BLACK HISTORY
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The greatest unknown fighting force in America s history
The W o rld Premiere o f Harlem
H e llfig h te rs, the greatest, unknown
fig h tin g force in A m e rica 's history,
airs February 23 at 10 pm ET/11 pm
PT.
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New Y o rk , January 12 - M e m o ri
al Day 1996 Henry Johnson is hon
H e llfig h te rs ” T heir trium phant sto
w orth was central to much o f what
occurred during the C iv il W ar for
B la c k A m e ric a n s . T h e H a rle m
H e llfig h te rs began in Harlem , as the
15th Regiment o f the New Y ork
N a tio n a l G uard. V ir tu a lly every
w h ite ethnic neighborhood in New
ry, though unknown to most A m e r
icans, is vivid lyre m e m b e re d by men
like Johnson. Harlem H e llfig h te rs
airs on The H istory Channel as part
of its H isto ry A liv e Black H istory
M onth presentation. The W orld Pre
miere airs February 23 at I Opm E T/
11 pm PT.
Y o rk had a N ational Guard regi
ment. Harlem, an emerging black
c ity w ith in the city, had none.
Since the R e vo lu tio n a ry War,
blacks have had to overcom e d if f i
Spanish Am erican W ar veteran.
C ol. W illia m Hayward was a v ig o r
cu lt circumstances to fig h t sim u lta
neously fo r their country and for
equal status w ith in it The Harlem
H e llfig h te rs paved the way fo r black
ous supporter o f a black presence in
the m ilita ry. A t first, recruiting was
slow but Hayward persuaded James
Am ericans to become o ffice rs w ith
real duties and real authority. The
Reese Europe, the most popular black
band leader o f the tim e, to enlist and
very name, coined by the Germans,
sym bolizes black achievements and
pride, and transcends the memories
about what the 369th In fa n try actu
a lly did.
fo r the regim ental band Reese, in
fact became the first black Am erican
o ffic e r to go into combat in W orld
W ar I w hen he accompanied French
Church in sector held by the 369th Regiment Infrantry, 93rd Division. France. May 4, 1918.
Photo by Usher / Merlis Television
High points in history
The H isto ry Channel presents
five great stories fo r B lack H isto ry
M o n th in c lu d in g Voice o f the F u
(February II): Veteran jo u rn a lis t
g itiv e a irin g February 3 at 6:30pm
E T/7:3() PT, P erspective: Ja c k ie
R obinson A irin g February 11 at
sional career of H a llo ! Earner. Jackie
Robinson. The biography portrays
Robinson as an aggressive com peti
6:30pm E T /7 .3 0 PT, D ig g in g f o r
Slaves w h ich airs February 14 at
tor w ho w on the adm iration o f p la y
ers and Ians a like w ith his s k ill and
daring. A riv a l baseball player once
commented that, “ He (R obinson) can
beat you more ways than any man
a liv e .”
looks at the effects o f the slave trade
on A f rica, at the way it decim ate the
population, destroyed to social fab
ric o f A fric a n life , and set tribes and
villages against each other. The
D ig g in g F o r Slaves (February
14): Unearths the realities o f slave
life and discovers the contrib u tio n s
that A fric a n people o f bondage made
story unfolds on location all over
A fric a , w ith specially shot film fes
tivals, ceremonies and life in A f r i
ca today, plus archive film , dram at
to A m erican society. Narrated by
D a vid D rew , the program explores
ic reconstruction, docum ented eye
witness accounts, maps and m o
dem animated graphics.
6pm ET/7pm PT. The B u ffa lo S o l
diers a irin g February 19 at 6pm
E T/7pm and A fr ic a : The B ib le
a n d the G un a irin g February 2 1 at
6pm E T/7pm PT.
Five H igh Points In H isto ry ep
isodes agree being showcased on
The H isto ry Channel d u rin g B lack
H istory M onth. The series explores
issues o f freedom, re-enacts leg
endary battles and p ro file s great
athletes.
