WEEKEND TV : A Trio of Black History Month Specials

Three notable programs highlight Black History Month this weekend.

Set in the 1850s, “Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad” looks at the efforts of four slaves who find their way to Canada--and freedom. It stars Janet Bailey, Courtney Vance, Dawnn Lewis and Glynn Turman, today at 5 p.m. on cable’s BET and again at 8 p.m. on the Family Channel. (See review below.)

Marla Gibbs and Charles S. Dutton focus on African Americans who overcame obstacles to achieve success in “Heroes: A Triumph of the Spirit,” Sunday at 8 a.m. on KCBS-TV Channel 2.

And Joe Morton narrates the special “Against the Odds: Artists of the Harlem Renaissance,” which profiles a group of black visual artists and their work during the 1920s and ‘30s, Sunday at 10 p.m. on KCET-TV Channel 28.