Sharing the Legacy

91FM explores the good times and difficult history of blacks in America
By Dan Naidoff

WHYY 91FM celebrates Black History Month with programs that recall both the troubling arc of our nation's history of racial persecution and the dynamic cultural achievements of African Americans:

Destination Freedom Acclaimed musician, actor and composer Oscar Brown Jr. hosts this program that shares stories about the remarkable lives and accomplishments of African Americans.

"Shakespeare of Harlem: The Story of Langston Hughes" explores the life of the influential poet whose work electrified readers and launched a revitalization in black writing in America. In "Transfusion: The Story of Charles Drew," the surgeon, teacher and researcher who founded two of the world's blood banks is profiled. Friday, February 1 at 10 p.m.

Let the Good Times Roll Legendary soul singer Jerry Butler hosts this series chronicling rhythm and blues music from its roots in the 1940s to the politically-charged soul era of the 1960s. Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, The Shirelles and Smokey Robinson are among the artists whose stories and songs illuminate the series.

The program also includes interviews with industry executives, music promoters, disc jockeys, songwriters, political leaders, historians, fans of the music and the artists themselves.

On February 1, "Honkers, Bar Walkers and Screamers" showcases the great R&B sax men who were noted almost as much for their wild on-stage antics as they were for the dazzling range of sounds they drew from their horns.

The program "Bold, Bawdy and Banned" on February 8 explores how artists created the risqué lyrics, coded language and street slang that spiced many R&B tunes.

"The Jet Pilots of Jive" on February 15 profiles some of R&B's original disc jockeys, including Al "The Ole Swing Master" Benson, who helped popularize the music. On February 22, "Roadhouse Blues" examines the difficulties of life on the road for many black musicians during the 1950s and early '60s. Fridays at 11 p.m. continuing through March

Democracy's Denial: Revolutions in Wilmington In 1898, white supremacists seized power from the racially-integrated city government of Wilmington, NC. This program uses oral histories, memoirs and personal accounts, read by direct descendents of the principal participants, to document the "coup" of 1898 and its aftermath, analyzing the event's economic, political and social-sexual dimensions. Friday, February 8 at 10 p.m.

Remembering Jim Crow For eighty years, repressive Jim Crow laws and customs sculpted race relations in the South, and the powerful legacy of these laws still lingers today. Journalist Stephen Smith examines the neglected "middle years" of America's segregation story through the voices of people, both black and white, who lived through it. The program uses new, original fieldwork from Duke University's "Behind the Veil" oral history project. Friday, February 15 at 10 p.m.

Radio Fights Jim Crow In the 1930s and '40s, African Americans fought racial discrimination through the most influential mass medium of the time -- radio.

Black journalists, educators, artists and activists created radio programs that challenged the stereotypes created in popular shows of the day such as Amos 'n' Andy. The program documents the pioneering effort to break the hold of the Jim Crow laws and customs that gripped the nation in the early 20th century. Rich in archival tape, the program features the voices of such figures as Paul Robeson, Richard Wright, Eleanor Roosevelt and Studs Terkel. Friday, February 22 at 10 p.m.