Seizing Freedom
Seizing Freedom tells how Black Americans risked everything to fight for their vision of freedom and dignity. Voice actors bring these powerful stories to life through letters, diaries, newspapers, and autobiographies. It's a compelling look at unsung American heroes and their enduring legacy.
Follow food writer Deb Freeman as she journeys from Freetown, VA to New York City and beyond in search of the legacy of Edna Lewis, a Virginia-born chef who pioneered seasonal cooking.
Explore Black Excellence Through History
Discover inspiring stories, groundbreaking achievements, and cultural impact that shaped our world
Racism: Challenging Perceptions
A four part series that explores the social, cultural and economic impact of racism. Season 2 premieres Thursday, February 24 at 8:30 p.m. on VPM PBS. Watch the Digital release of each episode on pbs.org.
Hidden History with Brian Bullock
Filmmaker Brian Bullock hosts this digital short featuring not-so-well-known Virginia locales and uncovering the remarkable hidden history found there. Presented by VPM. Production funding for Season 3 is made possible in part by The Chrisman Family Foundation.
Sonic Threads
Join our host, Richmond entrepreneur and consultant Kelli Lemon as she explores African American music influence in various genres, beginning with Afrofuturism.
Raised/Razed
The life and destruction of Black neighborhoods in Charlottesville, VA, and Durham, NC.
HEARD
Stories of Surviving & Thriving in America's Public Housing
The Lineup
VPM is celebrating Black History Month by showcasing a selection of must-watch TV shows and documentaries. There's something inspiring and engaging for everyone to enjoy!
| Show Title | Series/Type | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| Great Migrations: A People on the Move | - | Jan. 28 |
| Prince Among Slaves | - | Feb. 2 |
| American Justice on Trial: People V. Newton | - | Feb. 3 |
| 100 Years From Mississippi | - | Feb. 10 |
| Mending Walls: The Documentary | - | Feb. 14 |
| Journeys of Black Mathematicians | - | Feb. 16 |
| Finding Edna Lewis | - | Feb. 18 |
| Birth of a Planet: Richmond on Paper | - | Feb. 21 |
| American Masters: The Disappearance of Miss Scott | American Masters | Feb. 21 |
| FUZZ | - | Feb. 21 |
| Breath of Freedom | - | Feb. 23 |
| American Experience: Forgotten Hero | American Experience | Feb. 25 |
Seizing Freedom | VPM
StoryCorps | NPR
In this episode, Jeanine Menze and La'Shanda Holmes talk about becoming the first and second Black female pilots in the U.S. Coast Guard, what led them to the military, and ultimately, each other.
StoryCorps | NPR
In this episode, we focus on the lives and achievements of two Black men who conducted groundbreaking medical research in the 1940's — as told by the people they mentored.
Code Switch | NPR
On this episode, we hear from Tomiko Brown-Nagin, author of Civil Rights Queen, the new biography about Constance Baker Motley. Motley was the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge and the first Black woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
Discover More: Articles from VPM
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In Richmond, officials unveiled a new monument on Wednesday. It commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation — which declared enslaved people in the seceded Confederate states to be free. -
Following the removal of the Robert E. Lee Monument from Richmond, CJ Hunt, director of the film ‘The Neutral Ground,’ which looks at the city of New Orleans’ own struggle with Confederate monuments, spoke about the legacy of the Lost Cause with VPM’s Patrick Larsen.
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Gov. Ralph Northam granted a surprise posthumous pardon to seven Black men executed in 1951 on Tuesday. The so-called Martinsville Seven were sentenced to death by all-white, all-male juries over the 1949 rape of a white women.
