PBS SOCAL TO PREMIERE ‘MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA’ ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26
Film Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary from Gloria Steinem, Ellen DeGeneres, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and Katie Couric.
COSTA MESA, Calif. (February 19, 2013) – PBS SoCaL will broadcast MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA on Tuesday, February 26, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. P.S.T, covering the story of remarkable women who have helped shape this country over the last 50 years.
Narrated by three-time Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep, MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA takes its cue from the movement’s motto, “The personal is political,” delving into intimate accounts of women who experienced this time of change, including movement leaders such as author and feminist activist Gloria Steinem and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; opponents such as conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly; celebrities including media leader Oprah Winfrey and journalist Katie Couric; political figures such as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; business leaders such as Linda Alvarado, president and CEO of Alvarado Construction, Inc., and a co-owner of The Colorado Rockies; and many “ordinary” women who confronted the dramatic social upheaval in their own lives.
Through the perspectives of those who lived through historic milestones, MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA will recount the seminal events in the Women’s Movement, including the publication of The Feminine Mystique in 1963, the battles to end discriminatory laws and practices over the following decade, and Anita Hill’s testimony against Clarence Thomas before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991. It will also go much further, telling the surprising and unknown stories of women who broke barriers in their own chosen fields — from the coal mines of West Virginia to the boardrooms of Madison Avenue. And it will take the story to today, when a new generation is both defending and questioning the legacy of their mothers.
PBS SoCaL has also localized this initiative by honoring local women leaders as guests on news and public affairs show Real Orange and as Community Champions, a title PBS SoCaL gives to individuals who make outstanding contributions to the community. Included in this group honored by PBS SoCaL are: Nancy Nygren, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Orange County; Erin Runnion, head of Joyful Child; activist Laura Davick; Julie Wood, Executive Director of the International Princess Project; Lise Luttgens, the CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles; and Faye Washington, CEO of the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles. The station has also engaged in community outreach related to the show in order to reach young women and inspire them to become MAKERS in the greater Los Angeles community.
The broadcast of MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA comes on the heels of the launch of MAKERS.com early in 2012. This landmark multiplatform video experience from PBS and AOL aims to become the largest and most dynamic collection of women’s stories ever assembled. The AOL-developed interactive video platform has become a source of inspiration for millions of people, with more than 32.5 million video views to date.
A preview of the documentary is available at http://video.pbssocal.org/video/2330326941
About PBS SoCaL
PBS SoCaL, formerly KOCE-TV, is Southern California’s PBS station dedicated to interactively educating, entertaining, and enlightening the greater Los Angeles area. With its three unique broadcast channels. PBS SoCaL HD, PBS OC, and WORLD TV, PBS SoCaL provides award-winning programs like Frontline, NewsHour, NOVA, Nature, and Masterpiece, as well as local productions Real Orange, SoCaL Insider With Rick Reiff, and Bookmark With Maria Hall-Brown. Through community outreach initiatives including PBS SoCaL Education, PBS SoCaL provides local schools access to new media materials that engage students in 21st century learning. Explore the future of PBS in Southern California at www.pbssocal.org.
