Basic Black Episode Guide

Episode Guide

• Season 1 Episode 234: EPISODE: 234
• Season 1 Episode 233: EPISODE: 233
• Season 1 Episode 232: EPISODE: 232
• Season 1 Episode 231: EPISODE: 231
• Season 1 Episode 230: EPISODE: 230
• Season 1 Episode 229: EPISODE: 229
• Season 1 Episode 228: EPISODE: 228
• Season 1 Episode 226: Black Heroes and Icons
• Season 1 Episode 225: A Conversation With Tavis Smiley and Cornel West

  Tavis Smiley and Cornel West.

• Season 1 Episode 224: Capturing Black Life
• Season 1 Episode 223: Searching for Sally Hemings: A Conversation With Author Annette Gordon-Reed

  Author Annette Gordon-Reed.

• Season 1 Episode 222: A Conversation With Jazz and Rock Drummer Cindy Blackman

  Jazz and rock drummer Cindy Blackman has performed with Lenny Kravitz, Iggy Pop, Prince and Mick Jagger.

• Season 1 Episode 221: EPISODE: 221

  Poet Afaa Michael Weaver.

• Season 1 Episode 220: EPISODE: 220

  A conversation with Boston public school superintendent.

• Season 1 Episode 219: EPISODE: 219

  A conversation with Boston public school superintendent.

• Season 1 Episode 218: After the Election
• Season 1 Episode 217: Election 2008
• Season 1 Episode 215: Eye on Education 2008

  Massachusettes Secretary of Education Paul Reville discusses financing new initiatives, closing the achievement gap and preparing graduates for high-tech jobs.

• Season 1 Episode 213: Election 2008: After the Last Primary

  What the 2008 presidential election campaign reveals about race and leadership in the United States.

• Season 1 Episode 212: Black Health Checkup: A Conversation With Mass. Secretary of Health JudyAnn Bigby

  JudyAnn Bigby, secretary of Health & Human Services in Massachusetts.

• Season 1 Episode 211: A Conversation With Author and Professor Randall Kennedy

  Author Randall Kennedy discusses his book, 'Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal.'

• Season 1 Episode 210: Kenya: Working Towards Peace

  Karimi Gituma, founder of VUMA Kenya; Harvard University professor John Mugane; and television producer Paul Waithaka.

• Season 1 Episode 209: Conversation With Bill T. Jones

  Choreographer Bill T. Jones has created more than 100 dances for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.

• Season 1 Episode 208: Super Tuesday and the Black Vote

  The Super Tuesday primaries and the impact of the black vote.

• Season 1 Episode 207: Conversation and Poetry With Elizabeth Alexander

  Professor Elizabeth Alexander reads from her poetry collection.

• Season 1 Episode 206: Black Heroes and Icons

  Dr. Davarian Baldwin, Boston College; Dr. Dale Andrews, Boston University.

• Season 1 Episode 205: A Conversation With Poet Major Jackson

  Poet Major Jackson reads from 'Hoops,' which centers on black urban communities.

• Season 1 Episode 204: A Conversation With Author Tracy Sharpley-Whiting

  Author Tracy Sharpley-Whiting outlines the impact on young men and women who pursue the hip-hop lifestyle.

• Season 1 Episode 203: Discriminatory Lending
• Season 1 Episode 202: A Conversation With Author Brian Coleman

  Author Brian Coleman discusses hip-hop music and the creation of hits by Public Enemy, Run-DMC, The Roots and Fugees.

• Season 1 Episode 201: Author Cora Daniels

  Author Cora Daniels discusses how the concept of ghetto has permeated the popular culture.

• Season 1 Episode 200: Black Theater in Boston: A Director's Roundtable

  Author Cora Daniels discusses ghetto.

• Season 1 Episode 199: A Conversation With John McWhorter

  Author John McWhorter talks about his writings and commentaries on race, ethnicity and cultural issues.

