Women’s History Month
Join WDSE•WRPT as we celebrate the power of women this March, and all year round with important shows, both national and local, that share both uplifting and difficult stories.
Local Productions
Making It Up North
This series is about artists, artisans, and entrepreneurs making their way up north. Gain perspective on what it means to learn a craft, take a chance, make it.
- Natalija Walbridge – Fashion Meets Function at Dock 5
- Sarah Agaton Howes – Heart Berry Thrives
- Melanie Hallstein and Desiree Jenkins – Mama Roots Bus Makes History
- Moira Villiard – Collaborative Art
Native Report
Native Report is an entertaining, informative series that celebrates Native American culture and heritage, listens to tribal elders, and talks to some of the most powerful and influential leaders of Indian Country today.
- Annie Humphrey – Healing Song
- Kim Blaeser – Poet Laureate
- Marcie Mclntire – Bead Artist & Craftsperson
- Zhaa Zhaa Greensky – Quest to Become a Doctor
Intersections
These five-minute stories highlight community members from across Northern Minnesota with inspiring and enriching stories about overcoming adversity. This celebration of the human spirit will showcase the amazing, and often untold, stories of our fellow community members.
National
America ReFramed: For the Love of Rutland
An attempt to bring Syrian refugees to invigorate the economically struggling and overwhelmingly white town of Rutland, Vermont unleashes deep partisan rancor. Despite a lifetime of feeling invalidated and shamed for her poverty and addiction, long-time Rutland resident Stacie emerges as an unexpected and resilient leader in a town divided by class, cultural values, and divisive politics.
Stories from the Stage: She Persisted
Through the whispers of doubt, nevertheless, they persisted. In Afghanistan, Mahboba Akhtarzadah journeys to her classroom against all odds; Crystal Williams climbs the ladder of higher education, aided by some secret admirers; and Joan Anderman learns that it’s never too late to radically change her life.
America ReFramed: She Rises
Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault than all other American women, and 86% of the offenses are committed by non-Native men. Follow six women who refuse to let this pattern of violence continue in the shadows as their stories shine an unflinching light on righting injustice on both an individual and systemic level.
Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir
The story of the author whose first novel, “The Joy Luck Club,” was published to commercial and critical success. With the blockbuster film adaption that followed as well as additional best-selling novels, short stories, and memoirs, Amy Tan firmly established herself as one of the most prominent and respected American literary voices working today. Watch an exclusive interview with the writer herself.
Independent Lens: 9to5 The Story of a Movement
When Dolly Parton sang “9 to 5,” she was singing about a real movement that started with a group of secretaries in the ’70s. Their goals were simple: better pay, more advancement opportunities, and an end to sexual harassment. The fight that inspired a hit would change the American workplace forever. Watch a Meet the Makers panel with filmmaker Julia Reichert, Ellen Cassedy, Janet Selcer, Dorine Levasseur, and Darlene Lombos, moderated by Tina M. McDuffie.
American Masters: Althea
This is the story of Althea Gibson (1927-2003), a truant from the rough streets of Harlem, who emerged as the unlikely queen of the highly segregated tennis world in the 1950s. She was the first African American to play and win at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (precursor of the U.S. Open) — a decade before Arthur Ashe. Interviewees include Wimbledon champion Dick Savitt and Billie Jean King.
Independent Lens: 9to5 The Story of a Movement