CBS NEWS WILL HIGHLIGHT STORIES OF BLACK CHANGEMAKERS, ATHLETES, ENTREPRENEURS AND MORE

GAYLE KING ANCHORS A NEW “CBS REPORTS” STREAMING DOCUMENTARY ON THE KILLING OF TRAYVON MARTIN, FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH HIS MOTHER AND OTHER BLACK MOTHERS OF CHILDREN KILLED BY GUN VIOLENCE

CBS News and Stations will offer extensive reporting and distinct storytelling across all broadcasts and platforms as part of its Black History Month coverage throughout February. The multiplatform content will span local and national reporting and build on the Network’s ongoing coverage of the experiences and voices of Black Americans.

In addition to stories airing across CBS News and Stations’ broadcasts and platforms, the CBS REPORTS special TRAYVON MARTIN: 10 YEARS LATER will debut on the CBS News Streaming Network and the Smithsonian Channel™ on Saturday, Feb. 26 and on BET on Monday, Feb. 28 at 8:00 PM, ET. The hour-long special is anchored by Gayle King and looks back at the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and how it became a turning point for how Americans view and confront the deaths of young Black men. Produced by the CBS News Race and Culture Unit, the special will draw from King’s preeminent CBS News coverage of the tragedy and feature new, poignant interviews with Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, and women from the Mothers of the Movement, a support group founded by Fulton for mothers whose children have been killed by gun violence or police officers. The CBS REPORTS special will also include interviews from those on the front lines of social justice and policy, including thought leaders and activists, as well as footage from the CBS News archives. CBS REPORTS is a historic CBS News documentary franchise that has featured deep reporting on national and global issues. TRAYVON MARTIN: 10 YEARS LATER will launch CBS REPORTS in this new streaming iteration.

TRAYVON MARTIN: 10 YEARS LATER will also feature CBS News senior national correspondent Mark Strassmann, one of the first reporters to break the story, continuing his reporting on what happened the day Martin was killed by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman while the teenager was visiting his father in Sanford, Fla. Strassmann also speaks with Ben Crump, who was a little-known attorney at the time, about why he wanted to take up the case and ensure the nation knew Martin’s name. Additionally, CBS News special correspondent James Brown explores how Martin’s death prompted professional athletes to speak out in solidarity with the Martin family and jumpstart a new wave of activism, and CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan reports how Zimmerman’s acquittal set the stage for the modern Black Lives Matter movement and many of the protests that have followed over the last decade.

“We at CBS News are always proud to tell the stories of a diverse array of Americans, and we believe that Black history is American history,” said Alvin Patrick, executive producer of CBS News’ Race and Culture Unit. “This month, CBS News and Stations is especially pleased to produce more than 50 stories that cover the gamut of the Black experience – from historical pieces to interesting profiles to social justice reports.”

CBS News’ coverage of Black History Month will also include:

• CBS News Streaming will offer reporting and segments for Black History Month throughout February, featuring content promoting the new CBS REPORTS streaming special TRAYVON MARTIN: 10 YEARS LATER as well as other voices focused on the anniversary, including The Cut’s editor-in-chief, Lindsay Peoples Wagner (who has been honored on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 and the Root’s 100 list of the most influential African Americans). Coverage will kick off with stories that focus on how the Black experience is affected by many of the new aspects of modern American life, including the pandemic, personal finance, and civic responsibility, as well as the issues that adversely affect the community, including the economy, policing, and the disproportionate rates of incarceration. The coverage will also include ways to tackle health-related issues, including the rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among Black teens and the evolution of the racial gap in life expectancy.

• CBS MORNINGS (7:00-9:00 AM, ET) will feature impactful journalism and storytelling celebrating Black history throughout February, including an installment of the ongoing series “Trailblazers” with chefs Alexander Smalls and Kwame Onwuachi. Additionally, CBS SATURDAY MORNING co-host Michelle Miller will profile prominent Black chef Liz Rogers, owner and founder of the nationwide ice cream brand Creamalicious. CBS Newspath correspondent Michael George will speak with six young Black students from New York who are training as pilots as part of the Red Tail Flight Academy.

• Throughout the month, CBS SATURDAY MORNING (7:00-9:00 AM/check local listings) will feature profiles and stories highlighting Black history. On the James Beard Award-winning segment “The Dish,” co-host Michelle Miller will profile chef Shenarri Freeman. Freeman just stepped into her first executive chef role at New York City’s Cadence, where she is using her Southern upbringing to highlight vegan soul food. Ahead of Super Bowl LVI, co-host Dana Jacobson speaks with former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson and author Bob Glauber, who have co-written a new book about the first four Black players in the NFL. And “Saturday Sessions” will feature a performance from rising R&B star Samm Henshaw.

• The CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O’DONNELL (6:30-7:00 PM, ET) will dedicate time to the stories of Black Americans making history now. Every Wednesday in February, CBS News correspondents will interview history-making Black Americans from multiple fields of human endeavor, from technology, Hollywood, business, and the arts and sciences. Carter Evans will profile Cody Coleman, whose inspiring story and technological passions are influencing Silicon Valley. Elise Preston will talk to actress Aunjanue Ellis, whose latest role in the movie “King Richard” is generating Oscar buzz. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook will speak with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, whose research helped develop the Moderna mRNA COVID vaccine. Additionally, the CBS EVENING NEWS will end the broadcast next month with inspiring stories of Black Americans contributing to their communities and the country by giving back and being role models.