• Season 1 Episode 198: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
• Season 1 Episode 197: Ronald Brown
• Season 1 Episode 196: Lawrence Otis Graham
• Season 1 Episode 195: Imani Winds
• Season 1 Episode 194: EPISODE: 194
• Season 1 Episode 193: EPISODE: 193
• Season 1 Episode 192: Droppin Knowledge
• Season 1 Episode 190: Paying For School Attendance
• Season 1 Episode 189: Tools of Engagement

  A round-table discussion concerns tools for motivating and engaging students.

• Season 1 Episode 188: Droppin' Knowledge: Science & Students of Color

  A round table discussion with educators on efforts to encourage black students to pursue studies and careers in science.

• Season 1 Episode 187: Esperanza Spalding
• Season 1 Episode 186: A Conversation With Journalist and Author, June Cross

  Author June Cross talks about coming of age during the civil rights movement in her memoir.

• Season 1 Episode 185: A Conversation With Author Ngugi wa Thiong'o

  Author Ngugi wa Thiong'o has lived in exile from Kenya for more than 20 years.

• Season 1 Episode 184: A Conversation With Choreographer Ronald K. Brown

  Choreographer Ronald K. Brown celebrates his dance company's anniversary.

• Season 1 Episode 183: EPISODE: 183
• Season 1 Episode 182: A Conversation With Astronaut Stephanie Wilson

  Astronaut Stephanie Wilson became the second African-American woman to go on a space mision in July 2006.

• Season 1 Episode 181: A Conversation With Author Lawrence Otis Graham

  Author Lawrence Otis Graham talks about his book, 'The Senator and the Socialite,' a biography of Blanche Bruce.

• Season 1 Episode 180: A Conversation With Imani Winds

  The classical woodwind quintet Imani Winds was nominated for a Grammy in 2005 for Best Crossover Classical Album.

• Season 1 Episode 179: Charlayne Hunter-Gault
• Season 1 Episode 178: Mary Francis Berry
• Season 1 Episode 176: Michelle Singletary
• Season 1 Episode 175: AIDS: 25 Years in the Black Community

  Dr. Nancy Norman, medical director, Boston Public Health Commission; Gary Daffin, executive director, Multicultural AIDS Coalition.

• Season 1 Episode 174: Hip-Hop & Social Justice

  Mariama White-Hammond, executive director of Project HIP-HOP.

• Season 1 Episode 173: A Conversation With Wole Soyinka

  Africa's first Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka is one of Africa's leading pro-democracy activists.

• Season 1 Episode 172: Youth Violence: A Conversation With Deborah Prothrow-Stith

  Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith outlines the causes of youth violence.

• Season 1 Episode 171: A Conversation With Charlayne Hunter-Gault

  Journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault discusses the history, complexities and progress of Africa.

• Season 1 Episode 170: Money Matters: A Conversation With Michelle Singletary

  Michelle Singletary offers financial advice.

• Season 1 Episode 169: Anna Deavere Smith

  Anna Deavere Smith ('Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up Advice on Making a Life in the Arts').

• Season 1 Episode 168: Rev. Jeffrey Brown

  The Rev. Jeffrey Brown talks about his work with evacuees at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod.

• Season 1 Episode 167: Patricia Williams

  Law professor Patricia Williams.

• Season 1 Episode 166: Mary Frances Berry

  Mary Frances Berry discusses the evolution of the modern-day reparations movement and civil rights in the 21st century.

• Season 1 Episode 165: Roland Fryer

  Roland Fryer discusses racism and economics.

• Season 1 Episode 164: Ahmed Kathrada

  Ahmed Kathrada discusses his activism for human rights.

• Season 1 Episode 163: The Legacy of August Wilson

  Theater members discuss the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.

• Season 1 Episode 162: Young, Black, Male, and At Risk

  Rosa Smith, president of the Cambridge-based Schott Foundation for Public Education.

• Season 1 Episode 161: Emotional Racism

  Professor Dionne Bennett discusses the emotional components of black identity.

• Season 1 Episode 160: Black Capital: Black Business and the Boston Economy

  A study shows minority-owned businesses are growing rapidly but still remain underrepresented in the Massachusetts economy.

