HBO Brings Black History Month to Satellite TV

February is the time for many different things--Groundhog Day, the potential dulling of a long winter, President's Day weekend, and of course, Black History Month, the opportunity for people to pay special attention to contributions made by African-Americans to the rich tapestry that is the United States. Accordingly, a number of different television channels make an effort to play films directed or written by prominent African-American directors and screenwriters, as well as to run historical documentaries that address the tumultuous past that is just as much a part of America as any other element.

While there are ample options for viewers seeking educational programming relating to Black History Month to choose from, nowhere on satellite tv are the options richer than with HBO. For the third year running, HBO is debuting another installment of its annual program, The Black List. In its third volume, this special-edition HBO programming offers a truly incredible breadth of insight from different African-Americans who come from every imaginable background.

Set up as a deeply personal documentary series, the likes of which is usually not see on television channel-produced programming, over a dozen different prominent African-Americans are asked questions about everything from their own personal experiences to how their backgrounds have shaped not just their careers, but how they think about the world. The documentary offers a truly incredible look into what it is like to grow up African-American in America, how things may have changed and not changed over time, and what it's like to make your way in a world where, unfortunately, discrimination is not always a figment of the past.

While HBO is no stranger to bringing educational programming to satellite TV, The Black List: Volume 3 is a whole other highly personal level of bringing people's individual stories to the small screen. Most of the people interviewed are household names, such as Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. Michael Lomax, and John Legend. Famous and acclaimed writers alike do the interviewing, leading to questions far more insightful than what usually comes along with made-for-television documentaries.

More than simply insight into the world as it is experienced today by African-Americans, The Black List: Volume 3 is also an excellent example of educational programming done right. With its focus on individual stories rather than attempting to fit an entire history into an hour or two-hour block, it offers a unique way of getting regular television viewers to sit down and pay attention to their nation's history, without even realizing that it is what they are doing. It turns satellite TV into a valuable learning tool without making it overly evident to the audience that there is learning to be done, and that is why it is so successful as a documentary.

So while there are a number of different options to choose from when deciding how to better experience Black History Month, don't neglect to tune in to HBO at some point to experience some of the gripping and compelling interviews that The Black List: Volume 3 has to offer. Even if you think you've heard it all before, these incredibly insightful and personal interviews will have you thinking--and feeling--otherwise in no time at all.



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