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Black History Month on WCQS

  

February 1st at 3 pm and Sunday February 2nd at 6 pm

STATEOF THE RE:UNION - RE:DEFINING BLACK HISTORY 2014
During a month selected to celebrate “history,” we certainly are treated to a lot of the same familiar stories: the battles won for Civil Rights, the glory of Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, the hardships endured by slaves. And as important as those narratives are for us to collectively remember, many others get lost in trumpeting the same heroic tales. In this hour, State of the Re:Union zeroes in some of those alternate narratives, ones edited out of the mainstream imagining of Black History, deconstructing the popular perception of certain celebrated moments. From a more complicated understanding of the impact of the Civil Rights Act of ’64 on Jackson, Mississippi… to a city in Oklahoma still trying to figure out how to tell the history of one particular race riot… to one woman’s wrangling with her own personal racial history.

Saturday February 8th at 3 pm and Sunday February 9th at 6 pm

WHO IS THIS MAN?
Discover the words and wisdom of an unsung hero of the Civil Rights movement who changed the course of American history.

MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech has become the shorthand of the Civil Rights Movement - but we might never have heard it, if it were not for another man, who’s largely been forgotten by history: Bayard Rustin. In this program hour, we explore the life and legacy of Mr. Rustin, a black, gay, Quaker who brought Gandhian non-violent protest to the Civil Rights movement in America.

Saturday February 15th  at 3 pm  and Sunday February 16th  at 6 pm

BACKSTORY: THENCEFORWARD AND FOREVER FREE: THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
In this episode of BackStory, we take a look at the narratives surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation and try to unpack its legacy. How can we best understand emancipation - a moral imperative, a military necessity, a political strategy, or all of the above?

Saturday  February  22nd  at 3 pm  and  Sunday  February 23rd at 6 pm

GOING BLACK: THE LEGACY OF PHILLY SOUL RADIO
Starting in the 1950s, Black radio stations around the country became the pulse of African-American communities, and served as their megaphone during the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. "Going Black" examines the legacy of Black radio, with a special focus on the legendary WDAS in Philadelphia. Hosted by Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP) music producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Kenny Gamble

Saturday  March 1st  at 3 pm   and Sunday  March 2nd at 6 pm

RUBY ELZY: BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES
Ruby Elzy was one of George Gershwin's hand picked leads for the original production of Porgy and Bess. Hailing from the small Mississippi town of Pontotoc, Ruby Elzy's voice carried her to Ohio State University, Julliard, Broadway, and concerts coast to coast. Tragically, her life would end before she took the next step to the Metropolitan Opera stage in Aida. This program is based upon the book Black Diva of the Thirties - The Life of Ruby Elzy, by David E. Weaver, published by the University Press of Mississippi.

Michelle Keenan is the Associate Director of Development at Blue Ridge Public Radio. She began volunteering for the station in 1996 and has been a full-time staff member since 1998.