High Points In History epi
sodes in February include:
Voice O f The F u g itiv e (F e b ru
a ry 3): Is the story o f a group o f
escaped slaves and their passage
through the "U n d e rg ro u n d R a il
road” as the seek freedom in C an
ada. T h is perilous route o f choice
by many runaway slaves was dan
185,000 A frica n Am ericans were
soldiers in the U S. A rm y. In fact,
one o f the black troops that was
created during the C iv il W ar had a
banner that read: “ It is N ow O ur
T urn to Prove O ur w orth as M en”
The very notion o f proving their
ored fo r bravery in a w ar he fought
78 years ago. T h is I 10-year-old
W orld W ar I veteran was part o f the
369th Infantry, known as the "H arlem
L o o k in g back to the C iv il War,
even the U nion A rm y was in itia lly
opposed to using black officers But
as casualties m ounted and blacks
demanded a role, that changed By
the tim e the w a r ended, alm ost
Perspectives: J a c k ie R obinson
M ik e W allace examines the profes
the f inding of archeologist immersed
in the excavation o f slave site in
South C a ro lin a and V irg in ia . The
w ork reveals some surprising in fo r
m ation and brings about a reap
praisal o l the black c o n trib u tio n to
w hite society.
Is the S tory o f the 9th and 19th
Regiments o f the U nited States C a l
vary. F rom 1897 u ntil they were
gerous under the best circum stanc
disbanded, these tw o Regiments o f
the United StatesCalvary. From 1897
es. The program also h ig h lig h ts
u n til they were disbanded, these tw o
people who along the way assist the
fu gitives w ith food, shelter and
funds.
regim ents amassed some o f the most
distin g uish e d u n it and in d iv id u a l
records in the U S. A rm y . The B u f-
plishments, the American Expedition
ary Force decreed that all black units
must have either an all-black or an a ll-
white o ffice r corps Captain fames
Reese Europe was the sole exception,
w inning a dispensation that allowed
him to lead his band.
The Harlem H ellfighters had less
training than any other Am erican
unit, but they were no less piepared.
No member o f the 369th was ever
captured. It was the first black A m e r
ican un it to go into combat in the
Great W ar They were the o n ly unit
to serve 191 days at the fro n t—the
longest service o fa n y American unit-
-black o r w hite. A m a zin g ly, they
fought e xclu sive ly under French
command. The Harlem H ellfighters
never served in an A m eiican brigade
o r division.
The H istory Channel is a 24-hour
television netw ork featuring h isto ri
cal documentaries, movies and m in i
series. Launched on January I, 1995,
the netw ork showcases W orld Pre
miere productions and co-produc
tions from around the w orld, jo in e d
by q u a lity acquisitions and an in
house lib ra ry o f historical docum en
soldiers on a n ighttim e raid o f G er
taries, ensuring that The H isto ry
Channel is Where The Past Comes
A live .
man trenches
In spite of the regim ent’ s accom
V is it us on the W orld W ide Web
at http ://w w w .h isto rych a n n e l.com .
Moore at The History Channel
LaDebra L M oore is M anager o f
P ublic R elations o f The H isto ry
Channel The H isto ry C hannel is
fa lo Soldiers were a h ig h ly d is c i
p lin e d group and no fig h tin g men
in the w o rld could excel them fo r
in itia tiv e and bravery in the face o f
part o f A & E T elevision N etw orks, a
jo in t venture o f The Hearst C orpora
tion, A B C , Inc , and N B C .
the most daunting odds.
A fr ic a : The B ib le <& The G u n
(F e b ru a ry 21): The docum entary
As manager o f P ublic R elations,
Ms. M oore is responsible fo r con
sumer and trade p u b lic ity , corporate
image and p ro m o tio n o f p u b lic a f
fairs fo r The H isto ry Channel.
Previously, Ms. M oore was Pub
licist, where her p rim a ry responsi
b ility was to create, develop and
im plem ent p u b lic ity and corporate
com m unications strategies fo r the
January I, 1995 launch and ro llo u t
o f the H isto ry Channel, a 24 hour
cable service. The advertising-sup-
ported netw ork features historical
docum entaries, m ovies and m in i
series.
The H is to ry C hannel is a 24
hour television ne tw o rk featuring
historical docum entaries, movies
and m ini-series.
