Throughout the month of March PBS has specials streaming on the PBS App and PBS Player site. Search for titles below to watch these films
Womens History
Extraordinary Women from Stories from the Stage On-Demand
What does it mean to be extraordinary? Defy the odds and redefine benchmarks of success. Homeless at 19, Natalie builds a career as a pediatric neurosurgeon; Rebecca, one of the “Lost Girls of Sudan,” finds a path to creating positive change; and Lachi fights discrimination as a disability rights advocate. Three storytellers, three interpretations of EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN; hosted by Theresa Okokon.
Running with My Girls On-Demand
Tired of watching local government ignore their communities’ interests, five diverse female activists run for municipal office in Denver – one of the U.S.’s fastest gentrifying cities. A story about an engaged community outrunning the deep pockets of the political establishment, RUNNING WITH MY GIRLS demonstrates that building a new kind of political power is not just aspirational but possible. Available to watch on-demand through 9/13/24
A Conversation with NAACP Image Award Recipient, Nikki Giovanni • On-Demand Facebook Live Event
Legendary Poet, Nikki Giovanni, Reflects on Her Literary Works that Inspire and Transcend the Imagination.
Watch PBS Books Event with Nikki Giovanni from Wednesday, April 3 at 8pm The event is archived here.
As part of its Wright Conversations series, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History presents Nikki Giovanni, one of this country’s most widely read poets and one of America’s most renowned poets worldwide. Her poem, “Knoxville, Tennessee,” is arguably the single literary work most often associated with that city. Giovanni has received numerous awards in the course of her career, including seven Image Awards from the N.A.A.C.P., more than two-dozen honorary degrees, the first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, the Langston Hughes Medal for Poetry, and the Carl Sandburg Literary Award; additionally, Oprah Winfrey recognized her in 2005 as one of twenty-five “Living Legends.” She continues to teach, write, and publish books. Her most recent collection, “Make Me Rain,” was released in October of 2020.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Poet Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather’s alma mater, Fisk University. Since 1987, she has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech, where she is an Emerita Professor in the Department of English. She has been nominated for a Grammy and a finalist for the National Book Award. She has authored three New York Times and Los Angeles Times best-sellers, highly unusual for a poet. For more information in the words of the poet herself, visit here.
Independent Lens: Breaking the News On-Demand
Frustrated by the lack of representation in the media, a group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists launched The 19th*, a digital news startup whose work is guided by elevating the voices often left out of the American story. Watch on-demand through 5/19/24.
Independent Lens: Breaking the News follows the launch of The 19th*, a news startup that seeks to change the white, male-dominated news industry, asking who’s been omitted from mainstream coverage and how to include them. Bringing the viewer right into the newsroom during tense moments as the startup launches in a pandemic amid rising social unrest, the film provides an inside view of what it takes to challenge the status quo and break the mold in American media.
Shot over three years, the film documents the honest discussions at The 19th* around race and gender equity, revealing that change doesn’t come easy, and showcases how they confront these challenges both as a workplace and in their journalism. But this film is about more than a newsroom; it’s about America in flux and the voices that are often left out of the American story.
American Experience: Fly With Me • WXXI-TV
The story of the pioneering young women who became flight attendants at a time when single women were unable to order a drink, eat alone in a restaurant, own a credit card or get a prescription for birth control.
American Experience: Fly With Me airs Tuesday, February 20 at 9 p .m. on WXXI-TV.
Becoming a “stewardess,” as they were called, offered unheard-of opportunities for travel, glamor, adventure and independence. Although often maligned as feminist sellouts, these women were on the frontlines of the battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace. Featuring firsthand accounts, personal stories and a rich archival record, the film tells the lively and important but neglected history of the women who changed the world while flying it.
Photo: Title art • Credit: PBS
Independent Lens: Breaking the News • WXXI-TV
Frustrated by the lack of representation in the media, a group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists launched The 19th*, a digital news startup whose work is guided by elevating the voices often left out of the American story.
Independent Lens: Breaking the News airs Monday, February 19 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
Independent Lens: Breaking the News follows the launch of The 19th*, a news startup that seeks to change the white, male-dominated news industry, asking who’s been omitted from mainstream coverage and how to include them. Bringing the viewer right into the newsroom during tense moments as the startup launches in a pandemic amid rising social unrest, the film provides an inside view of what it takes to challenge the status quo and break the mold in American media.
Shot over three years, the film documents the honest discussions at The 19th* around race and gender equity, revealing that change doesn’t come easy, and showcases how they confront these challenges both as a workplace and in their journalism. But this film is about more than a newsroom; it’s about America in flux and the voices that are often left out of the American story.
Photo: Reporter Kate Sosin contemplating at desk • Credit: Heather Courtney
Watch the Trailer:
Breaking the News Screening • The Little Theatre
Photo from Breaking the News – Independent Lens
Join WXXI for a special FREE screening and discussion of Breaking the News, a film by Heather Courtney, Princess Hairston, Chelsea Hernandez, and Diane M Quon. Frustrated by the lack of representation in the media, a group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists launched The 19th*, a digital news startup whose work is guided by elevating the voices often left out of the American story.
Indie Lens Pop-Up presents this free screening:
On Monday, February 26 at 6:30-8:30 p.m.
At The Little Theatre, Theatre 5
240 East Avenue, Rochester, NY
The film will be followed by a panel discussion.
Moderator: Jasmin Singer is the host of WXXI’s Weekend Edition and Environmental Connections, as well as a guest host for Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Connections.
Panelists include: Vanessa J. Cheek, vice president of social media and marketing for Rochester Association of Black Journalists (RABJ) and communications manager for Rochester’s Police Accountability Board; and Arien Rozelle, M.S., APR, Assistant Professor, Department of Media and Communications St. John Fisher University; Brianna Milon, a Communications Specialist with Action for a Better Community and a media professional who has worked in both radio and TV news.
Watch the Trailer:
Learn More: Film Website
PBS Independent Lens: Breaking the News
About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a community series that brings people together for film screenings and conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most. Learn more at pbs.org/indielenspopup
Presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Stream anytime on the PBS App. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens.
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