A Century of Extraordinary Women

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Women's Right to Vote

This summer, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote in the United States, SDPB honors and commemorates those who fought for women’s suffrage in the U.S., the feminist movement throughout the 20th century, and the stories of modern women who continue to shatter the glass ceiling and transform modern history. American Masters Toni Morrison — The Pieces I Am Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers and critics on an exploration of the powerful themes she confronted throughout her literary career in this artful and intimate meditation that examines the life and work of the legendary storyteller. American Masters Toni Morrison—The Pieces I Am casts the iconic author in a light that readers won’t catch from her novels.

Simple Justice: Suffrage in South Dakota - SDPB's New Multiplatform Project

In partnership with PBS and WGBH-Boston, SDPB is producing a documentary, series of radio interviews, and online content to tell the stories of South Dakota’s suffrage activists, those in favor and those opposed.

The title of the project, Simple Justice: Suffrage in South Dakota, is based on a quote from Maj. John A. Pickler of Faulkton. Pickler was a South Dakota state legislator during the 1880s and later, a U.S. Congressman. Pickler and his wife Alice worked for many years to see suffrage measures proposed and debated.

“I have had my convictions since my college days,” Maj. Pickler said, “that simple justice demands that woman should have the ballot, and in this opinion I am warmly seconded by my wife, who desires to vote, as I think all sensible women should.”

The Picklers were among dozens of politically active individuals from towns and cities across South Dakota. Some worked their entire lives either for or against woman suffrage, but many also worked energetically on other issues of the day, such as prohibition and immigrants’ rights.

Learn more about those activists and the SDPB project online at SDPB.org/TheVoteSD

American Masters Mae West—Dirty Blonde

Dive into the life and career of groundbreaking writer, performer and subversive star Mae West. The American Film Institute named her 15th among the greatest female stars of classic American cinema. Over a career spanning eight decades, she broke boundaries and possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s.

SDPB1: Tuesday, June 16, 7pm (6 MT) SDPB2: Saturday, June 20, 7pm (6 MT)

American Masters Toni Morrison — The Pieces I Am

Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers and critics on an exploration of the powerful themes she confronted throughout her literary career in this artful and intimate meditation that examines the life and work of the legendary storyteller. American Masters Toni Morrison—The Pieces I Am casts the iconic author in a light that readers won’t catch from her novels.

SDPB1: Tuesday, June 23, 7pm (6 MT) SDPB2: Friday, June 26, 7pm (6 MT)

POV And She Could Be Next

Hear the powerful stories of a defiant movement of women of color who are transforming American politics from the ground up. Capturing intimate moments from 2018 through 2019, follow forward-thinking candidates and organizers across the country who ask whether democracy itself can be preserved —and made stronger— by those most marginalized. Presents individuals at the heart of the movement behind the New American Majority, including Stacey Abrams (GA), Bushra Amiwala (IL), Maria Elena Durazo (CA), and many more.

SDPB1: Monday, June 29, 8pm (7 MT) Part 1 of 2 SDPB1: Tuesday, June 30, 8pm (7 MT) Part 2 of 2

Great Perfomances Ann

Enjoy a powerful and revealing look at legendary, largerthan-life Texas governor Ann Richards who enriched the lives of her followers, friends and family. Great Performances Ann presents a critically acclaimed play written by and starring Emmy Award-winner Holland Taylor of Two and a Half Men and The Practice.

SDPB1: Friday, June 19, 8pm (7 MT)

Great Performances Gloria

Experience a unique interpretation of feminist icon Gloria Steinem’s life told by an all-female cast starring Emmy Award winner Christine Lahti (Hawaii Five-0, Chicago Hope) and directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Hair, Pippin) on Great Performances Gloria. Steinem rose to prominence as a spokeswoman for the American feminist movement in the 1960s and 70s and has more recently cofounded the Women’s Media Center.

SDPB1: Friday, June 26, 8pm (7 MT)

Independent Lens Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project

A fascinating chronicle of activist archivist Marion Stokes, who secretly recorded American television 24 hours a day from 1975 to 2012, creating an invaluable comprehensive archive of the media. Her 70,000 VHS tapes reveal how television shaped – and continues to shape – our world. Look inside the life of a radical activist who videotaped everything on television for 30 years.

SDPB1: Monday, June 15, 9pm (8 MT) SDPB2: Wednesday, June 17, 6:30pm (5:30 MT)