• Season 1 Episode 159: The Urban University: A Conversation With J. Keith Motley

  J. Keith Motley talks about the responsibility and connection of an urban university to the larger community.

• Season 1 Episode 158: A Conversation With Carol Maillard and Ysaye Maria Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock

  Two members of Sweet Honey in the Rock, the a capella group committed to creating music out of the African American experience.

• Season 1 Episode 157: A Conversation With Andrea Cabral

  Andrea Cabral, the first female sheriff and first African-American to hold a county office in Massachusetts.

• Season 1 Episode 156: Breaking the Habits of Race: A Conversation With Debra Dickerson

  Debra Dickerson talks about transcending race and how black America should use race.

• Season 1 Episode 155: Flippin' the Script

  Boston-area poets share how art expresses them as individuals and reflects their communities.

• Season 1 Episode 154: Rev. Ray & Gloria White Hammond
• Season 1 Episode 153: Teaching Race

  Children learn about race, differences and tolerance through exhibits at the Children's Museum.

• Season 1 Episode 152: Funding Faith: Faith-Based Initiatives

  Churches and community-service organizations provide social services.

• Season 1 Episode 151: Unequal Exposure

  The incidence of asthma in children in two Boston communities is high.

• Season 1 Episode 150: Prostate Cancer: The Enemy Within

  The impact of prostate cancer on the black community.

• Season 1 Episode 149: Community Beat
• Season 1 Episode 148: East of Hollywood

  Robert Spruill, CEO of FilmShack; Lisa Simmons, executive director of the Color of Film Collaborative and Candelaria Silva, director, ACT Roxbury.

• Season 1 Episode 147: From Port-au-Prince to Mattapan

  The growing Haitian community in Boston.

• Season 1 Episode 146: A Celebration of the Life & Work of Ruth Batson

  Life and work of Ruth Batson.

• Season 1 Episode 145: A Conversation With Mayor Thomas Menino

  Mayor Thomas Menino talks about upcoming challenges and his plans for Boston.

• Season 1 Episode 144: Protecting the Innocent

  Protecting the innocent.

• Season 1 Episode 143: Dianne Wilkerson

  State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson.

• Season 1 Episode 142: After Freedom
• Season 1 Episode 141: Mel Miller

  Mel Miller.

• Season 1 Episode 140: Jackie Jenkins-Scott

  Jackie Jenkins-Scott.

• Season 1 Episode 139: Belynda Dunn

  AIDS activist Belynda Dunn.

• Season 1 Episode 138: New Power Majority
• Season 1 Episode 137: The Youth Vote

  Young people and voting.

• Season 1 Episode 136: Amistad Revisited
• Season 1 Episode 135: New Majority
• Season 1 Episode 134: No Parent Left Behind
• Season 1 Episode 133: Reporter's Notebook
• Season 1 Episode 132: Ruth Batson: An Activists Life
• Season 1 Episode 131: Ujima: Black Solidarity Day

  The events of Black Solidarity Day 1972; connecting American blacks with communities in Africa.

• Season 1 Episode 130: Acting Out: Men and Women

  The relationship between black men and women.

• Season 1 Episode 129: Every Person Is Poetry: Poetry and Arts

  The importance of the spoken word as art; Elma Lewis, Elma Lewis School of Fine Art; poet Nikki Giovanni.

• Season 1 Episode 128: Becoming Basic Black: The First Anniversary of Say Brother

  George Clinton & Parliament perform; the image of black people in the media.

• Season 1 Episode 127: Opera's Honeyed Voice

  Opera singer Robert Honeysucker.

• Season 1 Episode 126: A Conversation With Mel Miller

  Bay State Banner publisher Mel Miller.

• Season 1 Episode 125: School Repairs

  Educator Pedro Noguera discusses the impact of social and economic forces on urban schools.

• Season 1 Episode 124: Second Chances: Life After Incarceration

  Former inmate Tracy Parks and the Union Baptist Church in Cambridge, Mass., help other former convicts find employment in the construction industry.

• Season 1 Episode 123: Conversation With Russell Simmons

  Record producer Russell Simmons' mission to link the rap and hip hop culture to social activism.

