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Playlist: Women's History Month: Hour Specials

Compiled By: PRX Editors

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Curated Playlist

March is Women's History Month.

Also check out our Women's History Month picks under 49:00 and Music Specials.

Curious about how stuff gets on this list?

2023 Highlights

Paradise

From L.A. Theatre Works | Part of the L.A. Theatre Works series | 01:58:03

Faith and science collide in a powerful two-character story.

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Yasmeen is a Yemeni-American high school senior with big dreams. Dr. Guy Royston is her science teacher with a mysterious past. When Yasmeen asks Dr. Royston for an important favor, it sets off a series of events that challenges their core beliefs about science, faith and the nature of love. Includes a conversation with playwright Laura Maria Censabella.

Directed by Anna Lyse Erikson
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
Starring Jeff Marlow as Dr. Guy Royston and Medalion Rahimi as Yasmeen al-Hamadi

Paradise is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series featuring science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Photograph 51

From L.A. Theatre Works | Part of the L.A. Theatre Works series | 01:58:06

For Women's History Month: The unsung hero of a scientific odyssey.

Photograph-51-digital-cover-3000x3000-r1v1_small While names such as Watson and Crick are now synonymous with the discovery of DNA, Rosalind Franklin remained a marginalized and misunderstood figure … until recently. In Photograph 51, Playwright Anna Ziegler and star Miriam Margolyes bring Franklin to life in a story of brilliance, discovery, and the perils of unchecked ambition. The broadcast includes interviews with Franklin biographer Brenda Maddox and Cal Tech biologist Dr. Pamela Bjorkman.

Directed by Michael Hackett
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
Miriam Margolyes as Rosalind
Matthew Arkin as Caspar
Maxwell Caulfield as Wilkins
Jon Matthews as Watson
Darren Richardson as Gosling
Nick Toren as Crick

This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series featuring science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

 



Classic Specials

I Spy: Real Life Spy Stories

From Rob Sachs | 58:58

Espionage was once a mostly male pursuit but these days the top three officials at the CIA are women. On this program we hear from Jonna Mendez, the CIA’s former head of disguise, and Amaryllis Fox, a former undercover agent. Each one tells the story of one dramatic operation

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Program Host -  Margo Martindale, Emmy award winning actress who played KGB Handler Claudia on The Americans. 
  • Jonna Mendez spent nearly three decades in the CIA  and served as the agency's head of disguise. She has co-written several books about her work in the agency including The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War.
  • Amaryllis Fox worked as a CIA undercover agent for a decade, getting close to international arms traders who deal in weapons of mass destruction and recruiting them as informers. She recounts her experiences in the book Life Under Cover: Coming of Age in the CIA.


Humankind Special: The Life of Dorothy Day

From Humankind | Part of the Humankind Specials series | 59:00

We profile Dorothy Day — a remarkable 20th century figure: journalist and founder of the “Catholic Worker” movement, which established soup kitchens and “houses of hospitality” in the Great Depression. More than 200 Catholic worker facilities remain in operation today. Hear the provocative story of her social activism and inspiring spiritual beliefs.

Dorothy-day_small We profile Dorothy Day  a remarkable 20th century figure: journalist and founder of the “Catholic Worker” movement, which established soup kitchens and “houses of hospitality” in the Great Depression. More than 200 Catholic worker facilities remain in operation today. Hear the provocative story of her social activism and inspiring spiritual beliefs.

When Pope Francis addressed Congress in 2015, he cited four great Americans: President Abraham Lincoln, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., writer and activist Dorothy Day and theologian Thomas Merton. Ms. Day, who died in 1980 at age 83, was a remarkable 20th century figure: journalist and founder of the “Catholic Worker” movement, which established soup kitchens and “houses of hospitality” in the Great Depression. More than 200 Catholic worker facilities remain in operation today.

In this profile, we hear excerpts of a talk by Dorothy Day, along with recollections by her youngest grandchild, Kate Hennessy, a Vermont resident, who recently published a moving family memoir, The World Will Be Saved By Beauty for which she reconstructed the Dorothy Day story. Also heard is Kathe McKenna, co-founder of Haley House in Boston, a Catholic Worker hospitality center, inspired by the life and work of Dorothy Day. Today, more than fifty years later, Haley House operates a soup kitchen, food pantry, and other services. Most recently, they opened Dudley Dough, an inner city workplace that offers a living wage and for customers, healthy pizza.

Peace Talks Radio: Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams (59:00 / 54:00)

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Hour Long Episodes series | 58:30

A conversation with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams, the leader of the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines. Also in the hour, the directors of 3 community peace and justice centers talk about their missions.

