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American
Experience: Building the Alaska Highway
By Ramona Prioleau
The
Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December, 1941 is commonly viewed as the act that
led the United States to wholeheartedly commit to World War II. With
the security of the US thus attacked, President Franklin Roosevelt
directed that a supply line be built to U.S military bases in the
Alaska territory, where Alaska's Aleutian Islands were only 750 miles
away from the closest military base in Japan.
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Of the 7 battalions of Army engineers
sent to construct this vital passageway, 3 regiments were African
American. During that period of American history, the American
military operated under forced segregation. Nevertheless, the U.S.
military departed from its usual segregationist policies when it
assigned the African American engineering battalions to the Alaska
Highway project. Like their counterparts, the African American
soldiers battled the harsh conditions of the Pacific Northwest to
complete the aggressive military initiative. Unlike their
counterparts, the African American soldiers labored under prejudices
that they would not be able to hold their own. Using interviews with
veterans of the project, archival footage and visually rich
cinematography of the sub-Arctic route the road took, American
Experience: Building the Alaska Highway recounts the tale of those
African American soldiers in its larger exploration of the stories and
events that defined that brave feat.
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Building the Alaska Highway is one of
many television specials in February that spotlights the achievements
of African Americans. Additional programs broadcast in honor of Black
History Month include:
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- Black in the '80s (VH1, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2005,
10 p.m. ET/PT) Three-part documentary that focuses on
African-American pop culture during the Reagan decade.
- Showtime's Black Filmmaker Showcase (Showtime,
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2005, 9 p.m. ET/PT) 12th Annual Black History
Month short film programming that spotlights up-and-coming talent
in the African-American community.
- Anatomy of a Scene: Baadasssss! (Sundance, Feb.
5, 2005, 6 p.m. ET/PT) Behind one scene in Mario Van Peebles'
independent film that explores the production of the
genre-defining film by the director's dad.
- Black Preachers (History, Feb. 5, 2005, 7 p.m.
ET/PT) Examines the role of the church in African-American
society.
- American Experience: Building the Alaska Highway
(PBS, Monday, Feb. 7, 2005, 9 p.m. ET/PT) Joe Morgan narrates a
documentary on a World War II military initiative that featured
three African American engineering regiments in efforts to
construct a land route to supply military bases in Alaska.
- Slavery and the Making of America (PBS, Feb. 9,
2005, 9 p.m. ET/PT) Morgan Freeman narrates four-part series on
American slavery.
- Lackawanna Blues (HBO, Feb. 12, 2005, 8 p.m.
ET/PT) Dramatization of noted actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson's
upbringing by a generous boarding house owner in upstate New York
in the period just before desegregation. The film is directed by
George C. Wolfe and stars S. Epatha Merkerson, Mos Def, Jeffrey
Wright, Carmen Ejogo, Terrence Dashon Howard and Jimmy Smits.
- Save Our History: Voices of Civil Rights
(History, Feb. 12, 2005, 8 p.m. ET/PT) The Civil Rights movement
as told through the stories of men, women and children who lived
it.
- Miracle's Boys (The N, Feb. 18-20, 2005, 9
p.m.-10 p.m. ET, check your local listings) Mini-series that
reflects the humor and drama of the everyday lives of the Bailey
brothers as they face the challenges of raising themselves. The
series features a slate of marquee directors - Spike Lee, Bill
Duke, Ernest Dickerson, Neema Barnette and LeVar Burton and stars
Sean Nelson (Fresh, The Corner)
- Jamie Foxx's Laffapalooza (Comedy Central, Feb.
19, 2005, 10 p.m. ET/PT) Comedy special featured as part of the
channel's "Galaxy of the Black Stars" event.
- 2004 American Black Film Festival Finalists
Marathon (Cinemax, Feb. 21, 2005, 6:30 p.m. ET/PT) Five shorts,
including festival winner Time Out.
- Celebration of Gospel (BET, Feb. 24, 2005, 9
p.m. ET/PT) Top names such as BeBe Winans and Yolanda Adams
perform traditional and contemporary gospel. M
February 2005
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