PBS Western Reserve honors Women’s History Month with a variety of programming airing on its PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1) and Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2) channels. Shows that are airing for the first time are marked with an asterisk (*).
In the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski—great-grandmother, businesswoman and Holocaust survivor—runs the tailor shop she’s owned for more than 30 years. However, when she’s served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Warshawski to revisit her harrowing past as a refugee and witness to genocide. A poignant story of generational trauma and healing, BIG SONIA also offers a laugh-out-loud-funny portrait of the power of love to triumph over bigotry, and the power of truth-telling to heal us all.
In 1925, Mrs. Mary Carson Breckinridge led a team of spirited women to Leslie County, Ky., and established a demonstration of providing unprecedented health care to rural Appalachia. Together, they improved the maternal and infant mortality rates, losing just two maternal patients over a span of 12 years.
Learn of the tactics and attitudes of Tennessee and Southern suffragists, exploring how the shadow of the Confederacy and values of the “Lost Cause” shaped the fight for full female enfranchisement. Narrated by Rosanne Cash, the documentary chronicles the events leading up to a turbulent, nail-biting showdown in August 1920.
Discover the story of the Supreme Court’s first female justice. A pioneer who both reflected and shaped an era, Sandra Day O’Connor was the deciding vote in cases on some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues—including race, gender and reproductive rights.
Meet Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, who rose from the streets of Flint, Mich., and at 17 won the first Olympic gold medal for women’s boxing in 2012. In this coming-of-age story, life outside the ring may be an even tougher fight.
This film weaves together the narrative of artist Alice Schille’s life with the story of the Keny family’s multi-generation connection to the artist. Jim Keny and his twin brother, Tim, run Keny Galleries in the historical German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.
Explore the fascinating life of celebrated singer Marian Anderson. In 1939, after being barred from performing at Constitution Hall because she was Black, Anderson triumphed at the Lincoln Memorial in what became a landmark moment in American history.
In late 2017, “Masterpiece,” a painting by the late pop art master Roy Lichtenstein, sold for $165 million in a private sale. The sale was a far cry from the early 1950s when the young artist struggled to find acceptance as a painter in Cleveland. His wife, Isabel, was the family’s breadwinner and a prominent interior decorator. She developed a clientele of upper-middle-class Clevelanders who appreciated her taste for what is now known as mid-century modern design. Roy Lichtenstein’s impact on the art world is well-documented, the story of his pre-pop days in Cleveland and the woman who supported him as he developed his signature style is largely unknown.
Learn about the poetry and life of Ruth Stone, who forged her art out of loss and inspired countless others to create from her hilltop home in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Using an intimate approach, the film combines archival footage of Stone at different times of her life, capturing her reciting poetry and talking about her writing process. It also intertwines lively and heartfelt observations from her family and people who knew her well.
Using archive footage and personal accounts, this documentary shows how Queen Elizabeth II accompanied her prime ministers through their time in office. Filmmakers Katharina Wolff and Larissa Klinker focus on the queen as a symbol of the centuries-old power structure in the United Kingdom. Personal secretaries, political pundits and Buckingham Palace insiders reveal how personal likes and dislikes determine the relationship between royalty and government.
Learn about the restoration of a magnificent mural created by a 16th-century nun who is considered the first great woman artist of the Renaissance. As this half-hour documentary follows the restoration of the mural by a team of female art conservationists, experts speak to the scope of the art Plautilla Nelli created, the significance of her work and the importance of highlighting women artists who have largely been ignored.
Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down Al Capone and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America. Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today.
Explore the lives and trailblazing careers of iconic African American entertainers Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier, who changed American culture through their films, fashion, music and politics.
Discover an international singer who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America. Watch rare archival footage and hear audio recordings exploring her life and career from the Metropolitan Opera to the State Department.
Odessa Madre, nicknamed Queen of the Underworld, was a prosperous numbers runner and a key figure in a lucrative gambling ring in Washington, D.C., in the 1950s. Leading the paper chase gave her prestige within the mob, power in her neighborhood, and control over the men charged with enforcing the law—all while being an African American woman in a segregated city.
Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers and critics on an exploration of the powerful themes she confronted throughout her literary career in this artful and intimate meditation that examines the life and work of the legendary storyteller.
Enjoy Renée Fleming’s return to the Met in this new production inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway.” Also starring Tony winner Kelli O’Hara and Joyce DiDonato, the opera follows three women from different eras. Christine Baranski hosts.
Set in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of high school debate, where tomorrow’s leaders are groomed, GIRL TALK tells the compelling and timely story of five girls on a top-ranked Massachusetts high school debate team as they strive to become the best debaters in the United States.
Kasturba Gandhi lived her life in the shadow of her iconic husband, but now her story is finally being told. Activist and master of nonviolent protest Mahatma Gandhi credited Kasturba with teaching him about the peaceful path to change prior to him leading the civil disobedience campaign against British occupation. This documentary chronicles how she became one of the first women activists in modern history and how her legacy inspires women today.
OLYMPIA is an intimate look into the life and career of beloved Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis and her courageous journey to find her voice.
Explore the life of the groundbreaking author of “The Joy Luck Club” in this intimate portrait. Archival imagery, home movies, photographs, animation and original interviews create a vivid, colorful journey through Tan’s inspiring life and career.
Meet activist Ruby Duncan, who led a grassroots movement of mothers who challenged presidents, the Vegas mob and everyday Americans to fight for a universal basic income and rethink their notions of the “welfare queen.”
Mabel Dodge was an independently wealthy writer, early feminist, social activist and champion for women and Native American rights. In 1917 she moved from Greenwich Village to Taos, NM, where she met and eventually married Tony Lujan a full-blooded Tiwa Indian from Taos Pueblo. She was responsible for bringing major modern artists to New Mexico including Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Adams and D.H. Lawrence.
The bonds of sisterhood, and the parallels of struggles among generations of women in China, are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nushu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women.
Enjoy a powerful and revealing look at legendary, larger-than-life Texas governor Ann Richards, who enriched the lives of her followers, friends and family, in this critically acclaimed play written by and starring Emmy Award winner Holland Taylor.