KCETLink Celebrates Black History Mon with Robust Programming Lineup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Emily Merkley

747.201.5298, emerkley@kcet.org

KCETLink Celebrates Black History Month

With Robust Programming Lineup

Inspiring Documentaries & Special Episodes of KCET Original Series ARTBOUND, SOCAL CONNECTED and BORDER BLASTER Address Key Black Rights Movements, History and Social Issues

http://www.kcet.org/blackhistory

BURBANK, Calif. - February 2, 2016 - KCET, the nations largest independent public television station, and national nonprofit satellite network Link TV (DirecTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410) will celebrate Black History Month with a series of programs that will give viewers a unique window into the history, as well as the social and civil rights issues defining the black experience in the U.S. and beyond. Black History Month programs includes programming chronicling the life of civil rights leader Thurgood Marshall; the fascinating life of BET founder Sheila Johnson; attorney and activist Beatrice Mtetwas courageous civil rights work in Africa; an untold perspective on the historical struggle to abolish slavery in THE GHOSTS OF AMISTAD; and the current oppression against Cameroons underground LGBTQ community in BORN THIS WAY.

In addition, the flagship series ARTBOUND, BORDER BLASTER, and SOCAL CONNECTED will present special multi-platform segments that delve into cultural issues impacting the black community.

During the month of February, the KCET and Link TV programming offerings for Black History Month are as follows:

BUILDING THE DREAM - Wed., Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV and KCET This important documentary recounts the journey of an idea for a national monument honoring Martin Luther King Jr., taking viewers through the process that began with a group of friends talking around a kitchen table all the way to the creation of this permanent symbol to ensure Reverend Kings dream of equality will remain alive for future generations.

MR. CIVIL RIGHTS: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP - Wed., Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. PT on KCET

Rare archival film footage and revealing interviews explore the extraordinary life and work of Thurgood Marshall in the years leading up to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. The documentary spans Marshalls life including his upbringing in Baltimore and his education at Howard University Law School as well as his status as a rising star within the NAACP. The film also delves into his relationship with mentor Charles H. Houston and his high-profile segregation cases involving voting, transportation, housing, labor and the military. This compelling biography unfolds through interviews with a variety of civil rights activists including Vernon Jordan.

BEATRICE MTETWA AND THE RULE OF LAW - Wed., Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV and KCET

In spite of beatings by police officers, Beatrice Mtetwa has courageously defended in court those jailed by the Mugabe government - activists, journalists, opposition candidates, farmers who had their land confiscated, and ordinary citizens who had the courage to speak up. Through interviews with Mtetwa and some of her defendants, the film tells the story of what happens when rulers place themselves above the law and why defense of the rule of law is a crucial step in the building of civil society.

GHOSTS OF AMISTAD: In The Footsteps of Rebels - Fri., Feb. 19, at 9 p.m. PT on KCET Academics and historians travel to Sierra Leone in May of 2013 to retrace the path of the 53 Africans who rebelled against their captors and seized the slave schooner Amistad in 1839, leading to a watershed U.S. Supreme Court decision. With an intention to recover the lost history of the Amistad insurrection, the filmmakers visit the home villages of the people who seized the original ship resulting in a seldom-voiced perspective in the historical struggle against slavery.

BORN THIS WAY - Wed., Feb. 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV and KCET

Presenting a shocking portrait of persecution against the underground gay and lesbian community in the west African region of Cameroon, the documentary follows two young subjects, Cedric and Gertrude, as they move between a secret, supportive LGBT community and an oppressive outside culture that, though intensely homophobic, is in transition toward greater acceptance.

AN EVENING WITH SHEILA JOHNSON - Fri., Feb. 26, at 9 p.m. PT on KCET

Veteran PBS NewsHour journalist Gwen Ifill explores the life and career of one of the nations most successful black businesswomen, Sheila Johnson. Co-founding Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1980, Johnson poured her efforts into BET serving as Executive Vice President of Community Affairs, and spearheading programming such as Teen Summit. After selling BET in 2002 to Viacom for $2.4 billion, Johnson went on to found Salamander Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality firm that now owns and manages six luxury resorts.

Additional original KCET and Link TV programming supporting the Black History Month lineup are as follows:

ARTBOUND - Tuesdays at 8 p.m. PT on KCET in Southern California and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide.

In honor of Black History Month, KCETLinks acclaimed ARTBOUND series will present episodes dedicated to Black History Month. Kicking off with The Mundane Afro-futurist Manifesto on Tues, Feb. 2 on KCET, the program delves into a new theory of the Black aesthetic in the 21st century and examines the tension between conventional channels of media distribution and the black imagination. Another special episode closes the month on Tues., Feb. 23 on KCET with the episode Art and Protest featuring black artist Noah Purifoy that explores art created through social upheaval.

SOCAL CONNECTED - Wed., Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. on KCET

KCETs award-winning flagship news magazine SOCAL CONNECTED will go behind the scenes and explore LAs Black Lives Matter activist movement, as well as lo

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