In honor of Black History Month, witf is proud to present special programming throughout the month of February. Find out more about when we will air these shows below.

February 6 at 10 p.m. - The Underground Railroad: The William Still Story - Extraordinary people risked their lives to help fugitive slaves escape via the clandestine Underground Railroad. Among them was William Still of Philadelphia, a free black man who accepted delivery of transported crates containing “human cargo.” This documentary reveals some of the dramatic, lesser-known stories behind this humanitarian enterprise, and explores key Canadian connections, including the surprising fate of former slaves who crossed the border to “Freedom’s Land.”

February 7 at 8 p.m. - Freedom Riders: American Experience – Find inspiration in the story of a courageous band of young civil-rights activists who journeyed through the Deep South in 1961.

February 9 at 10 p.m. - Independent Lens: the Black Power Mixtape – Take a cinematic and musical journey into the black communities of America, 1967-1975.

February 12 at 8 p.m. - An Evening with Valerie Simpson on Honor of Nick Ashford - Enjoy Gwen Ifill’s interview with Valerie Simpson, who for more than 40 years wrote hit- making songs with her husband, the late Nick Ashford.

February 13 at 9 p.m. - Slavery By Another Name - Explore the little-known story of the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted into the 20th century. Laurence Fishburne narrates.

February 19 at 2 p.m. - An Evening with Smokey Robinson - Gwen Ifill talks with Smokey Robinson, giving viewers an insider's look at the life and career of the Motown legend. The program, taped in 2009 before a theater audience at Northwestern University Thorne Auditorium, features former Motown executive and film producer Suzanne de Passe as mistress of ceremonies, with musical tributes from Grammy-nominated artists such as Teena Marie, Howard Hewett and Musiq Soulchild.

February 19 at 3 p.m. - Simon Shama’s Rough Crossings - At the end of the American Revolution, thousands of African-American slaves risked everything to fight for the British in exchange for a promise of freedom. John Clarkson, a young Royal Navy lieutenant, was sent to North America by British abolitionists to fulfill that promise. According to plan, each slave would be resettled in Nova Scotia. However, when that frigid, rocky terrain proved inhospitable to those who had worked the cotton fields of the Deep South, Clarkson arranged for them to be transported across the Atlantic to Sierra Leone where dreams of a haven came to a tragic end.

February 19 at 4:30 p.m. - Slavery By Another Name - Explore the little-known story of the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted into the 20th century. Laurence Fishburne narrates.