B efore jo in in g The H isto ry Chan
nel in Decem ber 1993, M s M oore
Launched on January I, 1995,
was a R adio/Television P ublicist for
W N Y C C o m m u n ica tio n s G roup,
new Y o rk , N Y . There she was re
sponsible fo r press relations, pla n
ning and im p le m e n tin g co m m u n ity
outreach campaigns, special events
and prom otions, and layout and de
sign o f m arketing m aterials
Ms M oore graduated f rom Purdue
U n ive rsity, West Lafayette, Indiana
w ith a B achelor o f A rts Degree in
C om m unications. She is also a re
the netw ork showcases W o rld Pre
miere productions and co -p ro d u c
tions fro m around the w o rld , jo in e d
by q u a lity acquisitions and an in
house lib ra ry o f h isto rica l docu
m entaries, ensuring that The H is
to ry C hannel is W here The Past
Comes A liv e . V is it The H isto ry
Channel on the W o rld W ide W eb at
h ttp ://w w .h is to ry c h a n n e l.c o m m .
cip ie n t o f the 1993-1994 W a lte r
The African Burial Qround:
A n American Discovery
The H isto ry Channel presents the
rican B u ria l G round: A n A m erican
C ity , fro m the a rriv a l o f a trader
true story o f free and enslaved A f r i
can americans in early N ew Y o rk
C ity... February 4-7 at 8 am E T/5am
PT
Rebroadcast on February 8. 15.
D iscovery tells the dram atic story of
named Jan R odríguez in 1613 until
July 4, 1827 - N ew Y o rk C ity ’ s
22, and M arch I at 8 am E T/5 am PT
New Y o rk , January 13, 1997 -
Americans confront their painf ul past
in The A fric a n B u ria l G round: A n
A m erican D iscovery, an o rig in a l
m ini-series a irin g on The H isto ry
Channel this N ovem ber. T e llin g the
true and tim e ly story o f low er M a n
hattan’ s A fric a n B u ria l G round, re
cently unearthed in an archaeologi
cal dig, this fo u r=p a rt docum entary
covers the burial g ro u n d ’ s d isco v
ery, relates the history o f A fric a n
Am ericans in early N ew Y o rk, w it
nesses how modern-day citizens are
changing governm ent han d lin g o f
the area, and delves in to the d isco v
e r y ’ s m e a n in g fo r m o d e rn -d a y
A m erican This special presentation
airs on H isto ry Showcase, the net
w o rk ’ s forum fo r local film s about
culture, c o m m u n ity and tra d itio n ,
on February 4-7 at 8 am E T/5 am PT
N arrated by a ccla im e d actors
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dec, The A f-
a people whose history was not re
corded or preserved, the A fric a n
A m ericans that liv e d in the New
w o rld as tar back as 2(XJ years bef ore
the creation o f the U nited States and
helped to b u ild the new nation. Near
ly one out of five colonial N ew Y o rk
ers was A fric a n A m erican, most o f
them enslaved - but u n til the 1991
discovery o f the burial ground deep
beneath M anhattan's streets, h isto
rians knew little o f the way they
live d and died.
U sing period maps and draw ings,
s till photos and film footage o f the
excavation, and local news clips spot
lig h tin g the discovery, The A fric a n
B u ria l G round A n A m erican D is
covery unfolds in four parts.
Part One, The Search, explores
the search fo r and discovery o f the
A fric a n B u ria l G round T h is pro
gram exam ines the archaeological
d ig that unearthed the rem ains o f
sotne 4(X) A fric a n men. wom en and
ch ild re n .
Part T w o , A H isto ry, presents the
never-before-told story o f A fricans
and A frican-A m ericans in New York
K a itz F o u n d a tio n F e llo w s h ip in
C able Management Program .
LaDebra L. Moore. Manager o f Pubic Relations. The History Channel
Do You Have a Dream
of an America Without
Drug Abuse?
E m ancipation Day. D utch settlers
enslaved A fric a n Am ericans to w ork
the farms around lo w e r Manhattan
and b u ild its roads, houses, bridges
and forts.
Part three. P o litic s and the Peo
ple, shows how ordinary citizens
clashed w ith U S governm ent agen
cies o ver the handling of the burial
ground, this im portant c iv ic s lesson
proves that people w o rk in g together
can change the course o f history.
Part Four, A n Open W in d o w , ex
plores the long-range im pact o f the
A fric a n B u ria l G round on art, lite r
ature, history, science and education
in the U nited States.
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companies this docum entary series,
illu s tra tio n s are by Charles L illy
The A fric a n B u ria l G ro u n d : A n
the H is to ry C hannel is a 24-hour
te le visio n netw ork featuring h isto r
ic a l d o cu m e n ta rie s, m o vie s and
W o m ult
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any torco
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M usic by Lonette M cK ee, Bryant
M c N e il and Jamshied S h a rifi ac
A m erican D iscovery is produced by
K u tz T e le visio n Inc.
Ms, M oore resides in the state of
N ew Jersey.
Mark
Washington
» the
Dream
otoño! and drug«*»6
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