Black History Month

Paying lip service to Dr. King’s message is one thing, creating a national holiday is quite another. This is the story of how Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, birthday became a national holiday—of the unrelenting drive of his widow, Coretta Scott King, to carry on his work; of politicians (especially Representative John Conyers, Jr.) determined to memorialize Dr. King and offer hope as the alternative to black rage at his assassination; of the ultimately silly arguments against the holiday (such as the economic cost of lost man-hours of work). Rare documentary footage and interviews follow the chronology of events, while the participation of Stevie Wonder, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Diana Ross, and host LeVar Burton provides the program with genuine celebration. From King’s "I Have a Dream" speech to Stevie Wonder’s "Happy Birthday, Martin," this is an engaging look at the making of a holiday. (28 minutes)

On April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "Mountaintop" speech to 3,000 sanitation workers at the Mason Temple. He ends his speech with "Mine eyes have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord."

This documentary examines Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. Filmed in Atlanta on the first federal holiday in his honor, an impressive group of distinguished public figures is interviewed, including former President Jimmy Carter, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Julian Bond, Senator Edward Kennedy, Andrew Young, and Bill Cosby, among others. Archival footage recounts highlights of Dr. King’s actions and accomplishments in the civil rights movement: being fingerprinted after his arrest during the Montgomery bus boycott; his 1963 “I have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial; and his 1964 acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Distributed by PBS Distribution.

A curated list of six podcasts to listen to in honor of the MLK Jr. holiday, from NPR.