebrates Black Excellence With February Film Premieres & Streaming Opportunities

The WNET Group, home to New York’s PBS stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21, and operator of New Jersey’s statewide public television network NJ PBS, is celebrating Black excellence during Black History Month.

They are doing this by showcasing inspiring documentaries and streaming opportunities that profile Black Americans’ indelible marks on history with their artistry, professional achievements, and activism.

Throughout February, The WNET Group will air a diverse collection of film premieres that share the stories of culture-shaping creators and the people behind nation-changing movements and achievements, such as human rights activist Malcom X, poet Maya Angelou, basketball legend Dick Barnett, and business pioneer Reginald F. Lewis.

Below is a selection of broadcast and streaming options on THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and NJ PBS. Broadcast schedules are available to live stream at thirteen.org/live, wliw.org/live or MyNJPBS.org/live.

THIRTEEN Explore and the PBS app are available to download on all devices for new and featured programs.

Discover more Black creators, leaders and movements, how to watch and where to stream, on thirteen.org.

Broadcast Lineup

Lyla in the Loop – A PBS KIDS animated series (in English and Spanish) for kids 4-8 features creative Lyla, a 7-year-old African American girl who uses critical thinking skills to face everyday problems. Sunday to Friday at 8 a.m. on THIRTEEN, weekdays at 8:30 a.m. on WLIW21, premiering Monday, 2/5.

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X – Kicking off the 18^th season of Great Performances at the Met, this bold new staging helmed by Tony-nominated director Robert O’Hara (Slave Play) imagines the legendary civil rights leader as an Everyman whose story transcends time and space. Sunday, 2/11 at 12 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Gospel – Renowned Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song), digs deep into the rich history of Black spirituality through sermon and song. Monday, 2/12 and Tuesday, 2/13 at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on THIRTEEN; Wednesday, 2/28 at 8 p.m. on WLIW21; Thursday, 2/29 at 9 p.m. on NJ PBS.

Finding Your Roots – Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces actor Danielle Brooks and singer Dionne Warwick to their distant ancestors, breaking down barriers imposed by slavery. Tuesday, 2/13 at 8 p.m. on THIRTEEN; Wednesday, 2/14 at 8 p.m. on WLIW21; Thursday, 2/22 at 8 p.m. on NJ PBS.

Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights – Examine the heated debate W.E.B Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter had with Booker T. Washington on how to best secure equality for their community. Thursday, 2/15 at 10 p.m. on THIRTEEN; Wednesday 2/8 at 10 p.m. on WLIW21.

Treasures of New York: Bowne House – Trace the history held in a 1661 house, now a museum in Flushing, Queens, that played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Sunday, 2/18 at 7 p.m. on THIRTEEN. Stream at thirteen.org/treasures.

Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion: American Stories – Industrialist George Pullman, whose revolutionary sleeping cars brought luxury to overnight train travel in 1864, controlled the lives of the former slaves he hired as maids and porters. Discover his workers’ long and bloody battle for independence. Tuesday, 2/27 at 10 p.m. on THIRTEEN; Thursday, 2/29 at 10 p.m. on NJ PBS.

The Dream Whisperer – Follow Knicks legend Dick Barnett’s fight to have the Tennessee A&I Tigers – an all-Black collegiate basketball team that won three consecutive national championships amid segregation — inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Wednesday, 2/28 at 10 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Black Broadway: A Proud History, Limitless Future – Celebrate legendary performances by Black actors and iconic roles made famous by Black artists. Sunday, 2/25 at 9:30 p.m. on NJ PBS.

Stream On-Demand

American Masters – Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll – A portrait of the influential musician and advocate of Black artists in the music industry. Stream February 1-29 on pbs.org/americanmasters. The series’ profiles on Miles Davis and six iconic African American female entertainers (How It Feels To Be Free) are available to stream starting February 1.

Symphony Celebration: The Blind Boys of Alabama With Dr. Henry Panlon, III – The Grammy Award-winning group perform a concert with messages of humanity, peace and love with a full symphony and 300-person choir made up of Alabama’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Now streaming on thirteen.org.

Segregation Scholarships – The untold story of African Americans who traveled from the Jim Crow South to the North in pursuit of advanced academic degrees when Southern graduate schools were white-only. Now streaming on pbs.org/chasingthedream.

Dr. Maya Angelou’s Blacks, Blues, Black! – As host of this series from 1968, Dr. Angelou examines African American culture’s influence on American society, with episodes on African history, art, Africanisms and “violence in the black American world.” Now streaming on thirteen.org.

The 88th Annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards – Features the personal stories of the 2023 recipients of the only national juried prize for literature that confronts racism and explores diversity. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. hosts. Now streaming on thirteen.org.

Pioneers: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire – The life of business pioneer who rose to prominence as a lawyer and leader of the global food company TLC Beatrice International. Now streaming on thirteen.org/pioneers.

Road Scholars – A four-part series that reignites the discussion on navigating the world as Black men. Now streaming on pbs.org/chasingthedream.

Pathway to Success – In a new episode, William Bowie, CEO/Founder of Empower Construction, discusses being inspired and mentored, and how seizing one opportunity changed the trajectory of his life. Now streaming at MyNJPBS.org.

The WNET Group

The WNET Group creates inspiring media content and meaningful experiences for diverse audiences nationwide. It is the community-supported home of New York’s THIRTEEN – America’s flagship PBS station – WLIW21, THIRTEEN PBSKids, WLIW World and Create; NJ PBS, New Jersey’s statewide public television network; Long Island’s only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; newsroom NJ Spotlight News; and FAST channel PBS Nature.

Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month.

The WNET Group’s award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs like NJ Spotlight Newswith Briana Vannozzi. Inspiring curiosity and nurturing dreams, The WNET Group’s award-winning Kids’ Media and Education team produces the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers.

A leading nonprofit public media producer for more than 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding and the environment. Through Passport, station members can stream new and archival programming anytime, anywhere. The WNET Group represents the best in public media.

Photo credit: 1) American Masters – Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll 2) MalcomX, Will Liverman as Malcolm in a scene from Anthony Davis’s “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.” Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera.

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