• FACE THE NATION WITH MARGARET BRENNAN (10:30 AM, ET/check local listings) will continue its coverage of current events, including how the pandemic is taking a harder toll on African Americans and people of color; equity in vaccine access for communities of color; voting rights; and the state of police relations in the country. Using the latest CBS News polling as a backdrop, FACE THE NATION will conduct a focus group with Black voters on their views of President Biden and his administration and campaign promises. Through interviews, discussion and analysis, the program and moderator Margaret Brennan will also cover the potential historic nomination of the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• On CBS SUNDAY MORNING (9:00-10:30 AM, ET), Faith Salie will visit the former site of Seneca Village, said to have been the largest community of free African American property owners in pre-Civil War New York City, where Central Park stands now, and talks to descendants of its residents. Martha Teichner reports on The Grey, a Savannah, Ga., restaurant located in a formerly segregated Greyhound bus terminal, and learns about the friendship and partnership that grew between the restaurant’s white owner and the Black woman he brought on to be its executive chef.

• On 48 HOURS (10:00-11:00 PM, ET), Saturday, Feb. 26, Michelle Miller will report on Katrina Cooke Brownlee, one of an elite group of Black women to reach the highest ranks of the NYPD detective force, including the mayor’s security detail. Brownlee got there after being shot 10 times by her ex-fiancé, a man with a badge. By sheer will and determination, Brownlee set out to achieve her dream. “I wanted to become a good cop … a good cop has empathy, a good cop cares about people that they have to protect and serve,” she tells Miller.

• As part of its Black History Month coverage, CBS News Radio will present a special conversation on the CBS NEWS WEEKEND ROUNDUP with host Allison Keyes interviewing Michelle Duster, author, historian and great-granddaughter of civil rights pioneer, journalist, and suffragist Ida B. Wells about Wells’ legacy.

• For CBS Newspath, Elise Preston will report on Black-owned businesses, which suffered dramatically during pandemic shutdowns, and will profile Gwen Jimmere, who started a natural hair care product line from her kitchen that is now sold across the country. Danya Bacchus will profile Justin Williams, a native of South Central Los Angeles and one of the fastest sprinters in the history of road cycling. Bacchus will also report on The Confess Project, the first and largest organization encouraging African American men and their families to speak about mental health. Skyler Henry will report from Baltimore, where national researchers have recently recognized an Underground Railroad passageway after receiving grant money last winter to create a permanent exhibit. Natalie Brand will report on the small percentage of Black women leading hospitals.

• CBS News’ polling will look at African Americans’ views on a range of important issues, including the economy, race relations, and politics today.

CBS Stations across the country will also offer coverage:

• WCBS in New York: Maurice DuBois profiles Captain Zeita Merchant, Sector New York Commander for the Coast Guard. She is the first Black woman to be named commander of sector New York and only the third woman to be named sector commander. DuBois goes out on the water with Captain Merchant to learn more about her role and what inspires her to lead.

• KCBS in Los Angeles: DeMarco Morgan profiles All Chill Ice Cream, one of the only Black-owned ice cream shops in the state of California. Genelle Brooks-Petty makes her own ice cream in Leimert Park, Calif., and the ice cream is in high demand.

• WBBM in Chicago: A new report on what prompted six Black archivists in Chicago to create The Blackivists in 2018. The group specializes in collection development and care, oral history development, establishing archival collections, community engagement, and digital collections sustainability, with an eye toward the Black experience.

• KYW in Philadelphia: Natasha Brown will report on Chrystalle Cooper and Kim Kennedy, the first Black women to lead the area’s public transit infrastructure, and their efforts to keep the system running for thousands of essential workers through the pandemic, the unique insights they bring to the role as women, and the importance of inspiring younger, diverse generations to take on careers in the transportation industry.

• KTVT in Dallas: Steve Pickett reports on the Cowboys of Color organization with a look at the rodeo group’s focus on inclusiveness for cowboys of all races and ethnicities, and how Cleo Hearn started it after being rejected by several rodeos despite his talent. The story will also look at the next generation of cowboys as Hearn passes the reins to his son.

• WBZ in Boston: Zack Green reports on the Black-owned 1854 Cycling Company and their mission to abolish recidivism by employing the formerly incarcerated.

• WCCO in Minneapolis: Shayla Reaves reports on Latasha Atkins Lee’s efforts to make paths for people to enter the healthcare profession after launching a nursing school in a suburb of Minneapolis to provide educational opportunities in the medical field.

• KCNC in Denver: Tori Mason will share the story of one Coloradan’s efforts to use his creativity to help get his home country’s bobsled team to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

• KOVR in Sacramento: Shawnte Passmore profiles a woman who’s made it her mission to collect and share stories of African Americans who have served in the military. That work is now an exhibit traveling the country and coming to Sacramento.

• KDKA in Pittsburgh: The Black Wall Street did not just exist in Tulsa, Okla. Another one existed in Pittsburgh, in the Hill District. Royce Jones reports on whether it met the same fate as Tulsa or if the “improvement” actually destroyed it.

• WFOR in Miami: Kendis Gibson profiles Michael Woodward Jr., a teacher and author of books that tell stories about Black children so they can see themselves in literature.

• KPIX in San Francisco: John Ramos reports on a special exhibition curated by The Walking Ghosts of Black History and the USS Hornet that highlights the important contributions African Americans have made to the United States Military and NASA.

• WJZ in Baltimore: A profile of Martha Saunders, who in 1954 was one of the students from Southern High School who was “selected” to be in the first wave to “integrate” public schools in Baltimore after the Brown vs. the Board of Ed. Decision. WJZ will also report on 228 Grant St. Candle Co., a thriving Black business that specializes in scented hand-poured natural soy candles. Despite the pandemic, this company has thrived, both online and in its namesake storefront. 

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Press Contacts

Hugo Rojo: RojoH@cbsnews.com

Anna Gibson: GibsonA@csbsnews.com