New York Public Radio Celebrates Black History Month 2023
Black History Month is a time for celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black people throughout our history. It’s also a call to reflect on the challenges that still shape the Black experience today—in the United States and around the world—and the obstacles that still stand in the way of true equity.
New York Public Radio marks this month with a robust slate of on-air, online, live, and in-person programming. Through extraordinary journalism, storytelling, conversation, and music, we are lifting up stories of joy and pride, determination and defiance. Our programming guide is below; please check back often for updates.
February 1-28
NYPR Archives
The NYPR Archives Celebrates Black History Month
The New York Public Radio Archives Black History Month collection includes radio series, sonic artifacts, and images concerning African-American history.
February 1-28
Black History Month Events Cultural Calendar–what to see, hear, and do
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org and Gothamist
A list of Black History Month events and exhibitions in New York City, updated all month long. Find the list on Gothamist and listen for highlighted events on WNYC’s on air weekly arts roundup. Reported by Ben Yakas.
February 1-28 (weekly)
New York Narratives
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org and Gothamist
The WNYC newsroom interviews New Yorkers about their personal histories, capturing the diversity of the Black experience in our region. Reported by Enrico Denard, with a new narrative featured weekly on WNYC.
February 1, 10AM
The Brian Lehrer Show
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Each Wednesday in February, Brian Lehrer hosts Black History Month-related segments with caller and special guests. The weekly series kicks off today with “First Blacks in the Americas.” Lissette Acosta Corniel, assistant professor in the Department of Race and Ethnic Studies at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, discusses the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute’s research on los primeros negros or “first blacks,” who became the ancestors of Black Dominicans.
February 1, 12PM
All Of It
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Alison Stewart interviews artist, educator and curator Faheem Majeed about “Freedom’s Stand,” an exhibit on the High Line that pays tribute to the role Black newspapers have played in the U.S. This is Majeed’s first public artwork in New York City.
February 1, 8PM
I Too, Sing America
WQXR, 105.9FM and online at WQXR.org
WQXR’s Terrance McKnight dives into the lesser-known musical compositions of Langston Hughes. An enduring icon of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes is best-known for his written work, which wedded his fierce dedication to social justice with his belief in the transformative power of the word. But he was a music lover, too, and some of the works he was most proud of were collaborations with composers and musicians.
February 1
Women of the Black Panther Party in Conversation with Dr. Deborah Willis
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 3
Pianist Lara Downes Performing Scott Joplin’s Magnetic Rag
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 5
Notes from America
WNYC Studios
Notes From America spends the night of the Grammy Award taking a look back at media industry awards designed to celebrate Black artists and activists throughout history. Host Kai Wright and guest Emil Wilbekin, former editor-in-chief of VIBE Magazine, revisit some memorable moments in TV history at these unapologetically Black events, including the pioneering Soul Train Awards, controversial Source Awards, and the enduring NAACP Image Awards.
February 6
The Takeaway
WNYC Studios
The Takeaway‘s guest host Janae Pierre speaks with Brittney Johnson, first Black woman to play the role of Glinda in Wicked on Broadway; she is ending her run with the show.
February 7
Nikole Hannah-Jones on The 1619 Project
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 8
The Takeaway
WNYC Studios
The Takeaway continues its month-long series “Black. Queer. Rising.” with a conversation between guest host Janae Pierre and Denne Michele Norris, editor-in-chief of Electric Literature.
February 8, 10AM
The Brian Lehrer Show
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Each Wednesday in February, Brian Lehrer hosts Black History Month-related segments with caller and special guests. This week’s installment is “The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake.” Black listeners call Brian to share stories of family keepsakes passed through generations.
February 8, 12PM
All Of It
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
A new book spotlights Black artists across several mediums including photography, sculpture and painting. Aida Amoako, the author of As We See It: Artists Redefining Black Identity, joins Alison to discuss what Blackness brings to the making and viewing of art.
February 8, 7PM
Black Girl You’ve Been Gentrified
The Greene Space
Live reading and conversation for the pilot episode of the podcast Black Girl You’ve Been Gentrified; with Nichole Thompson-Adams, author and star of the show; Sage Adams, curator and artist. Directed by Zhailon Levingston. Moderated by Kimberly Drew, art influencer and writer, and Michaela Angela Davis, writer and artist. The podcast details the harrowing yet hilarious ironies of the precarious life Thompson-Adams has built: selling brownstones to rich white folks in her native Brooklyn as she struggles to keep her kids in elite “progressive” schools in Manhattan.
February 8, 8PM
Still Swinging, Still Classic: A Musical Biography of Pioneering Pianist Hazel Scott
WQXR, 105.9FM and online at WQXR.org
Terrance McKnight presents a portrait of Hazel Scott (1920-1981), the wife of late Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and a Juilliard-trained pianist who performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.
February 8–Gothamist; February 9–WNYC
Staten Island Cemetery: A report from WNYC’s Race & Justice Unit
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org and Gothamist
This feature tells the past, present and future of 1440 Forest Ave. on Staten Island. At this address, you’ll find a 7-11, Sherwin-Williams, strip mall and, unseen, the buried remains of 50 to 1,000 formerly enslaved people of Staten Island. Among them is Benjamin Prine, the last enslaved person born on the island. These circumstances went under the radar until a filmmaker did some legwork. Interestingly, descendants of Prine live on nearby Van Pelt Ave., named after the Rev. Peter Van Pelt, who enslaved Prine. In April, Livermore Ave. will be co-named after Prine. By Arun Venugopal.
