The Working Group was founded in 1988 by a group of independent filmmakers and community activists to produce high quality media about the diversity, strength and resilience of America's workers. The organization, distinguished in part by the role of women in its leadership since the beginning, has built its reputation by turning its cameras toward ordinary, hard-working Americans ever since.
Producers of the award-winning We Do The Work series, The Working Group has been bringing new viewers to public television for years. The only national television series devoted exclusively to contemporary issues in the workplace, We Do The Work ran for seven seasons in more than 100 cities nationwide, including most major markets.
Since 1995, The Working Group's documentaries Not in Our Town and Not In Our Town II, have served as the centerpiece of a national dialogue on hate crimes and intolerance. In addition to airing on over 200 PBS stations, the videos have been screened in over 100 cities and have sparked activities from community rallies to school essay-writing assignments, to town hall meetings.
The Working Group strives to produce programs with a robust life and impact beyond television. Programs are widely used by libraries, universities, labor organizations, job training centers. Curriculum discussion guides, distributed with the tapes, make the programs accessible to tens of thousands of young people nationwide.