Trailblazing Women Are Highlighted in New Programming From PBS SoCal and KCET in Honor of the Women’s Vote Centennial, The Feminist Movement and Modern-Day Changemakers
CONTACT
Allison Gray
agray@pmgsocal.org
747.201.5298
POV ‘And She Could Be Next’ Online Watch Party
Features CA State Senator Maria Elena Durazo
Set for June 29
(Clockwise from Upper Left: AMERICAN MASTERS “Unladylike2020,” “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” POV “And She Could Be Next,” AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Vote”)
kcet.org/trailblazers and pbssocal.org/trailblazers
Programming will also be available for streaming on PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members will be available to view episodes via Passport.
Burbank, Calif. – June 23, 2020 – PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS organizations, announced today that they will debut new programming that will showcase a curated lineup of multiplatform content celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed and protected women’s constitutional right to vote in the United States. As part of PBS’s summer-long salute to female trailblazers, PBS SoCal and KCET will honor and commemorate those who fought for women’s suffrage in the U.S., the feminist movement throughout the 20th century and the stories of modern women who continue to shatter the glass ceiling and transform modern history.
The producers of one of those films in particular, the POV miniseries “And She Could Be Next,” are working closely with a number of partners, including KCET and PBS SoCal, to host nationwide watch parties and virtual panel events on June 29 and June 30. Each night, viewers are asked to join in for a live discussion and countdown to the broadcast at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET as special guests share a conversation about the film and the future transformation of politics from the ground up. Panelists include Bushra Amiwala (the youngest Muslim elected official in the U.S.), Glynda Carr (President, CEO and Co-founder of Higher Heights for America), Erin Vilardi (Founder and Executive Director of VoteRunLead), Sayu Bhojwani (Founder and President of The New American Leaders Project), LaTosha Brown (CoFounder, Black Voters Matter Fund), Nse Ufot (Executive Director of the New Georgia Project) and Mary Hooks (Co-Director of Southerners on New Ground). The goal of the virtual event is to empower women in this unique time in American history. To participate in the Watch Party online event, click HERE. Follow the hashtag #StepIntoPower across social media platforms and join a virtual community of organizations, filmmakers, elected officials from the series, influencers and viewers watching along together. Both episodes are available for streaming each night on pbs.org/pov.
Filmed between March and November 2018, “And She Could Be Next” follows five women of color candidates including Georgia’s Stacey Abrams and Detroit’s Rashida Tlaib as they interact with voters, conduct embattled campaigns, balance work as well as personal lives and in the process, are re-shaping the political power infrastructure. Directed/produced by Grace Lee and Marjan Safinia and executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the film features California Senator Maria Elena Durazo, who represents the 24th State Senate district, which encompasses Central Los Angeles and East Los Angeles.
Additional programming as part of the new curated lineup includes three exciting projects from AMERICAN MASTERS, starting off with the documentary tribute to the writer, performer and entertainment legend “Mae West: Dirty Blonde” followed by the new documentary on the Nobel Prize-winning author “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am.” In July comes the premiere of “Unladylike2020: The Changemakers,” a multimedia series (one-hour special for broadcast and 26 digital short films) which features pioneering, diverse and little-known American heroines from the turn of the 20th century and looks at how their work resonates today. The program showcases the first women in the U.S. Congress as well as a co-founder of the NAACP and women who achieved many firsts in other areas; from earning an international pilot’s license to becoming a bank president, and from exploring the Arctic to singing opera at Carnegie Hall.
Meanwhile AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Vote” is a new four-hour, two-part documentary series that tells the dramatic story of the epic — and surprisingly unfamiliar — crusade waged by American women for the right to vote. Focusing primarily on the movement’s final decade, the film charts women in America as their determined march to the ballot box illuminates the myriad social, political and cultural obstacles that stood in their path. “The Vote” delves into the controversies that divided the nation in the early 20th century –– gender, race, state's rights, and political power — and reveals the fractious dynamics of social change. Narrated by Kate Burton, “The Vote” features the voices of Mae Whitman, Audra McDonald, Laura Linney and Patricia Clarkson.
Select content slated to air during the next few months as part of PBS’ Trailblazers initiative is listed as follows (*schedule subject to change):
AMERICAN MASTERS: “Mae West: Dirty Blonde” – Streaming on the PBS App (Debuted Tues., June 16 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed. June 17 at 9 p.m. on KCET)
The first major documentary film to explore West’s life and career, as she “climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong” to become a writer, performer and subversive agitator for social change.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Ann” – Streaming on the PBS App (Debuted Fri. June 19 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal)
Enjoy a revealing look at iconic Texas governor Ann Richards in this play starring Holland Taylor.
AMERICAN MASTERS: “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” – TONIGHT, Tues. June 23 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., June 24 at 9 p.m. on KCET
A posthumous tribute to the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. Inspired to write because no one took a “little black girl” seriously, she published 11 acclaimed novels that illuminated the experiences of Black America and inspired generations of writers.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Gloria: A Life” – Fri. June 26 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Experience a unique interpretation of Gloria Steinem’s life starring Emmy winner Christine Lahti.
POV “And She Could Be Next” – Mon. June 29 and 30 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat. July 4 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on KCET
The story of a defiant movement of women of color, transforming politics from the ground up. The series follows candidates and organizers across the country, asking whether democracy itself can be preserved—and made stronger—by those most marginalized. The series features history-makers including Rashida Tlaib and Stacey Abrams.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Vote” – Mon. July 6 and 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat. July 11 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on KCET
One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, the film tells the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote, a transformative cultural and political movement that resulted in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
AMERICAN MASTERS: “Unladylike2020” – Fri. July 10 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Illuminating the stories of extraordinary American heroines from the early years of feminism, this one-hour special for broadcast (and 26 digital short films) features courageous, little-known and diverse female trailblazers from the turn of the 20th century.
Reinforcing both KCET and PBS SoCal’s commitment to sharing authentic stories of people too often overlooked, the organizations will continue to roll out additional digital content kcet.org/trailblazers and pbssocal.org/trailblazers exploring the impact of women on the country at large over the next few months.
SOCAL CONNECTED’s new original digital series, “I Was There,” will feature first-hand accounts from Southern California female leaders as they recall personal and historical moments that made them trailblazers. One of the upcoming women featured is former LA City Councilmember and Controller Laura Chick which will debut on Thurs., July 2 online at https://www.kcet.org/shows/socal-connected/projects/i-was-there.
Join the conversation on social media by tagging @kcet and @pbssocal as well as #TrailblazersPBS and #StepIntoPower
ABOUT PBS SOCAL AND KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California, which was formed by the merger of PBS SoCal and KCETLink Media Group. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for 19 million diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and entertain – over the air, online, in the community and in the classroom. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films including works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs including DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. Programs are accessible for free through four broadcast channels, and available for streaming at pbssocal.org, on the PBS mobile apps, and via connected TV services Android TV, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
KCET is on-air, online and in the community, and plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 55-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps.
