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In the early 1970s, Motown Records released politically charged albums on a subsidiary called Black Forum – most of which faded into obscurity. Now, the producer and historian Pat Thomas has collected the sounds and the stories of artists like Langston Hughes, Elaine Brown, Amiri Baraka and more, for the book “Listen Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975.” He joins us to explore a time when politics and pop culture intersected in a most revolutionary way.

On December 17, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King was honored by the people of New York for his unparalleled contributions to the civil rights movement in a City Hall ceremony presentation of the Medallion of Honor.

Six teachers from a range of schools share tips for inspiring a new generation of students and the challenges they face. The teachers are: Romero Ross (first grade teacher at Achievement First charter school in East New York, Brooklyn) Keith Christiansen (literacy teacher at M.S. 88 in Brooklyn) Luciano D’Orazio (social studies coordinator at P.S. 150 South Bronx) Katy Ulrich (first grade teacher Achievement First charter in Bushwick, Brooklyn) and Karen Zaidberg (sixth grade at Manhattan Country Day School) Duane Williamson (ninth grade English at Pathways in Technology Early College High School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn).

Listen to their conversation about their favorite Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History month-related lessons here:

Playwright Katori Hall discusses her play about Martin Luther King, Jr., The Mountaintop, now on Broadway. Director of The Mountaintop and Stick Fly, Kenny Leon, joins the conversation.

One of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most important political advisors, Stanley Levison, has remained largely hidden from public view — even 40 years after King’s death.