Playlist Black History Month

Black History Month

Celebrate Black-Owned Businesses (and Michael Jordan) with Chicago BLACK Restaurant Week

Daniel Hautzinger
February 10, 2023

Now in its eighth year, Chicago BLACK Restaurant Week celebrates the "Jordan Year," 2023, after the legendary athlete's number, by offering deals and events to support Black-owned restaurants.

What to Watch on WTTW for Black History Month

Meredith Francis
February 1, 2023

Black History Month brings a myriad of engaging programs that tell the stories of Black history, arts, culture, and more.

Carl Rowan (center right) with Vice President Lyndon Johnson, 1963. Photo: The Finnish Heritage Agency

Celebrate Black History Month with WTTW's Programming

Daniel Hautzinger
January 28, 2022

Chicago has a rich and ongoing set of Black history and stories, and Black History Month in February is always a good excuse to further explore them and other stories from around the country. Discover our programming celebrating Black History Month.

Harold Washington on WTTW's 'Callaway Interviews' in 1980

Mayor Harold Washington Through the Years, in His Own Words

Daniel Hautzinger
February 3, 2021

Harold Washington was a frequent guest on WTTW over the course of his political career. Hear him discuss his upbringing, his coalitional politics, the Council Wars when he was mayor of Chicago, and more in archival interviews ranging from 1968 through 1984.

Marian Anderson singing at her concert at the Lincoln Memorial, April 9, 1939. Photo: Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo

What to Watch in February

Lisa Tipton
February 1, 2021

Celebrate stories of African American resilience, resistance, and culture, with documentaries about Marian Anderson, the Black church, a groundbreaking public television show, and more.

Host, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Photo: McGee Media

Celebrate Black History Month with WTTW in 2021

Daniel Hautzinger
January 25, 2021

This February, celebrate Black History Month with a variety of WTTW programming over air and online that explores African American history, stories in the larger African diaspora, and Black culture in America.

Hazel Johnson with Vice President Al Gore at the White House

The Chicago Woman Who Fought to Clean Up the Southeast Side

Daniel Hautzinger
February 24, 2020

Hazel Johnson described her Southeast Side community as existing within a "toxic donut," surrounded by landfills, industrial facilities, incinerators, and more. Her activism on behalf of marginalized communities led her to the White House and the title of the "mother of environmental justice."

Brochures advertising events organized by Vivian Harsh at the Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library

The Chicago Librarian Who Created a Lauded Collection of African American History and Literature

Daniel Hautzinger
February 13, 2020

Vivian Harsh helped make Bronzeville's library a center for African American writers and intellectuals, hosting speakers such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Zora Neale Hurston and amassing a collection of books and manuscripts by the likes of Langston Hughes and Richard Wright.

Etta Moten Barnett singing "My Forgotten Man" in "Gold Diggers of 1933"

The Many Pioneering Lives of Etta Moten Barnett

Daniel Hautzinger
February 12, 2019

She went from being a young mother from Texas to becoming one of the first black women to appear onscreen not as a stereotype and the first to sing at the White House. Gershwin wanted her for Porgy and Bess – and later she became a liasion to Africa and a Chicago cultural patron.

The Black- and Woman-Led Success of a Chicago Ice Cream Company

Daniel Hautzinger
February 7, 2019

Baldwin Ice Cream began as a parlor opened by seven African American postal workers on the South Side and eventually grew to offering ice cream in major Midwestern grocery stores and at O'Hare, thanks in part to Jolyn Robichaux, its president for more than two decades.

A statue of Queen Njinga outside the Fortaleza de São Miguel in Luanda, Angola. (Courtesy of Cécile Fromont)

Africa's Global Objects: Cécile Fromont at the Art Institute

Daniel Hautzinger
February 27, 2017

Cécile Fromont is a professor of Art History at the University of Chicago specializing in Central Africa and Brazil who appears in the new, three-part documentary Africa's Great Civilizations.

Maya Angelou, circa late 70s, early 80s. (Courtesy of Getty)

"Her Life is History": The Universality of Maya Angelou

Daniel Hautzinger
February 20, 2017

Maya Angelou was beyond prolific, and her life touched on many of the most significant people and events of the twentieth century. The creators of a film about the great woman discuss the difficulty of capturing her multi-faceted life on film, why they admire her, and what she was like.

DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis

Daniel Hautzinger
February 16, 2017

DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis explores the incredible history of African Americans in Chicago and their indelible influence on the city. Discover extensive web-exclusive content here.

Esperanza Spalding, Smokey Robinson, Corinne Bailey Rae, Gallant, Cee-Lo Green. (Courtesy of: the artist; Nick Spanos; Library of Congress, Photo by Shawn Miller; the artist; Cable Risdon Photography)

Meet the Musicians Who Paid Tribute to Smokey Robinson

Daniel Hautzinger
February 10, 2017

Cee-Lo Green, Esperanza Spalding, Corinne Bailey Rae, and many others saluted Smokey Robinson with performances when he received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

"Where Is The Love": Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway's Collaborations

Daniel Hautzinger
February 2, 2017

Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly explores the career of singer and pianist Roberta Flack. Made famous by hits like "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly With His Song," and "Feel Like Makin' Love," Flack is almost equally known for her collaborations with Chicago singer, arranger, and musician Donny Hathaway. The two recorded some of the most adored duets of all time, like "Where Is The Love" and "The Closer I Get To You."