WORCESTER – The Worcester Public Library hosts a screening of the PBS documentary “Major Taylor: Champion of the Race” on May 22, starting at 6 PM.
A panel discussion will follow the one-hour screening. The panelists are:
- Edwin Moses, three-time Olympic track and field medalist;
- Todd Gould, the film’s producer and director;
- Karen Brown Donovan, Major Taylor’s great-granddaughter;
- Dart Adams, historian.
In the film, which explores the world champion cycler’s life, Grammy-winning jazz musician Branford Marsalis voices passages from Taylor’s autobiography. It also includes a range of historians, athletes, and others.
The film premiered on WTIU in Indiana on Feb. 26. It will air on PBS stations nationwide this year.
Originally growing up in Indiana, Taylor left his hometown to escape the racism of the South and moved to Worcester in 1895 where he gained the title, the “Worcester Whirlwind.” Taylor eventually won the gold medal for cycling at the world championship in Montreal only four years later.
See the trailer for the film below.
The screening takes place in the Saxe Room of the main Worcester Public Library, at 3 Salem Sq. There is no charge, but registration is required. At the time of publication, 22 spaces remain.
