Water from Wilderness: Hetch Hetchy to San Francisco Bay airs 3/10 at 3 a.m. – “Water from the Wilderness: Hetch Hetchy to San Francisco Bay” traces the extraordinary history of San Francisco’s water system as well as the engineering and delivery of an urban water system in the era of climate change. Situated on a mostly arid coastal peninsula, the population boom that came with the California Gold Rush underscored San Francisco’s need to develop a source of fresh water for the growing city. The 1906 earthquake finally spurred city fathers to create a public water utility. When the city chose a site in the pristine Hetch Hetchy valley, inside Yosemite National Park, an epic battle was led by John Muir. Today, with the impact of climate change keenly felt, the politics of water remain front page news. “Water from the Wilderness” explores the ways an urban water utility, and those who depend on it, are learning to adapt and plan for an uncertain future.
Offair Listings
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Plastic Problems PBS News airs 3/6 at 3 a.m.. – – By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. PBS NewsHour takes a closer look at this now ubiquitous material, how it’s impacting the world and ways we can break our plastic addiction.
New England Story for Sustaining the Sea airs 3/3 at 3:30 a.m. – – Off the shores of New England, in a region steeped in old maritime tradition, comes a modern wave of big ships, energy industries, and a changing climate, now testing the limits of an already crowded sea. But in a pioneering trial of far-sighted planning – pushed by blueprints for offshore wind energy – old residents and new are coming together to keep their ocean and livelihoods alive.
One Carbon Footprint airs 3/3 at 3 a.m. – As discussions of the impact of climate change intensify around the world, many Americans are wondering if changes they make in their everyday lives can make a difference. The short answer, as vividly demonstrated in One Carbon Footprint At A Time, a new half hour documentary from award winning filmmaker Bob Gliner (Schools That Change Communities, Barefoot College) is that they can. As seen through the lens of a diverse range of university and middle school students enthusiastically engaged in a wide range of climate change activities as part of the curriculum at their schools – from analyzing the clothes they choose to buy and wear, to the food they grow and eat, to the energy used to power their cell phones, hair dryers and electricity in their homes, and the jobs and lifestyle changes they make after graduation – everyday actions play a critical and potentially inspirational role in impacting climate change.
Our Kids: Narrowing the Opportunity Gap (4/60 minute programs) airs Mondays at 2 a.m. beginning 3/2 – – Host Dr. Robert Putnam (Harvard Professor and author of BOWLING ALONE)spotlights innovative leaders and children, working together in nine communities, who struggle to create and inspire solutions that help to narrow the widening opportunity gap between rich and poor for some 30 million young people denied access to the American Dream. We hope viewers will try to build similar solutions in their neighborhoods.
- 3/2 – #101 – “Making a Difference” – Riverside, CA & Manchester, NH. The importance of mentors is illustrated in stories like that of a police detective starting a free judo school to “bait and switch” kids onto a better path. A revolutionary accelerated kindergarten program propels disadvantaged children by celebrating their smartness. Living in a homeless shelter designed around the needs of families, a little girl expresses her pride and determination in song.
- 3/9 – #102 – “Four Cities Tackle the Child Equity Gap” – Children living in fractured homes and poverty can’t achieve equally with children who are financially and emotionally secure. Underserved children need extra services to be competitive. Equal is not Equitable. We illustrate this point in Duluth, MN, Boston, MA, Springfield, MO, and Nashville, TN. A grade school offers wrap-around-services including free food, family meals, clothing, laundry, and medical services.
- 3/16 – #103 – “I’m Special” – Detroit Educational Crisis. With deteriorating class room conditions and the worst test scores in the nation, this alarming episode casts its eye on the current educational crisis in Detroit. In this cautionary tale, both public and unregulated charter schools suffer from high teacher turnover, a shortage of up-to-date textbooks, lack of funding and financial accountability. We visit with students, teachers, parents and educational leaders in their innovative attempts to improve conditions.
- 3/23 – #104 – “A Breath of Hope” – Seattle, WA & Columbus, OH. Giving hope to the hopeless dominates the stories in Seattle, WA and Columbus, OH. Among those spotlighted are: a program to reform the foster care system, and an organization reuniting children with parents who were incarcerated. Too many poor youth end up in the juvenile justice system. The Echo Glen facility hopes to heal, rather than punish young incarcerated teens.
Blackademics – Top Black Studies scholars engage with projects and research focused on education, performance and youth empowerment.
