CBC presents Black stories and experiences in honor of African Heritage Month

CBC is celebrating AFRICAN HERITAGE MONTH throughout February with a wide range of programming across its platforms featuring Black creators, storytellers and change agents.

Highlights of CBC’s Black History Month lineup include:

CBC News

CBC website BEING BLACK IN CANADA highlights the stories and experiences of Black Canadians throughout the year, providing a wide range of content that celebrates the culture and achievements of Canada’s Black communities while providing a window into their struggles.

BEING BLACK IN CANADA – BLACK CHANGEMAKERS 2023
Release February 1
Black Changemakers is an editorial series from Quebec and Atlantic Canada that recognizes individuals who are creating positive change in their community through actions large and small. From creators and community organizers to students and entrepreneurs, the series highlights today’s changemakers, helping shape our future and inspiring others. Meet the Black Change Agents: cbc.ca/Being Black in Canada

BEING BLACK IN CANADA: FRIENDS AND ALLIES
Available throughout the month of February at cbc.ca/Being Black in Canada

Being Black in Canada presents a special four-part series on Black Canadians and their trusted allies, featuring inspiring intersectional stories that show the alliance in action.

One interview will air every Wednesday in February on CBC News Network’s CANADA TONIGHT and all four interviews will air as a half-hour special on CBC News Network and CBC Gem on Saturday, February 25 at 4:30 p.m. ET, 9:30 p.m. ET and 11:30 p.m. ET.

CBC TV and CBC Gem

THE NATURE OF THINGS: SECRET AGENTS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Friday, February 3 at 9 pm (9:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem
SECRET AGENTS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is a revealing scientific exploration of how a Niagara Falls hotel, The Cataract House, became the focal point of a 19th-century American black resistance movement. Using strategic scientific investigations, we follow host Anthony Morgan and a team of archaeologists from the University at Buffalo on an emotional journey as they recover parts of the hotel’s foundation. The archaeological dig unearths stories about how the hotel’s head waiter, John Morrison, and his seemingly innocuous wait staff covertly orchestrated the Freedom Seekers’ escapes to freedom.

DEAR JACKIE (documentary feature film directed by Henri Pardo)
Sunday, February 5 at 8 pm (8:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem
After one season with the minor league Montreal Royals, Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play in Major League Baseball and a key contributor to the civil rights movement in the United States. When Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball in 1946, the impossible seemed possible in a segregated North America. Every Montrealer, black and white, cheered and treated him like a hero. But did the white majority take advantage of the historical moment to perpetuate the myth of a post-racial society?

CBC GEM BLACK HISTORY COLLECTION

Titles releasing throughout the month of February

CBC Gem offers four Black History Month collections – BLACK STORIES, CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY, BLACK ART AND MUSIC, Y MUST SEE BLACK LEADS – with more than 60 series, films and documentaries exploring African-American history and culture and celebrating African-American success.

Highlights include Season 2 of the Emmy-winning fictional musical variety series SHERMAN SHOWCASE created by Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle and produced by John Legend; multiple Oscar winning film MOONLIGHT Directed by Barry Jenkins; and moving drama THE LAST BLACK IN SAN FRANCISCO Directed by Joe Talbot. Canadian releases include a two-part documentary RIGHT TO OFFEND: THE BLACK COMEDY REVOLUTION (directed by Mario Diaz and Jessica Sherif), about the progression of black comedy and the comedians who have used biting humor to expose, challenge and ridicule the injustices of society; and documentary BLIND AMBITION (directed by Rob Coe and Warwick Ross), the inspiring story of four Zimbabwean refugees who overcame obstacles to become South Africa’s best sommeliers.

He CBC Gem collection, CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH (KIDS)presents children’s series and specials featuring black talent in front of and behind the camera, and celebrates diversity and inclusion.

CBC Podcasts

THE AFRICAS VS. AMERICA
Weekly starting Monday, February 6: 7 episodes on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available
In the spring of 1985, the city of Philadelphia became the first in United States history to drop a bomb on a family of American citizens. The attack killed 11 people, including five children, and the ensuing fire blighted an entire neighborhood. The goals of that day? A family of black radicals known collectively as MOVE, who found themselves caught up in the internal war of a city, and a nation, for Black Liberation. Over the course of seven episodes, host Matthew Amha investigates the events that culminated in the MOVE bombing and the long afterlife of a forgotten American tragedy. Through intimate conversations, THE AFRICAS VS. AMERICA offers an unseen peek into MOVE’s origins and dynamics while looking into the group’s uncertain future.

CBC Arts

On February 1, CBC Arts will unveil a new Black History Month-themed logo from the artist jimmy baptiste as part of his monthly logo project, with questions and answers attached. Features in February will include an interview with the artist. Esmaa Mohamud regarding your current Alberta Art Gallery show, and a new episode of here and queer with the filmmakers behind the Jackie Shane Heritage Minute, Pat Mills and Ayo Tsalithaba.

CBC Books

In February, CBC Books will announce its annual Black Canadian Writers To Watch list, which includes emerging and exciting Black Canadian writers, authors and poets who are poised to make waves on the national and international literary scenes. Notable names on past lists include award winners such as Ian Williams, Canisia Lubrin, David Chariandy, Francesca Ekwuyasi and more. Throughout the month, CBC Books features reading lists of recent and notable books by black writers, for genres including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, children’s books, and more. CBC Books will also feature Q&A interviews with established and emerging African-Canadian authors throughout the month.

CBC children

CBC children Celebrate Black History Month With Rhythms And Movements: New Videos For CBC TV And Social Media Feature study K features Janaye and Tony as they pay tribute to phenomenal Black Canadians and learn amazing Afro dance moves. cbckids.ca (from 6 to 10 years) and CBC Kids News (Ages 9+) offer age-appropriate context about the history and significance of Black History Month.

CBC Sports

New CBC Sports Original Video Features in February Will Focus on Black Running Back Phil Edwards, a five-time Olympic medalist from Canada, who won the first Northern Star Award for Canada’s best athlete in 1936; and the racial disparity between Canada’s men’s national soccer teams at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the team’s first appearance and second in 2022. Video features will be available at cbcsports.ca and on the CBC Sports app.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians, from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community, check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.