• Season 1 Episode 122: Conversation With Nikki Giovanni

  Writer Nikki Giovanni discusses her book 'Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems.'

• Season 1 Episode 121: Conversation With Howard Bryant

  Author Howard Bryant discusses his book 'Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston.'

• Season 1 Episode 120: Conversation With Antwone Fisher

  Antwone Fisher discusses his personal journey and writing career.

• Season 1 Episode 119: Conversation With Bob Moses

  Educator Bob Moses discusses the role of education in empowering black voters.

• Season 1 Episode 118: Girl at Risk

  A documentary demonstrates the significance of a safe family structure.

• Season 1 Episode 117: Conversation With Johnnie Cochran

  Attorney Johnnie Cochran.

• Season 1 Episode 115: A Conversation About Two Towns of Jasper

  Filmmakers Marco Williams and Whitney Dow discuss their documentary about the murder of James Byrd Jr. in Jasper, Texas.

• Season 1 Episode 114: Conversation With George C. Wolfe

  Broadway producer George C. Wolfe.

• Season 1 Episode 113: EPISODE: 113

  Edward Cooper.

• Season 1 Episode 112: Unnecessary Fire

  Racial profiling.

• Season 1 Episode 111: A Conversation With Mel Miller

  Melvin Miller.

• Season 1 Episode 110: Conversation With Stephen Carter

  Author Stephen Carter.

• Season 1 Episode 109: Conversation With Cathy Hughes

  Cathy Hughes' career in radio broadcasting.

• Season 1 Episode 108: Forgotten Warriors

  The story of a black infantry unit during the Korean war.

• Season 1 Episode 107: A Conversation With Eugene Rivers

  The Rev. Eugene Rivers combats youth violence.

• Season 1 Episode 106: A Conversation With Alice Randall

  Author Alice Randall discusses her parody of the book 'Gone With the Wind.'

• Season 1 Episode 105: A Conversation With Michael Eric Dyson

  Scholar Michael Eric Dyson discusses the life of Tupac Shukar.

• Season 1 Episode 104: Racial Profiling, Post 9/11

  Issues of racial profiling since Sept. 11.

• Season 1 Episode 102: Conversation With Belynda Dunn

  AIDS activist Belynda Dunn's personal battle with the disease.

• Season 1 Episode 101: Teaching Mission

  Boston teachers share their personal stories and concerns about education requirements.

• Season 1 Episode 100: Conversation With Ruth Simmons

  President Ruth Simmons, Brown University.

• Season 1 Episode 99: Conversation With Spike Lee

  Director Spike Lee discusses his career.

• Season 1 Episode 98: Infidelity

  The impact of adultery in a marriage.

• Season 1 Episode 97: Conversation With Anita Hill

  Anita Hill discusses her current life and interests.

• Season 1 Episode 96: The Choice

  Health care providers, activists and individuals discuss reproductive rights in the black community.

• Season 1 Episode 95: Strayhorn Tribute

  Ron Gill performs Billy Strayhorn songs.

• Season 1 Episode 94: Conversation With Roger Wilkins

  Writer Roger Wilkins discusses his personal and professional backgrounds.

• Season 1 Episode 93: Depression

  Depression in the black community.

• Season 1 Episode 92: Isaiah Jackson and the Classical Experience

  Conductor Isaiah Jackson discusses the contributions of blacks in Boston's classical arena.

• Season 1 Episode 91: Conversation With John Edgar Wideman

  Author John Edgar Wideman.

• Season 1 Episode 90: From Welfare to Work

  Welfare recipients adjust to reform guidelines.

• Season 1 Episode 89: Black Science Fiction

  Science fiction writers.

• Season 1 Episode 88: Welfare to Work

  Welfare.

• Season 1 Episode 87: Science Fiction

  Science fiction.

• Season 1 Episode 86: Baseball

  The social and political impact of baseball.

• Season 1 Episode 85: A Conversation With Halle Berry

  Halle Berry.

