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TECHNOTE: Mon 9/8/25 Radio broadcast interruptions during tower work 10am-5pm

Celestine Tate Harrington: Building a Legacy

13m 03s

The story of a street musician, born with a condition that left her limbs unusable. In 1975, Tate Harrington won a custody battle against the Philadelphia Department of Child Welfare, which sought to take away her infant daughter, claiming that she could not provide adequate care. See how Tate Harrington’s fight to be a mother and earn an independent living was a revolutionary act.

Aired: 10/14/24
Support for American Masters is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AARP, Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Blanche and Hayward Cirker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, Seton J. Melvin, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Anita and Jay Kaufman, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, The Charina Endowment Fund, The Marc Haas Foundation and public television viewers.
Extras
Learn about Marlee Matlin, Oscar-winning actress and champion of the Deaf community.
Marlee Matlin refused to allow a hearing actor to play her Deaf husband in the 2021 film “CODA.”
Marlee Matlin visits the house she grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois.
Henry Winkler took Marlee Matlin in for two years while she recovered from a turbulent time.
Harvey Fierstein talks to director Michael Kantor backstage during the production of "Hairspray."
Actress Natasha Rothwell on her creative process in "The White Lotus."
Ringo Starr describes his friendship with Mae West.
Actor Daniel Dae Kim on his groundbreaking career and new project, "Butterfly."
Discover this portrait of the Cuban-American graphic artist and graphic novelist Edel Rodriguez.
Discover this portrait of the Cuban-American graphic artist and graphic novelist Edel Rodriguez.