Celebrate Black History Month on CBC
As we get ready to kick off Black History Month, CBC is again excited to showcase all the rich news and programming surrounding the Black Canadian experience throughout February and year-round. Here's some of the programming you can watch, listen and read over the month ahead.
CBC NEWS
Being Black in Canada kicks off February with the Moments That Matter video series and special.
Moments That Matter TV special highlights the events, stories, and achievements that have impacted Black Canadians in 2024, from Kamala Harris' trailblazing presidential run to the controversy Katt Williams sparked with his appearance on the Shannon Sharpe podcast, Club Shay Shay, and the ongoing push for make-up inclusivity. Host Jackson Weaver explores the triumphs, struggles, and transformations that inspire change in Black Canadians.
Watch the 30-minute special on Saturday, February 8 at 12:30, 4:30 and 9:30 p.m. ET on CBC News Network and CBC Gem
You can also watch videos from this series on TikTok, Instagram and our Being Black in Canada website.
LISTEN
Canadian Black Music Trailblazers. Celebrating Black Canadian musicians who did it first, did it differently and paved the way. Listen every Thursday in February on The Block on CBC Music.
Episode 1 - Feb 6: Allison Russell "The Returner": From life on the streets of Montreal to the bright lights of the Grammys, to say Allison Russell has taken the path less travelled would be an understatement. Her story is one of survival, resilience and hope, but also celebration, gratitude and triumph.
Episode 2 - Feb 13: Little Jamaica\ Jackie Mittoo "Ghetto Organ": Little Jamaica is a neighbourhood in Toronto that stretches along Eglinton Avenue West. In the '60s and '70s, it became one of the largest producers of reggae music in the world, outside of Kingston, Jamaica. In that era, musical acts like Jo Jo and The Fugitives, The Cougars and Jackie Mittoo would emerge.
Episode 3 - Feb 20: Liberty Silver "Lost Somewhere Inside Your Love": Liberty Silver stormed the Canadian music industry in the mid-'80s. In 1985 she would become the first Black person in history to win a JUNO Award, 15 years after the first ceremony.
Episode 4 - Feb 27: Beverly Glenn-Copeland "Ever New": From his beginnings in the '70s as an aspiring jazz-folk artist and a beloved guest on the CBC Kid's Mr. Dressup, Glenn-Copeland struggled privately to find his identity without the language to describe who he was. In recent years, thanks to a Japanese record collector who discovered Beverly Glenn-Copeland's music, he has made a resurgence in popularity as an artist and as a Black LGBTQ trailblazer.
CBC GEM COLLECTION
Marking Black History Month, new titles joining the Celebrate Black History collection include the Radio-Canada-commissioned comedy series Lakay Nou (Feb. 1), following a couple caught between their Quebec-born children and traditional Haitian parents; the exclusive Canadian premiere of documentary Invisible Beauty (Feb. 1), exploring the life of Black fashion model and activist Bethann Hardison; Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Feb. 1), Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's Oscar®-winning documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival; Michael Mann's Muhammad Ali biopic ALI (Feb. 1) starring Will Smith; feature film Queen of Glory (Feb. 7), a lighthearted and insightful portrayal of an immigrant daughter navigating the old world and the new; and doc series Hollywood Black (Feb. 12), charting the history of Black filmmakers and actors in Hollywood.
CBC BOOKS
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In February, CBC Books will unveil its annual Black Canadian Writers to Watch list on CBC Radio's The Next Chapter and CBCBooks.ca. The anticipated list — showcasing emerging and exciting Black Canadian writers, authors and poets — will be revealed on a panel featuring Ryan B. Patrick and Alicia Cox Thomson and hosted by Antonio Michael Downing.
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Black History Month Reading lists: In February, CBC Books features a reading list of buzzworthy titles by Black Canadian writers in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and more.
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Bookends with Mattea Roach: Interviews with Black authors Imani Perry, nnendi okafor and H Nigel Thomas
Follow CBC Books on social media: In February, the CBC Books social media channels will include posts and videos that showcase Black Canadian authors and books.
CBC KIDS AND CBC KIDS NEWS
York United FC's 16-year-old winger Shola Jimoh (Credit: Denys Rudenko/The Canadian Press)
CBC Kids is celebrating Black History Month! Check out the YouTube playlist of shorts, sports, songs, stories, dances, and full episodes for younger kids. The celebration continues with the CBC Kids morning programming on CBC TV. Watch for new episodes of CBC Kids Book Club, featuring Black Canadian authors Onome Ako (I Am Cherished) and Nadia L. Hohn (Patty Dreams), and a new episode of Campfire Stories featuring an African Story told by storyteller Keisha Christie.
On CBC Kids News (for kids 9+) watch for profiles of Eden-Belle O'Neill, a 15-year-old Vancouver teen who started a support group for Black teens called the Black Queen Collective, and Shola Jimoh, a 16-year-old soccer player who plays in the Canadian Premier League and is scoring some game-winning goals.
As part of the First Person series, a teen shares their story about how hard it was to be accepted as a Black girl in a Canadian school, and how she has learned to accept that.
Lastly, CBC Kids News asked Toronto teens which Black creators kids should be paying attention to these days. Find CBC Kids News on CBCKidsNews.ca and on YouTube.
CBC ARTS
On February 3, CBC Arts will reveal the stunning February logo design by hair artist D'Andra Morris. Visit CBC.ca/arts website, social channels and YouTube.
CBC DOCS
New documentaries, including the documentary series Paid in Full, have joined CBC Docs library of documentaries to watch this month.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.