ETV Celebrates African-American History Month

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ETV Presents Engaging Lineup of Programs Celebrating African-American History Month

For Immediate Release
January 30, 2011

Columbia, SC...In February, ETV spotlights the enduring contributions that African-Americans have made to the diverse landscape of American society. The Carolina Stories documentary Jail, No Bail kicks off the month of special programming on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 8 and 8:30 p.m. followed by ETV’s national Independent Lens presentation of Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 at 9 p.m.

Jail, No Bail is a 30-minute long documentary that pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of the sit-in that introduced a new protest strategy and turned the tables on the establishment, while at the same time reinvigorating the Civil Rights movement nationally. The program also honors the “Friendship Nine” and the bold stand the Friendship College students took in the face of extreme injustice.

Narrated by award-winning actor Keith David, “Jail, No Bail” is a powerful examination of the personal trials and adversities that tested the character and resolve of this group of young men. The program dramatically moves through the 1961 peaceful protest and shares revelations from eight of the surviving members of the Friendship Nine, as well as the tenth student who posted bail. The show also offers never-before-told specifics of this historic demonstration.

Then at 9 p.m., Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 airs. This program takes a look at one of South Carolina’s bloodiest Civil Rights tragedies, The Orangeburg Massacre, during which, three African-American student protestors were killed at South Carolina State College in Orangeburg in 1968. This meticulously researched documentary recounts the definitive report of that horrific event and exposes the environment that kept details of the incident buried for so long.

At 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8, Independent Lens presents When I Rise. This powerful documentary tells the inspiring story of Barbara Smith Conrad, a gifted black mezzo-soprano who, as a music student at the University of Texas, found herself in a civil rights storm that changed her life forever.

On Thursday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m., Cannon Street Boys airs. This Southern Lens documentary was inspired by the true story of the all-black 1955 Cannon Street YMCA Little League All-Star baseball team, as they found themselves in the middle of a racial controversy during the Little League World Series. The 30-minute-long program is a stirring story of baseball and courage in the segregated South.

Then Thursday, Feb. 17 at 9 p.m., ETV presents My Name Ain’t Eve. This 30-minute Southern Lens program, the brainchild of ETV media producer and independent filmmaker Urica P. Floyd, is a candid and humorous personal documentary that explores the significance of names in the African-American community. Through interviews with family members, strangers, and scholars, Floyd investigates the historical paths, traditions, and contemporary methods used to name African-American children, as well as the evolution of the names for the Black race.

On Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 10 p.m., Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greeneairs. Narrated by award-winning actor Don Cheadle, this Independent Lens production is a gritty look at larger- than-life ex-convict Petey Greene as he burst onto the airwaves in the 1960s with raw and uncensored radio and TV shows on racism, poverty, sexuality and drug abuse. Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene chronicles the life and times of America’s first shock jock, a man who spoke the truth to people in power and influenced a new generation of broadcast personalities.

Then on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 9 p.m., Southern Lens presents Change Comes Knocking: The Story of The NC Fund. This program is a snapshot of the creation of the North Carolina Fund, one of the first bi-racial organizations established in the South, during the turbulent sixties. The NC Fund encouraged communities around the state to create local agencies called Community Action Programs (CAPS), whose agendas would have to include input from low income people. The NC Fund gave a voice to people who had been disenfranchised, and in turn empowered them to make substantial changes in their lives and communities.

Additional programs that will air during African-American History month include:

Thursday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. Carolina Stories: A True Likeness

Thursday, Feb. 10 at 9:30 p.m. Southern Lens: Grass Roots: The Enduring Art of the Lowcountry Basket

Sunday, Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. Southern Lens: February One, The Story of the Greensboro Four

Sunday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. Hines Farm Blues Club

Sunday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. Evening with Smokey Robinson

Sunday, Feb. 13 at 10:30 p.m. Ford Hunger March

Thursday, Feb. 17 at 9:30 p.m. Southern Lens - The Telling Takes Me Home

Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. Black History Teleconference: The Struggle Continues: African Americans in the Civil War

Sunday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. Sherman’s March Through South Carolina

Sunday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. Fly Boys: Western Pennsylvania's Tuskegee Airmen

Sunday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. POV: Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

Sunday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. Colorblind

Sunday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. Mary Long’sYesteryear: Robert Smalls: Sail Away to Freedom-Part I

Sunday, Feb. 27 at 3:30 p.m. Mary Long’s Yesteryear: Robert Smalls: Gullah Statesman-Part II

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.