PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS organizations, announced a restructure of the upcoming programming schedule to stand in solidarity with the Black community following the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests that erupted across the country. Both channels will showcase a curated lineup of enlightening programs to help viewers to increase awareness and understanding of racial and social injustices in our country.
Revamped schedules will feature previously produced local productions plus all-new PBS programming highlighted by the recently broadcast PBS NEWSHOUR special RaceMatters: America in Crisis (which is now available for streaming), as well as an updated look at the 2016 special “America in Black and Blue 2020.”
Past noteworthy titles from PBS will also be rebroadcast such as “Independent Lens: Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” and “The Talk – Race in America,” among many others that will also be available to stream on the website and on the PBS Video App.
“To serve our community, we have a mission to promote understanding and compassion toward one another as well as have a collective commitment to a fair and just society. We tell these stories with the goals of bringing our community together and of sharing insight, perspective and wisdom,” said President/CEO of KCET and PBS SoCal Andrew Russell. “We hope to foster conversations and reflections about our values and guiding principles, our challenges and painful truths, and the needed actions to improve our society and the lives of all in our community.”
KCET and PBS SoCal have also created online destinations dedicated to informing and educating the community including historical information on the Watts Rebellion and the 1992 LA Uprising. The websites at kcet.org/BlackInAmerica and pbssocal.org feature an array of stories from the archives that highlight the need for inclusivity and diversity, including a story written by one of the founders of Black Lives Matter on the birth of the organization.
In addition, PBS is bringing award-winning content like “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” and the four-part series “Reconstruction: America After the Civil War” to PBS stations across the country. These films from Henry Louis Gates, Jr. have been announced as a special curated collection streaming free on PBS.org. with the filmmaker offering his insights into the events currently gripping the country and historical origins for greater context.
PBS KIDS will offer families resources to discuss race, racism, anti-racism, civil rights, current events and more with young children, including a special episode of the animated series “Arthur” featuring civil rights hero John Lewis. PBS Learningmedia will offer materials to help educators talk with students about race in America and current events, including classroom-ready resources for a variety of grade levels aligned to state and national standards. Educational digital content will be available to online visitors of pbssocal.org, focused on topics of equity and anti-racist education.
