In recognition of Women's History Month, the Academy of Achievement presents a selection of extraordinary women who have defied expectations, broken boundaries, and made history around the world. They include courageous political leaders and human rights activists, recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, award-winning actresses, musicians, screenwriters and film directors, as well as outstanding athletes, educators, journalists, explorers, physicians, philanthropists, broadcasters and entrepreneurs. Their words and their example are an inspiration to us all. Note: A subset of these tracks is available in SD and HD video. Select SD or HD from the menu on the left to visit the other formats.
Vocalist, composer and instrumentalist Esperanza Spalding fell in love with music as a little girl in Portland, Oregon. She first drew acclaim as a ch...
The most successful and admired female songwriter in the history of pop music, Carole King proves that one woman alone at the piano can be more powerf...
Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both singer and actress. With a record-tying five Tony Awards, two Gr...
Colbie Caillat was barely out of her teens when she established herself as one of America's premier singers and songwriters. She released her first al...
Aretha Franklin is known the world over as the Queen of Soul Music. In the 1960s, her hit recording "Respect" became an anthem of the civil rights str...
One of the most distinguished musical artists of our time, the singer Jessye Norman was born in Augusta, Georgia. As a ten-year-old child, she was spe...
Kiri Te Kanawa created a sensation in 1971, when she made her debut as the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Ga...
Singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester burst onto the music scene in the 1970s with the albums Home to Myself, Bright Eyes and Melissa, with its hit sin...
Since she first hit the charts with "Don't Make Me Over" in 1962, the unmistakable voice and flawless musicianship of Dionne Warwick have made her an ...
Amy Grant made her recording debut while still in her teens and soon released the first record of contemporary Christian music to sell over a million ...