WTIU’s Major Taylor documentary screened on Capitol Hill | WTIU Senior Producer/Director Todd Gould invited by lawmakers to show ‘Major Taylor: Champion of the Race’ and discuss the film

From left to right: US Representative Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL-01), Joyce Brown, Barbara Brown, Todd Gould, and Karen Brown Donovan.

Todd Gould, senior producer/director for WTIU Public Television, recently traveled to Washington, DC, for a screening of Major Taylor: Champion of the Race, a documentary he produced for WTIU. The event took place on Thursday, June 27, at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.
 
Major Taylor: Champion of the Race explores the life and legacy of the first international Black sports superstar, who set more than 20 world records in track cycling at the turn of the 20th century. Taylor was also an early civil rights pioneer who fought for greater social and economic opportunities for African American citizens during the heart of Jim Crow America.
 
Major Taylor: Champion of the Race is the first full-length documentary on the Indiana native and worldwide-celebrated athlete, whose story had once been lost to history, according to Gould.

“I thought that if I could somehow shed a spotlight on this champion’s life and accomplishments then, perhaps, I could do some very small part to help uplift the story of a great Black American hero and showcase the very best of our shared humanity. I wanted to show TV audiences that Major Taylor’s life matters in a remarkable and beautiful way that we could all celebrate,” said Gould
 
US Representatives Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL-01) and Mike Thompson (D-CA-04) invited Gould to participate in the Major Taylor screening that they organized with the PBS Government Affairs Office. The event was held in support of a bipartisan bill that Representative Jackson introduced last December to award Taylor the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor that can be given by the US Congress. Representative Thompson is one of the co-sponsors of the bill.
 
About 100 people attended the event, including members of Congress, staffers, and journalists. Following the screening, Gould and Major Taylor’s great-granddaughter, Karen Brown Donovan, participated in a panel discussion about the documentary, moderated by Representative Jackson.
 
“During this event, I witnessed firsthand how one remarkable story can move people to tears—and also move people to action. The entire experience has proven to me, yet again, a very simple, yet very profound truth about the work we do for Indiana University, WTIU, and PBS. The production of one TV show can absolutely make all the difference in the world. I’m so thankful that Indiana University, WTIU, and PBS continue to allow me to share these kinds of truly important stories with an American TV audience. This is what the very best of television can be,” said Gould.
 
Learn more about Major Taylor: Champion of the Race and stream the film at wtiu.org/majortaylor.