MAKERS: Women Who Make America

"Makers: Women Who Make America," a three-hour PBS documentary produced by Kunhardt McGee Productions, Storyville Films and WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media, premiered on February 26, 2013 on PBS. The film tells the story of how women have helped shape America over the last 50 years through one of the most sweeping social revolutions in our country’s history, in pursuit of their rights to a full and fair share of political power, economic opportunity and personal autonomy.

1 of 18

Leaders of the Women’s Movement pass a torch that was carried by foot from New York to Houston, Texas, for the National Women’s Convention. Among the marchers, front, from left to right: tennis star Billie Jean King, in blue shirt and tan pants; former U.S. Congresswoman Bella Abzug, wearing her trademark hat; and feminist writer Betty Friedan, right, in red coat. November 1977.

Courtesy of AP Photo/Greg Smith

2 of 18

The March on Washington. Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963. The Women’s Movement was influenced in part by the Civil Rights Movement.

Courtesy of ©Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos

3 of 18

A young woman holds up a sign as she protests for women’s rights in front of the Federal Trade Commission headquarters during Richard Nixon’s inauguration weekend. Washington, D.C., January 18-21, 1969.

Courtesy of David Fenton/Getty Images

4 of 18

Demonstrators remove their brassieres during an anti-bra protest outside a San Francisco department store. August 1, 1969.

Courtesy of © Bettmann/CORBIS, © Corbis

5 of 18

Women marched through downtown St. Louis and visited the Mayor’s office as part of women’s liberation demonstration on the 15th anniversary of ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women the right to vote. August 26, 1970.

Courtesy of Bettmann/Corbis/AP Images

6 of 18

Equal Rights Amendment supporters voice their disapproval of the 22-16 vote against the E.R.A. in the Florida Senate, June 21, 1982.

Courtesy of AP Photo

7 of 18

Signs saying “Women Unite” carried by women supporters during a Women’s Liberation demonstration on Fifth Avenue and on Wall Street, 1970.

Courtesy of John Olson, Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

8 of 18

Betty Friedan, co-founder of National Organization for Women (NOW), speaks during the Women’s Strike for Equality event in New York’s Central Park for the 50th Anniversary of woman suffrage, August 26, 1970.

Courtesy of AP Photo

9 of 18

Gloria Steinem, writer, lecturer, editor, and feminist activist. In 1972, she co-founded Ms. Magazine, which became a landmark institution for women's rights.

Courtesy of Ms. Foundation

10 of 18

Gloria Steinem, iconic American feminist, and the popular face of the women’s movement.

Courtesy of MAKERS

11 of 18

Ellen DeGeneres, first comedian to come out of the closet and represent homosexual relationships for mainstream television audiences, now daytime TV juggernaut.

Courtesy of MAKERS

12 of 18

Faith Ringgold, celebrated artist and activist who fought to open museums to women artists and artist of color.

Courtesy of MAKERS

13 of 18

Hilary Clinton, first female major party presidential candidate, U.S. Secretary of State, as well as a pioneering and controversial former First Lady.

Courtesy of MAKERS

14 of 18

Kathrine Switzer, first woman to officially run in the once all-male Boston marathon, despite being attacked by a race official.

Courtesy of MAKERS

15 of 18

Katie Couric, first solo female anchor of a network evening news program.

Courtesy of MAKERS

16 of 18

Linda Alvarado, founder and CEO of Alvarado Construction — one of the first female-led construction companies — and, as co-owner of the Colorado Rockies, first female owner of a major league baseball franchise.

Courtesy of MAKERS

17 of 18

Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools who brought education reform to the national stage, now founder and CEO of non-profit advocacy group StudentsFirst.

Courtesy of MAKERS

18 of 18

Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox, and the first African-American woman to run a Fortune 500 company.

Courtesy of MAKERS

Courtesy of Rahoul Ghose/PBS

"Makers: Women Who Make America" chronicles unforgettable moments in history and builds on the unprecedented multi-platform video experience from PBS and AOL, MAKERS.com, which launched in February 2012. Leveraging the combined reach of television and the internet, the project shares the stories of exceptional women whose pioneering contributions continue to shape the world in which we live and the film will continue to chronicle the stories of women who led the fight, those who opposed it, and those — both famous and unknown — who were caught in its wake.

“The Women’s Movement, broadly defined, impacted every aspect of American life,” said filmmaker Dyllan McGee, the founder of MAKERS. “It is a very moving, dramatic, and often funny story that we have produced in a way that will appeal not only to women, but to men as well — we want it to be ‘must see TV’ for the whole family.”

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 the personal lives of its subjects.

The film is built from first-person, 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.

“By spotlighting some of the most remarkable women in our nation’s modern history, 'Makers: Women Who Make America' will tell the comprehensive story of how women have advanced in our country during the last half century. We know the documentary will educate and enlighten, but we hope it will also inspire viewers to make positive changes in their own communities,” said Paula A. Kerger, President and CEO of PBS. “PBS and our member stations are proud to support this celebration and dialogue about the role of women in our society.”

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.

“I’m so happy that we’re finally hearing the stories and voices of women who make America,” said Gloria Steinem, one of the project’s advisors and featured subjects. “We do what we see, not what we’re told, so an incomplete story of this country damages everyone. 'MAKERS' will not only change our picture of the present, but release talent for the future.”

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.

MAKERS is on Facebook, Pinterest and you can follow @MAKERSwomen on Twitter.