Maryland Public Television (MPT) will celebrate historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with its fifth annual HBCU Week, to take place from Sept. 2 – Sept. 8, 2024.
The special programming lineup during HBCU Week will include informative and inspiring stories about HBCUs and those who attend, graduate, administrate, and advocate for these historic institutes of higher learning.
Nearly 30 hours of content will feature 13 MPT premieres across TV, social media, and online platforms. The programs explore the past, present, and future of HBCUs in MPT’s viewing area, and throughout the United States.
Highlights include two new episodes of the MPT original series “Artworks”; two HBCU-themed “Local, USA” documentaries; special “Direct Connection” and “State Circle” episodes; and eight programs acquired by MPT from independent producers that will premiere during the week.
HBCU Week is part of MPT’s “Standing Against Racism: Fostering Unity Through Dialogue” initiative. The long-term initiative began in 2020 “to stimulate thoughtful discussion and increase understanding of race-related issues in communities across Maryland,” reads the press release.
A letter from MPT’s president and CEO, Larry D. Unger, goes further, writing about the initiative in 2021, “Whether it’s the backlash from the George Floyd killing last year or the current conversation about motives for the recent murders in Georgia, there’s ample evidence of strife, injustice, and antagonism all around.”
Attempting to appeal to people who value the common good over politics, Unger wrote that to sustain our republic, everyone must commit themselves “to the dignity of the human person as the first principle of just governance and moral behavior.” MPT’s core principle that every person has value, is deserving of respect, and is an equal partner is at the heart of the “Standing Against Racism: Fostering Unity Through Dialogue” initiative.
There are six HBCUs in MPTs viewing area: Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Howard University, Morgan State University, University of the District of Columbia, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore. In 2023, MPT announced its expansion from a viewership available along the mid-Atlantic into one that will reach across the entire country.
To that end, this year’s HBCU Week adds two new partner station — now totaling six — each of which will produce short films for HCBU Week NOW YouTube channel. They will be packaged into documentaries that will air on public TV’s WORLD channel, as well. More expansion is planned for 2025, including a PBS premier of an MPT-produced documentary on the life of Thurgood Marshall and an HBCU student-developed film.
As for 2024’s HBCU Week, look for specials on a vast array of topics and people, including “The Historic HBCU Week Photograph” (Monday, Sept 2, 8:30 pm); “Gearge H. White: Searching for Freedom” (Tuesday, Sept. 3, 9:30 pm); “Artworks: The Art of Strings” (Wednesday, Sept. 4, 9:30 pm); “The Golden Year: Howard Women’s Basketball” (Thursday, Sept. 5, 8 pm); “Journeys of Black Mathematicians: Forging Resilience” (Friday, Sept. 6, 9 pm); and much more.
Viewers can see a preview by clicking this link. See the full program lineup by clicking this link.