Jodywilliams_small Peace Talks Radio. The series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. From the 2007 "Building a Culture of Peace Conference" in Santa Fe, we present highlights from an address and a one-on-one interview with Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams. Ms. Williams talks with us about human rights and international law, the role of civil society in international diplomacy and individual initiative. She received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the campaign that she led, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Also, we explore the role of Peace and Justice Centers in communities by talking with directors of peace centers in Albuquerque and Las Vegas, New Mexico and Burlington, Vermont. The program is suitable for stations either carrying a newscast or note. Newscast stations should use the PART 3 marked for the 54:00 Version. Stations NOT running a newscast should use the PART 3 marked for the 59:00 Version. PARTS 1 + 2 are the same for both versions. There is a one minute music bed at the end of both PARTS 1 + 2 for local announcements.

A Conversation with Mairead Maguire (Peace Talks Radio) 59:00 / 54:00

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Hour Long Episodes series | 59:01

This time on Peace Talks Radio, a 2006 conversation with Northern Ireland Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire. Also talk about middle school mediation programs and nonviolent communication skills.

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This time on Peace Talks Radio, a 2006 conversation with Northern Ireland Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire. Mairead Corrigan Maguire founded the Community of the Peace People in 1976 along with Betty Williams and Ciaran McKeown. Mairead was the aunt of the three Maguire children who were hit by a runaway car after its driver was shot by a soldier. The deaths prompted a series of marches throughout Northern Ireland and further afield, all demanding an end to the violence plaguing her country at the time. Mairead and Betty went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976.

In this program, Maguire recalls her peace work and talks with host Carol Boss about how the principles of nonviolence can be applied to conflicts around the world and in daily life.

In part two of the program, previously un-aired Peace Talks Radio conversations about mediation programs for middle school students, a verbal technology called non-violent communication, efforts to institutionalize peace in our governing bodies and the quest for inner peace in a post-9/11 world.  .

Rocket Girls and Astro-nettes

From Richard Paul | 59:07

Women in the ultimate Man’s World – the labs and shuttle crew cabins of NASA in the '60s and '70s.

Eileen_collins_nasa_photo_2_of_2_small This program is the story of women in the ultimate Man’s World – the labs and Shuttle crew cabins of NASA.  Told in the first person, these stories explore the experiences of NASA’s first woman engineers and scientists and its first astronauts.  It also tells the fascinating story of a group of women pilots who – in the early 1960s – were led to believe that they would be America’s first women astronauts and were given the exact same physical tests are the Mercury astronauts.  The program is narrated by Eileen Collins, the first woman commander of a Space Shuttle. 

A Conversation with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

From RadioArt(r) | Part of the ONLY IN AMERICA: 350 Years of the American Jewish Experience series | 53:48

A rare personal look into the life of a sitting Justice of the Supreme Court, her struggles against gender discrimination, antisemitism and severe illness (Evergreen version - Women's History Month version also available upon request).

Ginsburg_small Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life is a paradigm of the American immigrant experience. In one generation, she rose from the daughter of Jewish immigrants to a seat on the Supreme Court. Born in 1933, she credits much of her early success to the influence of her mother, who gave her two pieces of advice: Always be a lady, and be independent. Justice Ginsburg tells Larry Josephson the surprising story that when she graduated at the top of her class from Columbia Law School in 1959 no one would hire her because, as she says, she was a "woman, Jewish and mother." She also recounts her experience with anti-Semitism: as a child she saw a sign on a boarding house that advised, "no dogs or Jews allowed." This conversation offers a rare personal look into the life of a sitting Justice of the Supreme Court: her struggles against gender discrimination, anti-Semitism and severe illness (her mother died of cancer, both she and her husband survived it). Justice Ginsburg, one of the Court's centrist liberals, explains her philosophy of judicial restraint. A fascinating look at a role model for women and minorities, as well as an American success story of upward mobility. Highly topical given the two recent vacancies on the Court. Justice Ginsburg is possibly a swing vote on the new Court. The special is taken from the forthcoming series, "Only in America: A Celebration of the American Jewish Experience," a year-long project to celebrate the 350th Anniversary of the landing of the first Jews in New Amsterdam in September, 1654. A number of specials will be distributed throughout the year, and a six-part series will be distributed in the fall. The program is available in two versions: Evergreen (currently on the server) and A Women's History Month Special (with alternate introduction, available upon request). Both are news-friendly and contain a one-minute cutaway at midpoint. Stations that do not with to run the news can start the program at 6:00.

WHER: 1000 Beautiful Watts

From The Kitchen Sisters | Part of the Lost & Found Sound series | 58:40

The story of the first all-girl radio station in the nation

Wher1_small WHER, the first all-girl radio station in the nation, went on the air in Memphis on October 29, 1955. It was the brainchild of sound legend Sam Phillips, who created the groundbreaking format with money he raised from selling Elvis Presley's Sun Studios contract.
 
Women almost exclusively ran WHER. On the air they read the news, interviewed local celebrities, and spun popular records. Behind the scenes they sold and created commercials, produced and directed programming and sat at the station's control boards. 

