The West Virginia Public Broadcasting company along with the WVUCenter for Black Culture and Research will sponsor programs to promote the broadcast of the PBS special”Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.”

The landmark series explores segregation from the end of the Civil War to the dawn of the Modern Civil Rights Movement and will air nationally beginning tonight (Oct.1) at 10 p.m. and on consecutive Tuesdays �€Oct. 8, 15 and 22.

“The WVUCenter for Black Culture and Research is proud to be a community partner with West Virginia Public Television in their promotion of the WNET production of The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow,”said Phoenicia Keffer, student program advisor.”The CBC &R, as a part of its mission, promotes the study and research of all aspects of the African cultural diaspora and the African American experience in particular.”

The Jim Crow era was a brutal and oppressive time in American history. Large numbers of African Americans and a corps of influential black leaders bravely fought against the status quo, acquiring the opportunities of education, business, land ownership and a true spirit of community for African Americans.

A full web companion, located at www.pbs.org/jimcrow , will offer an assortment of interactive features, including a multimedia history of Crow; biographies of key people, places and events in the struggle; accounts by eyewitnesses; and more.

Keffer says the CBC &R encourages students, faculty and staff to watch the series.

The Center will also be working with WVPT to sponsor research projects with undergraduate and graduate students that will explore the historical issues and incidents in the series.