Loretta Lynn: My Story in My Words

March 2 – 7pm
2021 marks the 50th anniversary of “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the Loretta Lynn song that became a book, a feature film, and an indelible part of popular culture. Like so many other songs written by Lynn, the lyrics told the story of her life and spoke to women who struggled to make ends meet. Lynn’s simple, straightforward song stories gave legitimacy to the joys, heartaches, struggles and triumphs.

Dolly Parton and Friends: 50 Years at the Opry

March 4 – 7pm
A celebration of the country music legend’s 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, this special captures Dolly Parton delivering some of her biggest hits on one of the most iconic stages in the world. Featuring new interviews with Parton and guest appearances by some of her superstar friends, including Dierks Bentley, Emmylou Harris, Chris Janson, Toby Keith, Lady A, and more.

Tina Turner: One Last Time

March 11 – 9pm
In 2000, Tina Turner’s final UK concert was filmed at London’s Wembley Stadium with a state-of-the-art stage set, 18 cameras, and one of the world’s top directors. Turner’s inspiring, powerful performance made it an unforgettable event. Blasting out hit after hit and taking the audience through her amazing four-decade career, Turner once again proved herself to be “simply the best.”

In Their Own Words: Queen Elizabeth II

March 15 – 9pm
In Their Own Words is a stylish new biography series that explores an elite few of the 20th century’s greatest figures, illuminating their fascinating personalities and profound cultural and historical impact.

The film follows the Queen’s remarkable life, from her youth — when few expected she’d ever wear the crown — to her uncle Edward VIII’s stunning abdication, her father’s coronation as King George VI, her experience during World War II, her own sudden ascension to the throne, and her eventful reign of more than 60 years. She has defined the role of a modern monarch, leading the Royal Family and her subjects through the challenges of post-war reconstruction, decolonization, conflicts in South Africa, Northern Ireland and The Falklands, and the emotionally charged days after Princess Diana’s death.

Independent Lens: Coded Bias

March 22 – 9pm
In an increasingly data-driven, automated world, the question of how to protect individuals' civil liberties in the face of artificial intelligence looms larger by the day. Coded Bias follows M.I.T. Media Lab computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, along with data scientists, mathematicians, and watchdog groups from all over the world, as they fight to expose the discrimination within facial recognition algorithms now prevalent across all spheres of daily life.

While conducting research on facial recognition, Buolamwini, a “poet of code,” made the startling discovery that the algorithm could not detect dark-skinned faces or women with accuracy. This led to the harrowing realization that the very machine-learning algorithms intended to avoid prejudice are only as unbiased as the humans and historical data programming them.

American Masters: Flannery

March 23 – 7pm
Explore the life of Flannery O’Connor, whose provocative fiction was unlike anything published before. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, newly discovered journals and interviews with Mary Karr, Tommy Lee Jones, Hilton Als and more.

American Masters: Twyla Moves

March 26 – 8pm
Twyla Moves explores the life of legendary dancer, director and choreographer Twyla Tharp. Jumping from historical footage to the present day, the film traces her influential career while providing an intimate look at her famously rigorous creative process.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the University of Houston Libraries will feature archival stories from the Carey C. Shuart Women’s Research Collection, which preserves the records of women’s organizations and the papers of Texas women.

The photo is from the Houston Area Women’s Center collection of photographs, which contain both color and black and white photographs of various sizes, proof sheets, negatives, slides, and some correspondence. The bulk of the collection chronicles the varied activities of the organization, including staff activities such as work, picnics and parties, fundraisers, demonstrations, conferences, seminars and programs. The collection illustrates the development and growth of H.A.W.C. from a small volunteer grass roots organization to a professional group with a complex agenda and organizational structure.

Generations on the Rise

Deborah Lugo
As director of Arts Connect Houston, Deborah Lugo oversees the strategic direction of a citywide collective coalition aimed at ensuring students in the public school system have access to high-quality arts education and creative learning. As a violinist and mother to two children in area public schools, Lugo understands that the arts are vital to a complete and well-rounded education. She envisions a world where students are at the forefront of our community, and continues to be involved in efforts that pave the way for improvements in student outcomes.

Click here to view our entire Generations on the Rise series, which spotlights Houstonians from various communities in conjunction with national awareness months.

Moonwalk

The Women of Mission Control
During the Apollo Era, mission control was almost completely exclusive to men. Poppy Northcutt — mission control’s first female engineer — recalls open sexism upon her arrival in the 1960s. Decades later, she returns to Johnson Space Center for another first: she meets a female leader in mission control.