TV & VIDEO - Jan. 14, 1991

Lessons in Black History: Tonight’s episode of NBC’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” will commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the beginning of Black History Week. The story focuses on Will Smith’s lack of knowledge about black history; on the show rapper Smith lives with his wealthy relatives in Bel Air. His Aunt Vivian, played by Janet Hubert, lectures Smith on the importance of knowing the history of his own people. She winds up at Smith’s school teaching black history to his entire class. Hubert said the episode was important to the show’s cast: “It’s an effort to get the message out that black kids have to know about their history.”