February 9
Ivan Thompson Performs James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 9
The Takeaway
WNYC Studios
Jaylen Smith, 18-year-old mayor of Earle, Arkansas and one of the youngest mayors ever elected in the nation, appears on the The Takeaway as part of its series, “23 Mayors.”
February 13, 12PM
All Of It
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Alison interviews playwright Marcus Gardley and actor Harriet D. Foy (star) about their play, Black Odyssey.
February 13
Bayard Rustin: Who Is This Man?
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, NJPR, online at WNYC.org
August 28th, 1963 will forever be tied to Martin Luther King Jr.’s hallowed “I Have a Dream Speech.” This historic moment would probably have never come to fruition if it weren’t for a man standing in King’s shadow, Mr. Bayard Rustin. Bayard Rustin was a man with a number of seemingly incompatible labels: black, gay, Quaker… identifications that served to earn him as many detractors as admirers. Although he had numerous passions and pursuits, his most transformative act, one that certainly changed the course of American history, was to counsel MLK on the use of non-violent resistance. Hosted by Al Letson as part of his State of the Re:Union series.
February 14
Morehouse College Glee Club
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 14, 10AM
All Of It
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Alison interviews artist Senga Nengudi and curator Matilde Guidelli-Guidi about Nengudi’s retrospective at Dia Beacon.
February 14, 8PM
Still Swinging, Still Classic: A Musical Biography of Pioneering Pianist Hazel Scott
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Terrance McKnight presents a portrait of Hazel Scott (1920-1981), the wife of late Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and a Juilliard-trained pianist who performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.
February 15, 10AM
The Brian Lehrer Show
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Each Wednesday in February, Brian Lehrer hosts Black History Month-related segments with caller and special guests. This week’s segment is “Economic Disparities Linger for Black Americans since the Civil Rights Act.”
February 15, 8PM
The Price of Admission: A Musical Biography of Florence Beatrice Price
WQXR, 105.9FM and online at WQXR.org
WQXR’s Terrance McKnight hosts “The Price of Admission,” a one-hour program that brings to light the music and legacy of one of America’s pioneering but nearly forgotten composers and takes a biographical look at Price’s symphonic music, songs, and works for piano and organ.
February 15, 8PM
Notes from America – MLK: Blueprint for the Culture
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, NJPR, online at WNYC.org
The 17th annual Apollo Uptown Hall MLK celebration, “MLK: Blueprint for the Culture,” focuses on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s as the template for modern social and civil justice movements. This year, we celebrate young people impacting society through activism, engagement, and a commitment to justice. Host Kai Wright is joined by historian and National Book Award winner Imani Perry and Chelsea Miller, activist and the co-founder of Freedom March NYC. They discuss King’s legacy in the context of the Nina Simone song, “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.”
February 16
Every Voice with Terrance McKnight –podcast launch event
WQXR
Today WQXR launches a new podcast that uncovers hidden voices in classical music and their influence on contemporary American culture and beyond. The debut season of Every Voice explores Black representation in opera through interviews with performers and educators, historical documents, archival performance recordings, and McKnight’s signature style of personal storytelling. Every Voice builds on McKnight’s extensive work in radio to elevate Black luminaries and perspectives in classical music, including audio documentaries of Florence Price, Harry Belafonte, Hazel Scott, and Langston Hughes. See Feb 23 for details on a podcast launch party. More information about the podcast here.
February 16, 8PM
BBC Witness: Black History Month Special
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, NJPR, online at WNYC.org
A BBC Black History Month special, bringing together some incredible interviews looking at the African American experience. We hear stories that are fascinating, harrowing, and inspiring, such as the mother who created a “little black book” for a son to use to protect his survival when dealing with the police. After the US officially made lynching a federal crime, we meet the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells who campaigned for the change. And, we hear about the Hollywood practice of “painting down” white stunt actors to portray African Americans – and the campaign to stop it.
February 17
Misty Copeland
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 17, 8pm
Afropop: The Black History of the Banjo
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, NJPR, online at WNYC.org
Afropop traces the history of this most American of instruments from its ancestors in West Africa through the Caribbean and American South and into the present, as a new generation of Black women artists reclaim the banjo as their own. Rhiannon Giddens, Bassekou Kouyate, Bela Fleck and more talk claw-hammers, trad jazz, Appalachian folk, African ancestors, and the on-going story of American music, which would be woefully incomplete without a Black history of the banjo.
February 19
Notes from America
WNYC Studios
Ballerina and activist Misty Copeland joins Notes From America to talk about her personal inspiration to become a professional and pioneering Black dancer.
February 21
Deep River: Black Currents in Classical Music
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 22, 10AM
The Brian Lehrer Show
WNYC, AM820 and 93.9FM, online at WNYC.org
Each Wednesday in February, Brian Lehrer hosts Black History Month-related segments with caller and special guests. This week’s segment is “Black Family Oral Histories.”
February 22, 8PM
A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood: A Musical Journey in the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
WQXR, 105.9FM and online at WQXR.org
In this hour-long special, WQXR’s Terrance McKnight interweaves musical examples with Dr. King’s own speeches and sermons to illustrate the powerful place that music held in his work — and examines how the musical community responded to and participated in Dr. King’s cause.
February 23
Bobby Rush on Blues Icons
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.
February 23, 7PM
Every Voice with Terrance McKnight Podcast Launch
The Greene Space
WQXR host Terrance McKnight and special guests celebrate the launch of his new podcast, Every Voice, whose debut season spotlights Black heroic figures found in modern American operas while examining the characterization of Africans found in four popular operas written in Western Europe.
February 28
Staceyann Chin
The Greene Space
A clip from The Greene Space archives that presents experiences of the Black community and celebrates Black icons in music and art.