• Season 1 Episode 84: A Conversation With Melvin Van Peebles

  Melvin Van Peebles.

• Season 1 Episode 83: Forgotten Warriors: Blacks in the Korean War

  The story of an all black infantry unit during the Korean War.

• Season 1 Episode 82: Bobby McFerrin's Master Class

  Vocalist Bobby McFerrin.

• Season 1 Episode 81: A Musical Journey: Ann Hobson Pilot

  Harpist Ann Hobson Pilot explores the African origins of the harp.

• Season 1 Episode 80: A Conversation With Bell Hooks

  Bell Hooks.

• Season 1 Episode 79: Payback

  Slavery reparations.

• Season 1 Episode 78: Crossing the Digital Divide

  The experiences of black entrepreneurs in the digital community.

• Season 1 Episode 77: Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Black Execs in Corporate America

  Race and executive advancement.

• Season 1 Episode 76: Eye on Education
• Season 1 Episode 75: A Conversation With Bill Russell

  Former NBA player Bill Russell.

• Season 1 Episode 74: A Conversation With Edwidge Danticat

  Novelist Edwidge Danticat.

• Season 1 Episode 73: Welfare Reform

  The economy impacts welfare reform.

• Season 1 Episode 72: A Boston Jazz Memoir

  Jazz in the late 1940s; Charlie Parker; Billie Holiday.

• Season 1 Episode 71: A Conversation With Spike Lee

  Filmmaker Spike Lee.

• Season 1 Episode 70: High Stakes at Madison Park

  Education reform at Madison Park High School.

• Season 1 Episode 69: Mothers and Sons

  Men discuss the effect their mothers have had on their lives.

• Season 1 Episode 67: Africa-American Journeys

  Rep. John Lewis; civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams.

• Season 1 Episode 66: Teen Sexuality

  Teen sexuality.

• Season 1 Episode 65: Juvenile Justice

  Young people describe how court and social services have affected their lives.

• Season 1 Episode 64: Urban Farmers

  The Food Project teaches suburban youths to work on a farm.

• Season 1 Episode 63: Providence

  Racial profiling.

• Season 1 Episode 62: The Clay Osborne Benefit
• Season 1 Episode 61: Giving Back
• Season 1 Episode 60: Transformation From Welfare to Work

  Jobs for former welfare recipients.

• Season 1 Episode 59: Forum With Charles Ogletree

  Race, class and power in Boston neighborhoods; moderator Charles Ogletree.

• Season 1 Episode 58: Conversations With Iyanla Vanzant

  Author Iyanla Vanzant discusses her latest book, 'In the Meantime.'

• Season 1 Episode 57: Conversations With Don King

  Boxing promoter Don King talks about his achievements and career.

• Season 1 Episode 56: Marital Infidelity

  Complex issues surround the subject of infidelity.

• Season 1 Episode 55: Conversations With Former Senator Edward William Brooke

  Edward William Brooke III, former senator and attorney general for Massachusetts, discusses his life in public office.

• Season 1 Episode 54: A Profile of Walter Mosley

  Writer Walter Mosley.

• Season 1 Episode 53: Racial Profiling

  Police are accused of targeting black men.

• Season 1 Episode 52: Brothers at Risk: Suicide and Depression in Black America

  Depression and suicide among young black men.

• Season 1 Episode 51: Sports Dream

  Darren Duarte interviews: Terry Glenn of the New England Patriots; Kenny Anderson of the Boston Celtics; motivational speaker Miles McLean.

• Season 1 Episode 50: R&B: Remembering the '60s

  Salim Washington analyzes black popular music; with Gladys Knight and the Pips, Patti LaBelle, the Impressions, James Brown.

• Season 1 Episode 49: Conversations With the Rev. Jesse Jackson

  The Rev. Jesse Jackson discusses Cuba, Kosovo and presidential elections.

• Season 1 Episode 48: Cleaver/Gates Interview

  Skip Gates interviews Eldridge Cleaver.

• Season 1 Episode 47: The Director's Touch

  Three African-American film directors.

• Season 1 Episode 46: Coach Mike Jarvis

  Former players of basketball coach Mike Jarvis.

