University of Wisconsin - Extension

Special programs airing in January on Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) highlight segregation and the civil right's struggle of African-Americans.

At 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10, American Experience "Citizen King" explores the last five years of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life from his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 to his assassination in 1968. By drawing on the personal recollections and eyewitness accounts of friends, civil rights movement associates, journalists, law enforcement officers and historians, the program follows this chapter in the story of one of America's most important and influential moral leaders.

At 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Special is a delayed broadcast of the Wisconsin ceremony, held earlier in the day, from the Capitol rotunda. The celebration pays tribute to King for his dedication and commitment to human rights.

At 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17 and Tuesday, Jan, 18, Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, a two-part documentary series by acclaimed producer Ken Burns, recounts the powerful story of the first African-American boxer to win the title--Heavyweight Champion of the World. From humble beginnings as the son of former slaves to Johnson's entrance into the brutal and segregated world of professional boxing, the series highlights a maverick who refused to live under the confines of his color. The narrative voice of Samuel L. Jackson brings Johnson's struggle, in and out of the ring, to life.

In 2004, Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) celebrates 50 years of service to Wisconsin individuals and families. WHA-TV, Madison, signed on the air on May 3, 1954.

WPT is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Extension.