“Passing the Torch,” a documentary by the Michigan Chapter of Veteran Feminists of America, (VFW), will air at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 25, 2007 on WTVS - Channel 56 in the metropolitan Detroit area.
    Narrated by Lily Tomlin, the film's premiere celebrates Women’s History Month. It also will be made available for airing on other PBS stations throughout the state. 
    Detroit area feminists, who were active in the nascent women’s movement of the late 1960's and early '70s, joined the national VFA organization in the fall of 2000. Their purpose was to ensure the gains they helped make on behalf of women remain in place today.
    The documentary takes viewers behind the scenes to look at the role Michigan women of both political parties played in one of the most profound social movements of the 20th Century. 
    Rights that most women take for granted today were non-existent 30 years ago. In interviews and oral histories their struggles to get women credit in their own name, establish domestic violence shelters, pass legislation to promote more available child care, secure reproductive rights, even gain admittance through the front door of the Detroit Athletic Club, are recalled by these engaging activists. 
    U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, and Governor Jennifer Granholm discuss the significance of the Women’s Movement in their own lives. Luminaries such as former First Lady Helen Milliken, Erma Henderson, the first African American woman elected to the Detroit City Council, Maryann Mahaffey, retired Detroit City Council President, UAW executive Millie Jeffrey, and other long time supporters of women’s rights reminisce about the protest marches, consciousness-raising sessions, and the general excitement of opening doors for women. 
    Veteran feminist Geraldine Barrons said the second and ultimate phase of the project is to get the DVD into high school and college classrooms as part of history and social studies curriculum.
    Funding for “Passing The Torch” was provided by the James A. & Faith Knight Foundation, the Michigan Women’s Foundation, the University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women & Gender and individual donors.
    “Passing the Torch” was produced and written by Carol King, formerly of Michigan, now a California resident who works with her husband, television producer/director Michael Rose.