© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How Did Black Graveyards Become Battlegrounds of Resistance?

Season 1 Episode 1 | 11m 56s

A proper burial is a ceremony that many of us take for granted, but that was not the case for African Americans for much of U.S. history. From a man honoring his duty as caretaker for his ancestors’ cemetery to a woman fighting to protect the sacred burial sites of her enslaved ancestors, we learn how taking care of the dead became an act of resilience in the American South.

Aired: 02/13/23
Funding for RITUAL is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Extras
Get ready for the all-new season, coming January 17, 2027 at 9/8c.
The cast play a game of "What's in the vet bag?" with sentimental props from the series.
Get a sneak peek at a brand new season of NATURE on PBS.
New discoveries reveal how pivotal Great Zimbabwe was to global trade.
Discover all-new Secrets of the Dead on Wednesdays this fall, starting October 14 at 10/9c.
Join Elmo and the Sesame Street gang on a once-in-a-lifetime African safari adventure.
Discover filmmaker and playwright Luis Valdez, a founding figure of the Chicano Movement.
A filmmaker explores racial justice in his hometown as he returns to his conservative father.
On Antarctica’s barren nunatuks, Dr. Ry Holland searches for microbial life.
Austrian scientist Dr. Birgit Sattler studies the microbial life that exists in ice.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Ritual Season 2
  • Ritual Season 1
Tank Ball explores the history of second lines in New Orleans.
This episode expands the definition of ritual into communication.
Tank Ball meets duck hunters and reexamines one of humanity’s oldest rituals - the hunt.
Tank Ball learns about the sacred Green Corn Ceremony practiced by Indigenous communities.
Tank Ball explores the musical tradition of corridos at the U.S. - Mexico Border.
Tank Ball discovers the significance of river baptisms for the Black community.
Tank Ball explores the spiritual practice of Hoodoo and the ritual of ancestral worship.
Tank Ball explores the Super Sunday ritual of Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans.
Join Tank Ball as she explores the Haitian Independence Day ritual of making soup joumou.