Black Culture Connection

Explore Black history and culture though films, stories, and voices across public media.

Welcome to PBS' Black Culture Connection. This is a place where we celebrate Black experiences, learn Black history, and uplift Black voices. Come for the documentaries, stay for the Block Parties.

Comemmorate the 60th Anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom

On June 23, 1963, an estimated 125,000 people civil rights advocates marched peacefully down Woodward Avenue in Detroit. At the time, it was the largest civil rights gathering. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was part of the march and it was there that he gave an early version of his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The Detroit Walk to Freedom was a precursor to the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. One Detroit and American Black Journal are celebrating the historic event's 60th anniversary with programs that revisit the march and look at the impact it made on Detroit and the larger civil rights movement.

Documentaries to watch now on the PBS app

After Sherman

From POV: Filmmaker Jon-Sesrie Goff returns to the coastal South Carolina land that his family purchased after emancipation. His desire to explore his Gullah/Geechee roots leads to a poetic investigation of Black inheritance, trauma, and generational wisdom, amidst the tensions that have shaped American history. In the wake of recent Southern violence, After Sherman is a reclamation of Black life and space.

Nigerians Throw Parties, Create Community In Detroit

A Homegrown: Future Visions short film. members of a Nigerian social club in Detroit redefine community within their adopted homelands. As the elders age, their descendants worry that their traditions will be lost to time.

Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts

The film examines the profound and often-contradictory roles played by Buffalo Soldiers in U.S. history, and how they fought on two sets of front lines: military conflicts abroad and civil rights struggles at home.

Fire on the Hill: The Cowboys of South Central LA

A western documentary film that follows three Black cowboys from South Central Los Angeles. In the wake of a stable fire that threatens their way of life, they set out to find purpose, hope and freedom through the cowboy lifestyle. Their journey from the streets of LA to the professional rodeo circuit explores both physical and mental aspects of what it means to be a “cowboy” in the modern world.

Featured Shows

American Black Journal

From Detroit Public Television

American Black Journal is an historic television program that has been presenting issues and events from African-American perspectives since 1968. Segments feature topics about the arts and culture and also cover community issues such as politics, race, and religion.

Black Issues Forum

From PBS NC

Each week, Black Issues Forum presents a diverse panel of guests who discuss such topics as politics, social concerns, health, education, justice, entertainment, technology and public policy.

Basic Black

From GBH

PUTTING THE SOUL IN PUBLIC MEDIA SINCE 1968: Basic Black was created in during the turmoil of the civil rights movement as a response to the demand for public television programs reflecting the concerns of communities of color.

Black Voices

From WTTW

BLACK VOICES presents trusted analysis and in-depth conversation about issues that matter to the Black community in Chicago hosted by CHICAGO TONIGHT co-anchor Brandis Friedman.

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A PBS SPECIAL EVENT

Welcome to the Block Party!

PBS is celebrating Black History Month by throwing a Block Party! Throughout the month of February, stream new and beloved programs celebrating Black excellence. Whether it’s history, music, documentaries, science or genealogy, PBS is your destination. Join the party at pbs.org/blockparty