Discover Inspiring Stories

A racially complex American city confronts its past and future. When a Black female city councilor, once bussed as a child to hostile neighborhoods, is catapulted to Acting Mayor, she breaks 200 years of white male mayorship. Boston's old school politics are further challenged when the top candidates in the historic 2021 mayoral race are all non-white women.

As part of American Experience's We Shall Remain, Arkansas's First People is a 5-part series featuring unique perspectives on American Indian cultural legacy, archaeological data, and interviews with modern tribal representatives of those who had and still have an impact on Arkansas.

Slavery has deep roots in Connecticut and across New England. Enslaved people helped build the foundation of much of this state. Get to know some of these men, women and children and the lives they lived. Hear from descendants who reflect on their loved ones. And learn from historians, experts and volunteers going on a journey of discovery to uncover this hidden history.

An MPB Original Production honoring the life, work, and impact of one of Mississippi’s most courageous voices. This powerful two-hour documentary features interviews with Evers’ family, colleagues, and historians. Everlasting offers a moving, personal look at his legacy in the fight for civil rights.

Little Rock, Arkansas's, West 9th Street was once a vibrant, African-American business and entertainment district. Taborian Hall is the only remaining historic structure on West 9th Street and stands as a living witness of the street's former glory days.

Go beyond the legend and meet the inspiring woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery.

Earlier this year, the federal government removed exhibits showing slavery and George Washington’s treatment of enslaved people at the President’s House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Community leaders quickly pushed back, both in person with activism and in court.

For six-hundred years we have lived under the misconception that Columbus discovered America. What he did was stumble on a land already occupied by many people and many nations. In the center of that land were a people who call themselves Oyate: "the People." This is their story, in their words.

On this episode of Dakota Life, travel the path of Custer's 1874 expedition to the Black Hills, see a wrangler's view of the Custer State Park buffalo roundup, learn about a gardening project aimed at beating diabetes on the Standing Rock Reservation, hear a green power success story from Aberdeen, and enjoy a holiday heritage meal, Scandinavian style.

This is the compelling story of a country's fear, a great sadness, and, ultimately, heroism. It is the story of the Japanese-Americans in the war years of the 1940's.

Before Lincoln Park was known for its multimillion-dollar homes, the neighborhood was the beating heart of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, and the base of operations for a band of Puerto Rican revolutionaries known as the Young Lords. Audio-narrated descriptions of key visual elements are available.

The history of the Montiers, a trailblazing Philadelphia family who were among the first African-American landowners in Pennsylvania.

From KUED comes a powerful five-part-series on the five American Indian Tribes of the Great Basin Region we now know as Utah. This episode examines the Paiute indigenous peoples that have called Utah home for centuries.

Discover the momentous events that defined the African American experience in Las Vegas throughout the Civil Rights era. These events altered the city’s history and changed thousands of lives. Our story introduces individuals who are connected to these events, and to each other.

In the Spring of 1962, a group of students from Miles College created and launched a “Selective Buying Campaign” to boycott Birmingham’s downtown merchants. Their success paved the way for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC to choose Birmingham for action in 1963.

Narrated by Raiatea Helm, this PBS Hawai‘i documentary uncovers Hawaiʻi’s deep, global impact on modern music despite the political struggles they faced at home.

In December 1775, William “Billy” Flora, a free Black man from Portsmouth and member of the 2nd Virginia Regiment, performed a heroic act during the Battle of Great Bridge. Holding off British forces long enough for Patriot reinforcements to arrive, Flora helped secure a key victory that drove Governor Dunmore from Virginia and shaped the Revolution’s course. Discover Hampton Roads’ unsung heroes whose actions helped spark the American Revolution.

The Williamsburg Bray School, founded in 1760, is the oldest surviving building built to educate Black children in America. Its lessons reveal deep contradictions—teaching skills and faith while reinforcing enslavement. Today, the school stands as a site of resilience, memory, and critical reflection on America’s complex history. Discover Hampton Roads’ unsung heroes whose actions helped spark the American Revolution.

Michael Twitty, a James Beard Award–winning writer, explores the deep roots of American history, through food. During his time in Colonial Williamsburg, the culinary historian used dishes like sweet potato pumpkin and black-eyed peas, to reveal how food carried culture, resilience and identity, shaping Southern and American traditions and connecting past to present. Discover Hampton Roads’ unsung heroes whose actions helped spark the American Revolution.

James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved man turned double agent, risked his life to spy on the British, delivering crucial intelligence to the Marquis de Lafayette that led to victory at Yorktown. His bravery earned him freedom, a pension, and enduring recognition as one of America’s unsung Revolutionary heroes. Discover Hampton Roads’ unsung heroes whose actions helped spark the American Revolution.