Join WTIU and WFIU in celebrating Women's History Month! Explore the following programs to learn more about female trailblazers, history-makers, and the contributions women have made to our society.
WTIU Programs:
Wednesday, March 15
1:00 PM – Kasturba Ghandi: Accidental Activist
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.
Thursday, March 16
8:30 PM – Girl Talk: A Local, USA Special
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. (Repeats March 19 at 1:30pm)
Sunday, March 19
1:00 PM – Charlotte Mansfield: A Woman Photographer Goes to War
Explore the remarkable story of the pioneering military career of Charlotte Dee Mansfield, a photographer and photo analyst in the Women's Army Corps. The film draws from her personal writings, archival film resources, historian interviews, and a conversation with Charlotte's lifelong companion, Chief Master Sgt. Lorraine Caddy, to add context to Charlotte's career and the legacy of women's military service during WWII.
3:00 PM – Her Voice Carries
This feature shares the stories of five quietly heroic women, told through their own words and the street art of international mural artist Sarah Rutherford. The film chronicles Sarah's unique creative idea: to identify ordinary-yet-extraordinary women whose voices are inspiring and uplifting and create large-scale murals representing each woman and her experiences.
7:00 PM – Olympia
Olympia is an intimate look into the life and career of beloved Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis and her courageous journey to find her own voice.
10:00 PM – Marie Antoinette
Find out why Marie Antoinette is often blamed for causing the French Revolution by saying “let them eat cake” to her starving subjects. Lucy Worsley uncovers the myths and secrets that led the doomed queen to the guillotine.
11:00 PM – Stella – A History of War
Stella Andrassy fled the Red Army invasion of Hungary in 1945. Born in Sweden, she married into one of Hungary's most influential families. Her world was torn apart by the war, and she wrote a book about her experiences. The film is based on Stella's own narrative with a perspective on the fate of women including abuse and suffering, but also of solidarity, courage, and hope.
Sunday, March 26
1:00 PM – Beyond the Powder: The Legacy of the First Women’s Cross-Country Air Race
Follow the female pilots of the 2014 Air Race Classic racers as they make their way across the country, telling the story of the first women's cross-country air race of 1929, also known as the Powder Puff Derby. The first Women's Air Derby in 1929 was comprised of 20 women—including Amelia Earhart—and flew from Santa Monica to the finish line in Cleveland, kicking off the National Air Races. They encountered sabotage, death, and all the difficulties of flying at the dawn of aviation.
2:00 PM – Marie Suze Pantalon: Itinerary of a Pioneer
Marie Suize Pantalon came from France in 1850 during the Gold Rush in California. In a cosmopolitan and essentially masculine universe, she became a successful gold miner and winemaker. She was arrested many times for wearing men's clothes. She decided to appropriate this as part of her identity and claims her nickname: Marie Pantalon.
2:30 – Renaissance Woman Restored
See the restoration of a magnificent mural created by a 16th-century nun who is considered the first great woman artist of the Renaissance. Follow 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.
7:00 PM – Awakening in Taos – The Mabel Dodge Luhan Story
Mabel Dodge was an independently wealthy writer, early feminist, social activist, and champion of women and Native American rights. In 1917 she moved from Greenwich Village to Taos, New Mexico where she met and eventually married Tony Lujan a 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.
11:00 PM – Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story
Explore Dorothy Day's journey from a young communist journalist to a Catholic convert, to the co-founder of The Catholic Worker newspaper and the first "houses of hospitality," which sheltered New York City's homeless during the Great Depression.
Monday, March 27
10:00 PM – Independent Lens: Hidden Sisters
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.
WFIU Programs:
Thursday, March 2
8:00 PM – Harmonia: Renaissance Women
Before they were tragic characters in 19th-century opera, courtesans were the original Renaissance women: highly educated, socially refined, independent figures with significant literary, artistic, and musical training. Explore the sound world of courtesans from 16th-century Venice to Qing dynasty China and beyond.
Friday, March 3
8:00 PM – Afterglow: The Joni Mitchell Jazz Songbook
Joni Mitchell was named the 2023 recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. On this episode, we pay tribute to Mitchell, by featuring her songs performed by jazz singers like Tierney Sutton, Dianne Reeves, and many more.
Thursday, March 9
8:00 PM – Harmonia: Rediscovering Hildegard
Twelfth-century abbess and mystic Hildegard von Bingen remains one of the most studied, discussed, and performed of them all. What’s the attraction of this composer who has been embraced by historical performers and New Age musicians alike? We explore the enduring popularity of Hildegard, as well as a variety of approaches to her music.
Friday, March 10
8:00 PM – Afterglow: The Song Styling of Carol Sloane
We remember the late jazz singer Carol Sloane, who passed away in January. Slone started her career in the 1960s but is mostly known for her late-career renaissance interpreting the American Songbook for the Concord label in the 1980s and '90s.
Thursday, March 16
8:00 PM – Harmonia: Trobairitz: The Women Troubadours
Troubadours have been romanticized and reimagined in popular culture for centuries now, but rarely in a direction with distinct historical evidence: that is, as women. There were, in fact, many women among the elite poet-musicians of medieval Southern France. Explore the music of the women bards known as “trobairitz.”
Friday, March 17
8:00 PM – Afterglow: Ella on Decca
Explore the early recording career of Ella Fitzgerald on Decca Records, where she started as a big band vocalist and emerged as the greatest scat singer of her generation.
9:00 PM – Night Lights: Flying: Flora Purim in the 1970s
Brazilian singer Flora Purim emerged as the premier vocalist of jazz’s fusion era, appearing on Chick Corea’s first two Return to Forever albums and making a series of successful LPs under her own name that showcased her airy, free vocal style.
Tuesday, March 21
9:00 PM – The Score: Women Composers: Changing the Play List
Hear interviews with leaders of the Alliance of Women Composers and explore great scores by some of the most acclaimed creators of film music, including music from Wendy Carlos' Tron, Lisa Gerrards's brilliant work in Gladiator, and Rachel Portman's Oscar-winning Emma.
Friday, March 24
8:00 PM – Afterglow: Billie Holiday in the 1940s
Take a deep dive into the recordings of the great Billie Holiday from the 1940s by exploring her work for the Commodore and Decca labels, including signature songs like “Solitude” and “I Cover The Waterfront.”
Friday, March 31
8:00 PM – Afterglow: Tributes to the Lady
Hear tributes to Billie Holiday from Carmen McRae, Abbey Lincoln, Sam Cooke, and more.