National Writers Series: Stephanie Foo

From Interlochen Public Radio | Part of the National Writers Series: Season Four series | 54:30

Susan Odgers talks with author and radio producer Stephanie Foo.

Wong-foo_small Stephanie Foo is known for her work on public radio programs such as “Snap Judgment” and “This American Life.” She’s also a columnist, and has now written a book, called “What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma.” Stephanie appeared at a virtual National Writers Series to talk about her book, and also about disability activist Alice Wong, and her memoir “Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life.” She spoke with teacher, columnist, and disability advocate Susan Odgers.

Two Women for Peace: Peace Pilgrim and Sister Peggy O'Neill [Peace Talks Radio] (59:00 / 54:00)

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Hour Long Episodes series | 59:00

Two women, two elders, who deep into the later years of life, made peace their goal – one, Catholic Sister Peggy O’Neill landed in war-ravaged El Salvador in the 1980’s and has been there ever since. The other, a woman who in 1981 had a 28 year personal campaign for peace come to an abrupt end when she had just turned 73. In 1953, Mildred Norman changed her name to Peace Pilgrim and started walking for peace. She kept doing it until the day she died.

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Today on Peace Talks Radio, two women, two elders, who deep into the later years of life, made peace their goal.

First, the story of a woman who in 1981 had a 28 year personal campaign for peace come to an abrupt end when she had just turned 73.     In 1953, Mildred Norman started off from California’s Rose Bowl parade on New Year's Day on a walking tour of the entire country…an ongoing campaign for peace. She changed her name to make the point firm.  During what would become an over 25000 mile trek, her new identity became Peace Pilgrim…  Zak Rosen, shares her story…

About the time of Peace Pilgrim’s death, one of the least peaceful places in the news was El Salvador.  A chaotic 12 year Civil War in the Central American country was into its second year.  Assassinations, death squads, massacres of unarmed civilians – including women and children. In 1980, the Salvadoran National Guard raped and murdered four American nuns and a laywoman. Priests and nuns weren’t safe.    During 1982 and 1983, corrupt government forces killed approximately 8,000 civilians a year. 

Into the middle of this, in the early 1980's, came a Catholic nun named Peggy O’Neill.  On a visit to New Mexico in 2012, she talked with reporter Megan Kamerick about her time in Suchitoto, trying to find the love, nurture peace – more recently by creating a peace center for the community.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women - HERO Training Africa’s New Female Leaders

From Rob Sachs | 59:02

In this episode, we learn about two efforts to increase the number of women politicians in Africa. We begin with a surprising reality TV show in Kenya called “Ms President,” where millions of weekly viewers watched dozens of women compete to be the country’s next “head of state,” so to speak. Then, we hear about Nigerian efforts to get more women on the ballot in last year’s election and why they largely failed. Host Reena Ninan - founder of Good Trouble Productions. She is a television journalist who has worked as a White House correspondent, foreign reporter, and news anchor for CBS, ABC, and Fox News.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya, journalist Eunice Maina interviews Nereah Amondi Oketch, a contestant on a first-of-its-kind reality TV program called, “Ms President,” which tried to train women to be politicians. The nonprofit Media Focus in Africa produced the show, with funding from the European Union and UN Women, among others. The goal was to increase the number of women politicians in Kenya. 

  • Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with Nichole Grossman from American University. Grossman conducted dozens of interviews with women candidates who ran for office in Nigeria last year. These women ran with the main political party there, which had a big initiative to increase its female representation. And yet, they failed to deliver this promise. What Grossman learned from female candidates is eye opening – and gives a much fuller picture of what Nigerian politics is like for women. 

  • Finally, reporter Yecenu Sasetu talks to Honourable Kate Raymond Mamuno, who shares how she got elected as an assembly member in Nigeria, against the odds. This included help from a non-profit focused on influencing male voters, called Connected Development. 

The Feminist Birth of the Home Pregnancy Test

From Making Contact | Part of the Making Contact series | 29:00

In 1965 Margaret Crane was a young graphic designer with an idea: Why couldn't women do their own pregnancy tests at home? This is the story of how she launched a product to help women know and make choices for their own bodies - and the inevitable backlash.

Meg_crane_1965_annakaufman_small In 1965 Margaret Crane was a young designer creating packaging for a pharmaceutical company. Looking at the rows of pregnancy tests she thought, “Well, women could do that at home!” and so she made it a reality for potentially pregnant people to be able to know about and take control of their own lives and bodies.

But while the design of the prototype was simple, Crane faced the issues we continue to fight when it comes to reproductive rights and the health and autonomy of people who give birth: an uphill battle to convince the pharmaceutical companies, the medical community and conservative social leaders that at-home pregnancy testing was safe and necessary. After all this, Crane is only now receiving credit for her contributions to the industry.

Learn more about the story and find the transcript on radioproject.org. [https://www.radioproject.org/2024/02/the-feminist-birth-of-the-home-pregnancy-test]

Making Contact [https://radioproject.org/] is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.