• Season 1 Episode 45: Sisters

  Sisters.

• Season 1 Episode 44: Women and HIV

  Women with HIV and AIDS.

• Season 1 Episode 43: The Providence Benefit

  Benefit concert for Clay Osborne.

• Season 1 Episode 42: Georgia Sea Island Singers

  Georgia Sea Island Singers.

• Season 1 Episode 41: Muhammad Ali-Vintage

  Muhammad Ali.

• Season 1 Episode 40: Duke Ellington Centennial

  Duke Ellington's 100th birthday.

• Season 1 Episode 39: Grandparents

  Urban grandparents face challenges.

• Season 1 Episode 38: Moving Toward Civil Rights

  Civil rights; Myrlie Evers-Williams.

• Season 1 Episode 37: The April Fools

  Comedians; Steve Harvey; Cedric the Entertainer.

• Season 1 Episode 36: Black-Irish Relations

  Irish relations.

• Season 1 Episode 35: 19th Century Black Merchants

  Abolition; desegregation.

• Season 1 Episode 34: The Food Project: Growing Together

  Youth work together on a farm.

• Season 1 Episode 33: Teachers

  Three teachers make a difference.

• Season 1 Episode 32: Tribute to Henry Hampton

  Filmmaker Henry Hampton.

• Season 1 Episode 31: Beyond Church: Nontraditional Ministers

  Three nontraditional ministers.

• Season 1 Episode 30: Families

  Three plays about family.

• Season 1 Episode 29: Eldridge Cleaver

  Eldridge Cleaver.

• Season 1 Episode 28: Persons of the Cloth

  Clergy.

• Season 1 Episode 27: Conversations With Lani Guinier

  Lani Guinier.

• Season 1 Episode 26: Poetry & Arts

  Poetry; arts.

• Season 1 Episode 25: Basic Black Vintage: Webster Lewis '84

  Musician Webster Lewis.

• Season 1 Episode 24: New Music

  Significance of music in the 1970s.

• Season 1 Episode 23: EPISODE: 23

  Harpist Ann Hobson of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

• Season 1 Episode 22: The Making Of: Africans in America

  Africans in America.

• Season 1 Episode 21: New Directions

  Disc jockey Nick Carter; hockey player Anson Carter; Ray Hammond, doctor and minister.

• Season 1 Episode 20: Ron Gill Celebrates Billy Strayhorn

  Ron Gill performs music by Billy Strayhorn.

• Season 1 Episode 19: A Parent's Loss

  Coping with death in the family.

• Season 1 Episode 18: Young Entrepreneurs

  Entrepreneurship.

• Season 1 Episode 17: Black Science Fiction

  Two sci-fi writers.

• Season 1 Episode 16: Youth Health

  Young people discuss health issues.

• Season 1 Episode 15: Creativity

  Artists.

• Season 1 Episode 14: Muhammad Ali

  Muhammad Ali.

• Season 1 Episode 13: Daughters & Fathers

  The relationship between fathers and daughters.

• Season 1 Episode 12: Surviving Cancer

  Surviving cancer.

• Season 1 Episode 11: Gospel Show

  Gospel; Eye 2 Eye; South Central Mass Choir.

• Season 1 Episode 10: Martin Luther King Jr.: 30 Years

  Martin Luther King Jr.

• Season 1 Episode 9: A Night of Blues

  The blues.

• Season 1 Episode 8: African Meetinghouse

  Meetinghouse.

• Season 1 Episode 7: Celebrity!

  Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard; actor Michael Beach; musician Jonathan Butler.

• Season 1 Episode 6: Older Women

  Three older women.

• Season 1 Episode 5: Generation X Talks Race

  Race.

• Season 1 Episode 4: Fatherhood

  Fatherhood.

• Season 1 Episode 3: Home-Schooling

  Schooling at home.

• Season 1 Episode 2: Alternative Healing

  Alternative healing.

• Season 1 Episode 1: An Evening With the Nicholas Payton Quintet

  Trumpeter Nicholas Payton.