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Celebrate Women’s History Month with PBS
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This Women’s History Month, Well Beings pays tribute to the pioneers, caregivers, and changemakers who have long stood at the intersection of health and community.
This curated collection of PBS videos honors the transformative impact of women, from historical icons who shattered barriers in medicine and science to contemporary leaders driving today’s conversations on mental health, reproductive equity, and social resilience. These stories are a testament to how the pursuit of gender equality is fundamental to a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, reinforcing that the strength and well-being of our nation are inextricably linked to the empowerment of women.
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language. Known for roles in The West Wing and CODA, at 21 years old, Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar.
American Experience: The Vote
The dramatic 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.
One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, The Vote 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.
Part Two examines the mounting dispute over strategy and tactics, and reveals how the pervasive racism of the time, particularly in the South, impacted women’s fight for the vote.
PBS Shows Featuring Important Figures in Women’s History
American Masters: The Disappearance of Miss Scott
Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality. The film features interviews with Mickey Guyton, Tracie Thoms, Amanda Seales, and Sheryl Lee Ralph as the voice of Hazel Scott.
Becoming Katharine Graham
Becoming Katharine Graham tells the story of a painfully shy woman’s accidental rise to power and how it changed history. After a family tragedy, Kay evolved from a “doormat wife” into a legendary newspaper publisher. Nixon’s nemesis during Watergate, she fought for truth, broke down barriers in a sexist world, and won a Pulitzer Prize, inspiring generations with her courage and resilience.
American Masters: Roberta Flack
Follow music icon Roberta Flack from a piano lounge through her rise to stardom. From “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to “Killing Me Softly,” Flack’s virtuosity was inseparable from her commitment to civil rights. Detailing her story in her own words, the film features exclusive access to Flack’s archives and interviews with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Peabo Bryson and more.
American Experience: The Sun Queen
Scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun. Though undercut and thwarted by her male colleagues, she persevered to design the first successfully solar-heated house in 1948 and held more than 20 patents.
American Experience: Fly With Me
Fly With Me tells the story of the pioneering 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. The job offered unheard-of opportunities for travel and independence. These women were on the frontlines of the battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace.
American Experience: The Cancer Detectives
The 1967 Detroit uprising was one of the most violent of the 20th century, and it was rooted in a series of grievances, first and foremost, persistent police harassment.
Great Performances: Ann
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.
Singing For Justice
Singing for Justice reveals the story of Faith Petric (1915-2013), a political radical, musician, mother, worker and grandmother who united folk music and activism through almost a century of American social movements. Over her long and purposeful life, Faith inspired all to take responsibility for social change, women and elders to defy stereotypes, and everyone she met to sing along.
American Masters: Lily Gladstone: Far Out There
Filmmaker Brooke Pepion Swaney profiles independent film actress Lily Gladstone as she prepares for the release of “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Drawing from her childhood on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and her peripatetic life as a professional actor, Gladstone learns to stand on her own two feet in order to make her voice heard.
American Masters: Searching for Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage was the first person in the U.S. to open a gallery dedicated to African American art. A Harlem Renaissance sculptor and art educator, she was also one of the first Black women art activists of her time and fought for the inclusion of Black artists in the mainstream canon. Art historian Jeffreen M. Hayes, Ph.D. explores Savage’s legacy, and why her artwork has been largely erased.
Independent Lens: Hidden Letters
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 Nüshu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women.
POV: Over the Wall
Nine seconds, it’s about all you have. Welcome to the fast-paced world of a NASCAR pit crew. Over the Wall is an immersive film following Brehanna Daniels, the first Black woman pit crew member and tire changer in NASCAR, as she works her way back from injury to participate in the Daytona 500, the sport’s biggest race. A testament to the power of perseverance and what it takes to be a trailblazer.
Frontline: Kind-Hearted Woman (Pt.1)
In a special two-part series, acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland creates an unforgettable portrait of Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Reservation. Sutherland follows Robin over three years as she struggles to raise her two children, further her education, and heal herself from the wounds of sexual abuse.
Frontline: Kind-Hearted Woman (Pt.2)
In a special two-part series, acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland creates an unforgettable portrait of Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Reservation. Sutherland follows Robin over three years as she struggles to raise her two children, further her education, and heal herself from the wounds of sexual abuse.
American Masters: Sydney G. James | How We See Us
Filmmaker Juanita Anderson follows visual artist Sydney G. James, whose bold brushstrokes in murals and large-scale paintings amplify the presence of Black women, Black families, and Black culture in her hometown of Detroit. Through her work as a mentor and as co-founder of the BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival, James inspires her fellow Detroiters to come together to celebrate their community.
POV: You Can’t Stop the Spirit
You Can’t Stop Spirit centers the Baby Doll Mardi Gras masking tradition: a group of self-liberated Black women who created an alternative social space where they are encouraged to be free.
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