MSPR to air Black History Month specials (February 2022)

Morehead State Public Radio will offer a variety of programming to celebrate Black History Month in February 2022.

Among the specials are:

The Reckoning – Facing the Legacy of Slavery in America

Episode One: Invisible History

February 7, 2022  @ 10AM

The history of slavery is often taught as a bitter chapter of America’s past that has been rectified. But in Kentucky that history has been rarely acknowledged, and is poorly documented. This has made it particularly difficult for African American families to learn anything about their enslaved ancestors. We’ll meet one Black family just beginning to learn about their family’s connections to a plantation in Louisville.

Outdoor ArchivesFebruary 7, 2022  @ 11AM

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy scrambled to find land for training bases. One tract they found was Magruder, a mostly Black neighborhood along the York River, not far from Yorktown, where the British surrendered to Washington. Some of the residents had no idea what was happening until bulldozers arrived to level their homes. Many were forced from their homes with little to no compensation.  Now the land is the site of CIA training base “Camp Peary” and within the high security fencing all that remains of the black community of McGruder is a neglected African American cemetery.

The Reckoning – Facing the Legacy of Slavery in America

Episode Two: Recovering History

February 14, 2022  @ 10AM

Due to prohibitions against enslaved people learning to read and write, there are only a few written records left behind by formerly enslaved Kentuckians. But thankfully, over 100 people were interviewed during the 1930s about their experiences while enslaved. These narratives, combined with letters and diaries kept by white enslavers, help us better understand the true nature of slavery in Kentucky.

Separate and UnequalFebruary 14, 2022  @ 11AM

In 1970, Philicia Jefferson was a bright, popular senior poised to become student council president at her all-black Dunbar High School in Lynchburg, Virginia. Instead Philicia and her classmates were forced to leave Dunbar and integrate into the all-white high school, E.C. Glass. She says she never felt at home there. Plus: Dr. Owen Cardwell was one of the first black students to integrate E.C. Glass. Today he works on improving equity in the public schools as a civil rights leader and scholar.  

Muddy Bottom BluesElmore JamesFebruary 18, 2022 @ 8PM and February 19, 2022 @ 3PM

A Time For Tales

African-American Storytellers

February 20, 2022  @ 3PM and February 21, 2022  @ 11AM

Carolyn Franzini is your host for A Time For Tales, an hour of storytelling through word and song. On this program, African-American storytellers and musicians are featured including Dr. Rex M. Ellis, Chic Street Man, Diana Ferlatte, and Anthony Griffith. 

The Reckoning – Facing the Legacy of Slavery in America

Episode Three: Aftermath

February 21, 2022  @ 10AM

Kentuckians fought on both sides of the Civil War but came together at war’s end to oppose a common foe—newly emancipated African Americans yearning for education, dignity, and a decent living. In the years that followed, Kentucky pioneered restrictive racial laws that became models for the rest of the South, and thwarted many efforts by Black Kentuckians to prosper—using violence and terror to accomplish whatever the law could not.

The Reckoning – Facing the Legacy of Slavery in America

Episode Four: Facing the Past

February 28, 2022  @ 10AM

There are clear lines that connect the legacy of slavery to many of our present day issues, including the racial inequities of COVID-19 infection and deaths, wealth inequality, and ongoing police brutality. A true and deep understanding of our history allows us to navigate the present moment and stop running away from the past. 

When Sunday ComesFebruary 28, 2022  @ 11AM

The Golden Age of gospel music in the 1940s and 50s brought us such greats as Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. But what about the gospel music that came later when hip-hop and soul were dominant in African-American music? In this sound rich interview Claudrena Harold author of When Sunday Comes, takes us on a deep dive into the Black gospel music of the 80s and 90s and the culture that surrounded it.