It’s hard to believe it’s February since we’re experiencing such a mild winter, but it’s here, which means it’s our month to celebrate and recognize our contributions to the country. PBS has several programs that highlight African-American history and showcase our stories.

From a documentary on the abolition of slavery to an exploration of our communities in the 60s and 70s through film and music, PBS will air a slew of programs that will enlighten and inform during Black History Month.

Check out my must-see choices:

Slavery By Another Name: Wall Street Journal senior writer Douglas A. Blackmon, explores the little-known story of the post-Emancipation era and the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted well into the 20th century.
Airing Monday, February 13 at 9PM, EST

How will you celebrate Black History Month? Will you be watching these programs?

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May he rest in love, peace and soul!

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We all know that a mind is a terrible thing to waste thanks to UNCF’s powerful motto. It’s true – education truly is the key to success. Tune in to BET this Sunday to watch the 33rd Annual United Negro College Fund’s An Evening of Stars showcase highlighting some of our brightest future leaders.

Each year UNCF makes it possible for more than 60,000 African-American students to attend college and equip them with the essential educational tools to make them successful citizens.

The night will be full of inspirational performances by Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Musiq Soulchild, and more while raising funds to continue making students’ dreams come true.

The event will air January 29, at 11PM on BET.

Were you a college scholarship recipient?

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Even though there were some bright spots for us BGs and guys at last week’s Golden Globes, our stars will shine even brighter at the 2012 NAACP Awards.

The nominees for the 43rd annual award ceremony honoring achievements in film, TV, music, literature, and writing/directing were announced today.

The Help has a great chance of sweeping the show with eight nominations, including Best Actress.

While Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have a chance at taking home a couple awards, the cast from the BET hit series The Game have a shot of making a few touchdowns too. The show was nominated for four awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

New mom, Beyonce also earned four nominations from her most recent work: “4.” Hmm…maybe she’ll get lucky with her favorite number and win them all!

Click here for the complete list of nominations.

The NAACP Image Awards will air February 17 at 8pm on NBC. Will you be watching? Have you seen or read The Help?

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The princess of hip-hop and R&B royalty has arrived. Beyonce gave birth to baby girl Blue Ivy Carter on Saturday. It is the first child for the superstar singer and her hip-hop mogul husband, Jay-Z who have been married since 2008. Hopefully, the birth their daughter will finally silence the ever-present conspiracy theory chatter about her pregnancy on the blogosphere.

Congratulations to the power couple!

Do you like the name Blue Ivy? Do you think “Ivy” comes from their fascination with the number “IV” or “4” as some blog readers have speculated?

Check out the super cute song proud papa Jay-Z recorded for his glorious bundle of joy here. 

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Actress Gabrielle Union and NBA basketball star Dwyane Wade are heating up the February “Love” issue of Essence. The couple have been the center of controversy on countless blogs ever since their romance was rumored to have started while Wade was still married in 2010.

Nonetheless, the exclusive interview should be an interesting read. Be sure to pick up a copy on newsstands January 12th.

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