Maryland Public Television (MPT) is spearheading the continued expansion of its national HBCU Week programming initiative, including a new slate of 24 short films for the project’s signature YouTube channel, HBCU Week NOW. A trailer for the 2024 content is available here.
MPT is also presenting new programs for national television broadcast over two years, including a new feature film, “Becoming Thurgood Marshall,” following the path of the legendary Supreme Court Justice and Civil Rights icon Thurgood Marshall from HBCUs Howard and Lincoln universities to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to the nation’s highest court.
Slated for national TV broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2025, “Becoming Thurgood Marshall” is directed and produced by Norfolk State graduate Alexis Aggrey and co-executive produced by Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, director of the acclaimed HBCU PBS film “Tell Them We Are Rising.”
In addition to the national release of “Becoming Thurgood Marshall,” the 24 short films are being produced and distributed to the project’s HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel by a growing partnership of PBS member stations and other public media entities, including Black Public Media and public TV’s leading digital channel, WORLD.
The first six shorts began premiering in mid-September to coincide with the 2024 Annual National HBCU Week Conference. These films have been produced by MPT and partner PBS stations Howard University Television, PBS North Carolina, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WABE (Atlanta), and South Carolina ETV.
“Historically Black colleges and universities are unique and cherished national resources,” said Travis E. Mitchell, MPT senior vice president and chief content officer and co-executive producer of “Becoming Thurgood Marshall.” “We are honored to bring stories of their compelling origins, remarkable innovations, and the iconic leaders they have produced to a broad American audience.”
Launched by MPT as a national project in 2023, HBCU Week NOW’s growth is supported by a new investment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for 2024 and 2025, along with funding from MPT’s Center for Maryland History Films and Morgan State University.
“CPB’s support for expanding HBCU Week NOW is an investment in the future of our students, empowering communities and ensuring that the rich history and legacy of these colleges and universities continue to inspire and uplift generations to come,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO.
Led by MPT, the national project is an outgrowth of the statewide public TV network’s regional HBCU Week celebration. In its fifth year, MPT’s celebration in September provided nearly 30 hours of HBCU content to viewers in the mid-Atlantic region.
Additionally, MPT is continuing its partnership with public TV’s leading digital channel, WORLD, to present national broadcasts of programs on HBCU themes (program and broadcast information below). WORLD will also broadcast the first six short films across WORLD television stations nationwide in February 2025 as part of public media’s celebration of Black History Month.
“We applaud MPT’s unwavering dedication to highlighting our HBCUs each year with its substantive programming for HBCU Week. This unique media event wholly celebrates our Black colleges’ and universities’ historical importance and modern relevance,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University, a sponsor of the initiative and a leading HBCU.
Congress defines an HBCU as “any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans.” Today, the 107 HBCUs continue to deliver on the promise of their founding, with more than 237,000 students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds currently enrolled, alongside at least one million alumni from all walks of life. HBCUs are among America’s most crucial institutions for providing access to higher education for generations of Americans from diverse backgrounds, including some of today’s most notable individuals such as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. David Satcher, Samuel L. Jackson, and many others.
“We offer our heartfelt thanks to CPB for its continued support of this groundbreaking project,” added Mitchell. “Among public media’s most important roles is to bring the rich tapestry that is the American story to households across the country.”
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National Television Broadcasts:
This past September, WORLD aired two episodes of its Local, USA documentary series produced in 2023 as part of the initial HBCU Week expansion. HBCU Week: Beyond the Field aired on Monday, September 2, and HBCU Week: Tradition and Competition aired at 9 p.m. on Monday, September 9. Two episodes of MPT’s original series Artworks featuring Howard University alumni – Artworks: Imani-Grace Special and Artworks: The Art of Strings – aired on WORLD in October. These films may currently be found on YouTube on the @HBCUWeekNOW channel.
About Maryland Public Television
Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV network and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate, offering entertaining, informative, educational, and inspiring content delivered by traditional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computers, and mobile devices. A state agency, it operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission. MPT creates and distributes local, regional, and national content and is a frequent winner of regional Emmy® Awards. MPT’s commitment to educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through instructional events and
Thinkport.org. MPT’s year-round community engagement activities connect viewers with resources on a wide range of topics. For more information, visit mpt.org.
About The Corporation for Public Broadcasting(CPB)
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visitcpb.org, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe for other updates.
About WORLD
WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries, and programming. WORLD’s original series examine the issues and amplify the voices of those often ignored by mainstream media. The multi-platform channel helps audiences understand conflicts, movements and cultures from around the globe. Its original work has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, an International Documentary Association Award, a National News and Documentary Emmy Award, two Webby Awards and many others honoring diversity of content and makers. WORLD is carried by 194 member stations in markets representing 77%of US TV households. Funding for WORLD is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. WORLD is produced by GBH in partnership with WNET and is distributed by American Public Television (APT). Find out more at WORLDChannel.org.
About Black Public Media
Black Public Media (BPM) develops, produces, funds, and distributes media content about the African American and global Black experience. Black Public Media supports the development of visionary content creators and distributes stories about the global Black experience to engage audiences and inspire a more equitable and inclusive future.