Most people recognize the name Duke Ellington, but very few know the name Billy Strayhorn. The documentary Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life, which will be featured tonight on the PBS series Independent Lens at 10:00 p.m., hopes to change that. Strayhorn composed many of Ellington's hits, but his quiet demeanor kept him in Ellington's shadow. Also, he was an openly gay black man living in the '40s, a time when most remained closeted for fear of violence or worse.

In honor of Black History Month, I've made a non-conclusive list of some programs and specials that are coming up to celebrate black history in America. I'll be adding more shows to future posts as information becomes available, probably as we get closer to February. If you know of any I've missed, let me know in the comments and I'll add them to my next post.