(500) airs Mondays at 3 a.m. beginning 3/9 (6/30 minute programs)
- #501 – Elite sports training; black acting methods; surviving domestic violence. Talks by Jeremy Hills, Sharrell D. Luckett and Courtney Santana.
- #502 – A Hip Hop educator talks about student agency under teacher mentorship; An early childhood educator on raising anti-racist kids; An educational anthropologist talks about deeper self-love and self-care. Talks by Bavu Blakes, Jennifer Adair and Jeanine Staples.
- #503 – The founder of multiple innovative schools talks about raising our expectations of students; a Black studies professor performs poetry and shares information on Black student activism in South Africa. Talks by Letsie Khabele and Tshepo Masango Chery.
- #504 – A Black Feminist Professor on Beyonce, Black Feminism and Empowerment;An activist educator calls for us to use our intellgence as a form of service to community; the importance of music and the arts as tools for education and empowerment. Talks by Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley, Fatima Mann and Yewande K. Austin.
- #505 – An Educational Anthropologist on Afro-Brazilian’s Education Activism; An Obama White House staffer talks about career advancement with Allies, Advocates and Investors; A Curriculum Expert on Rethinking the role of Black History in American Schools. Talks by Rolf Straubhaar, Tequia Hicks Delgado and LaGarrett King.
- #506 – A young musician explores her musical journey from classical piano to blues guitar, and how passion and purpose are synonymous. An educational anthropologist discusses the concepts of Blackness and Whiteness. Talks by Jackie Venson and Kevin Michael Foster.
(600) airs Mondays at 3 a.m. beginning 3/30 (5/30 minute programs)
- #601 – Curry challenges viewers by uncovering the history of sexual violence against black males from slavery to present. Dr. Evans-Winters discusses black kids’ treatment in schools. Black Sovereign Nation founder presents a program for black autonomy.
- #602 – Husband/wife hip hop duo Riders against the Storm replace digital technology with practices to better connect us. Anthropologist Dr. Adams encourages thoughtful listening with a talk on the art of the cab ride. Chef Kabui encourages sustainable organic food use.
- #603 – Chang encourages us to tell our stories as she charts her path from undocumented Guatemalan immigrant child to hyper-documented and influential college professor. Dr. Saenz offers a successful program for mentoring Latino males.
- #604 – Hoberman details the hidden world of police steroid use. Lewis and Nicole Conway explore successful reentry from mental and physical incarceration. Dr. Gerstenblatt confronts her own racism in the journey of raising mixed race kids.
- #605 – Fresh Chefs Society uses food prep and culture to build community and teach skills to youth leaving foster care. Dr. Foster discusses Soul Train and the value of independent black television programs. Dr. Reddick speaks to the role of black faculty as mentors.
A Wider World – – Disabilities Today is a positive, informative, resource for persons with disabilities, by providing current information regarding rehabilitation trends, technological advances, travel, recreation, and community based opportunities for persons or families with disabilities. It is estimated that 80% of American families will acquire some type of disability at some point in their lifetime.
- #2019 airs 3/7 at 9:30 a.m.
- #2020 airs 3/14 at 9:30 a.m.
- #2021 airs 3/21 at 9:30 a.m.
- #2022 airs 3/28 at 9:30 a.m.
Miles Davis: American Masters
Airs Saturday, February 29 at 8:00pm ET
A visionary known for his restless aesthetic, Miles Davis is widely regarded as one of the most innovative, influential and respected figures in music. With full access to the Miles Davis Estate, the film features never-before-seen footage, including studio outtakes from his recording sessions, rare photos and new interviews.
Independent Lens: Always in Season
Airs Wednesday, February 26 at 8:30pm ET
Blending observational footage with first-person testimonies and expert insights, Always in Season is the first documentary feature film to spotlight recent grassroots efforts to acknowledge the victims of lynching, repair the damage, and reconcile in four U.S. communities.
P.O.V.: Call Her Ganda
Wednesday, February 26 at 7:00pm ET
When Jennifer Laude, a Filipina trans woman, is brutally murdered by a U.S. Marine, three women intimately invested in the case—an activist attorney (Virgie Suarez), a transgender journalist (Meredith Talusan) and Jennifer’s mother (Julita “Nanay” Laude)—galvanize a political uprising, pursuing justice and taking on hardened histories of U.S. imperialism.