CBC celebrates and honours Black voices and stories for Black History Month
Join CBC for the month of February for the best in Black storytelling, with documentaries, films, podcasts, music, and more.
Through a blend of documentary-style interviews and personal narratives, LEGACY ECHOES: PASSING DOWN OUR ROOTS offers a look at the rich tapestry of multigenerational Black families as they navigate the intricate journey of transferring culture, traditions and stories from one generation to the next. Each episode will focus on a different aspect of Black cultural transfer, shedding light on the significance of language, dance, food and parenting/sex talk — together they weave a powerful narrative of cultural preservation and evolution.
PlayME - 'DA KINK IN MY HAIR - Available on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available beginning Wednesday, February 7.
PlayME transforms the way audiences experience theatre by turning contemporary plays into bingeable audio dramas. For Black History Month, PlayME presents the audio adaptation of playwright Trey Anthony's 'da Kink in My Hair, the groundbreaking hit show turned TV series which just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Set in a West Indian hair salon in Toronto, 'da Kink in My Hair untangles the triumphs and tragedies of the women who sit in Novelette's salon chair, giving voice to a group of women who tell us their unforgettable, moving, and hilarious stories.
BEING BLACK IN HALIFAX, BEING BLACK IN MONTREAL, BEING BLACK IN TORONTO
CBC's Absolutely Canadian series features short films from emerging directors that came out of the Fabienne Colas Foundation's Being Black in Canada mentorship program dedicated to Black filmmakers.
In this powerful new film, the father of Venus and Serena Williams retraces his family's meteoric journey – in his own words. With never-before-seen archive material and in-depth, intimate interviews, this is the real story of one man's fight – against racism, suppression and violence – to raise two of the greatest champions in history. Richard Williams takes us from his childhood as the son of a cotton picker in poverty-stricken Louisiana during the Jim Crow era to the tennis courts of Compton. This is the first time Williams has told his story so candidly, with moving insights into family life but also shining a light on unconscious bias and the oppression of Black people. As dramatic and celebratory as any Grand Slam final, his journey is an exhilarating story about race in America, family, courage and determination.
In the year 1941, as the nation teeters on the brink of entering WWII, a nearly bankrupt NAACP sends its only lawyer, 32-year-old Thurgood Marshall (the late Chadwick Boseman), to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur against charges of rape and attempted murder brought by his wealthy socialite employer. It was a trial that quickly became tabloid fodder. In need of a high-profile victory, but muzzled by the trial court, Marshall is joined by Samuel Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer who has never before tried a criminal case. Marshall and Friedman struggle against a hostile storm of fear and prejudice, driven to discover the truth in the sensationalized trial which helped set the groundwork for a career that ultimately made Thurgood Marshall America's first African-American Supreme Court Justice.
Looking for more? Check out CBC Gem's four Black History Month collections — Black Stories, Celebrating Black History, Black Music & Art, and Must Watch Black Leads — with over 60 series, films and documentaries. CBC Books will feature two curated reading lists for February, and tune into The Block on CBC Listen every Tuesday and Thursday for Canadian Black Music Trailblazers, as host Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe highlights a prominent figure in Canadian Black music history. From Portia White to Dubmatique to Measha Brueggergosman and more, these Black Canadians have made a tremendous impact on the music industry in this country.
Photos courtesy of CBC.