Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated when he was 39. Now, four decades later, the anniversary of his death is marked by a documentary that explores his life and legacy.
"King" revisits signal moments from his fight for civil rights: the bus boycott in Montgomery; the march in Selma; his incarceration in Birmingham; the march on Washington and his speech where he declared unforgettably "I have a dream."
Among those interviewed for the special are former President Clinton, Harry Belafonte, Chuck D, Forest Whitaker and Andrew Young, who marvels that King "always saw himself as inadequate. He always felt like he wasn't doing enough."
Program host Tom Brokaw also speaks with Martin Luther King III, who suggests that his father would be "quite disappointed" at the lack of progress in race relations the last 40 years. It airs 8 p.m. Sunday on History (formerly The History Channel).
Other shows to look out for:
- Birds do it. Bees do it. And neither they nor the rest of the animal kingdom (besides humans) need a sex manual or Freudian analysis to get it right. "What Females Want and Males Will Do" is the provocatively titled two-part edition of "Nature" charting some of the techniques that make winners and losers in the animal dating game. Authentic animal magnetism is displayed in Africa, South America and Australia as well as New Orleans and the California desert. Whether it's drumming, dancing, turning colors or even more exotic techniques, creatures have instinctive courting rituals. This documentary puts them on view. It airs Sunday and April 13 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).
- The port of Los Angeles is one of the world's most important trade gateways. The nation's largest container port, it keeps a work force of 16,000 busy handling hundreds of tons of consumer goods every day " including 40 percent of all goods imported into the United States. But along with the unceasing work of handling cargo, there is also a constant threat from contraband and terrorism. Customs officials and the port's own police force play important roles, too. In charge of it all is the executive director, Geraldine Knatz, the first female boss in the port's centurylong history. "America's Port" is an eight-part documentary series that follows its round-the-clock operations and introduces viewers to some of the people who keep it operating. It premieres 10 p.m. Sunday on National Geographic Channel, then, for the second hour, moves into its regular time period, 10 p.m. Monday.
- During the past decade in the Democratic Republic of Congo, hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been sexually attacked and mutilated in this African nation's civil war. The attackers " who often are gangs of armed militia " typically go unpunished as they leave their victims traumatized, shunned by society, and suffering lifelong injury. In her film, "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo," Lisa F. Jackson journeys to this country's war zones to find survivors, young and old, who will break that silence. Traveling alone, she also interviews local law enforcement officials, U.N. peacekeepers and confessed rapists. She visits the Panzi Hospital, which specializes in treating the hundreds of victims who flock there. These atrocities have a special relevance to Jackson, who was gang-raped at 25 in Washington by three men who were never apprehended. Her film, which won a special jury prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival, premieres 10 p.m. Tuesday on HBO.
- CBS News collaborates with Loki Films, producers of the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Jesus Camp," for "The Lord's Boot Camp," a special edition of "48 Hours." It looks at three teenage girls who, in the summer of 2007, were among hundreds of youngsters attending a no-frills training camp in Florida that prepared them to embark on evangelical missions in the U.S. and Africa. Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady of Loki Films and Susan Zirinsky of CBS News are the executive producers of the program, which provides an unusual glimpse at the spiritual and social struggles of teenhood. It airs 8 p.m. Saturday on CBS.