News Special Programming
Historically Black (Part I)
Objects hold history. They evoke stories stamped in time. APM Reports teamed up with the Washington Post to create a podcast series that spotlights some of those objects and the stories behind them.
This program consists of three unique stories narrated by Keegan-Michael Key and Roxane Gay:
NASA Human Computers
During World War II, a labor shortage obliged the military to hire African American women with mathematical skills to help make complicated computations for warplane designs. This small team faced discrimination, but would help NASA astronauts land on the moon.
Million Man March
The Million Man March of 1995 is remembered in a conversation between a young woman and her father, who attended it. He talks about how the event changed his life; she recalls what it meant to see a poster of the march hang on the wall of her father's den since she was a girl.
Harlem Renaissance Photographer
James Van Der Zee was a celebrated African American photographer who documented black New York for much of the 20th century. During the Harlem Renaissance of the 1910s to the 1930s, his images emphasized the dignity and beauty of black people at a time when the dominant culture portrayed them in degrading ways.
The programs are hosted by Michele Norris, and narrated by Keegan-Michael Key, Roxane Gay, Issa Rae, and Another Round podcast duo Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton.
Historically Black (Part II) will air February 21st, 2017 at 7PM. Historically Black (Part III) will air February 22nd, 2017 at 7PM.