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Melissa Haizlip Remembers A Defining Moment For Black Television And Her Family Legacy With 'Mr. Soul!'
Living Single and Scandal pulled in viewers from across the country, Ellis Haizlip’s public television series SOUL! premiered, giving Black viewers an unfiltered and authentic representation of Black culture on TV. Soul! debuted September 12, 1968, and was produced by Haizlip, an activist and creator, and PBS’s WNDT. He would eventually host the series, introducing acts like Al Green, Patti LaBelle, and the Bluebelles, and even providing the platform for that infamous conversation between James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni.
