US Representative Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-1), Joyce Brown, Barbara Brown, Todd Gould, and Karen Brown Donovan

By Todd Gould

I just returned from Washington, DC, where I had an opportunity to screen our documentary Major Taylor: Champion of the Race before members of the US Congress, staffers, and journalists. 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.

Four years ago, I was sitting at home, stuck in my living room attempting to weather a worldwide pandemic. And it was there sitting on my couch that I witnessed on TV the horrific death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the racial reckoning that began to pour out onto the streets of America. Suddenly, thousands of cries went out, reminding us that Black Lives Matter. I was truly overwhelmed with emotion…sitting alone in my anger and grief. I was asking hard questions of myself. I was just one, single writer and TV producer. A fellow American. A fellow human being. What could I do about any of this?

And that’s when I came across Major Taylor.

I had just read Michael Kranish’s excellent biography about Marshall “Major” Taylor, the first African American international sports superstar. At the turn of the 20th century, Taylor was the world’s most famous track cyclist, an athlete the New York Times called “the fastest man in the world.” Taylor set over 20 world records during his career, overcoming intense and relentless racial prejudice. He was a pioneer for civil rights during the heart of Jim Crow America. And he was a fellow Hoosier who, despite almost impossible odds, became the most celebrated athlete on earth.

Four decades before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.

Three decades before Jesse Owens defied the Nazis at the Olympics in Berlin.

One decade before Jack Johnson captured the heavyweight boxing title.

Yet, somehow, Taylor’s story had been lost to history. I thought that if I could somehow shed a spotlight on this champion’s life and accomplishments—if I could help elevate the conversation about race in society—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. Amid all those chants in the streets, I wanted to show TV audiences that indeed this one, specific Black Life Matters…in a remarkable and beautiful way that we could all celebrate.

And so I went to work.

I was filled with hope. Filled with passion. Filled with conviction.

Along the way, I was fortunate to encounter so many like-minded, visionary people who also fell in love with this story and very much wanted to see this project succeed. Major Taylor’s great-granddaughter, Karen Brown Donovan, was on board immediately. Writers, authors, and historians all contributed in deeply meaningful ways.

Many professional athletes, sports executives, civil rights activists, politicians, educators, and world leaders eagerly lent their time and support. Several who agreed to sit for on-camera interviews had gone through their own difficult journeys to overcome racism, sexism, and prejudice in its many ugly forms. All of them agreed to share their story to help us better understand the trials and tribulations that Taylor had to endure day after day on his long journey to become a world champion.

WTIU Director of Development Amy O’Shaughnessy provided the absolute grace, joy, and inspiration I needed to raise the necessary grant dollars to help realize my dreams. Many thanks to the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation for providing major funding for the documentary. Marianne Woodruff and the WTIU corporate development team raised corporate support for the project. Marketing director Laura Baich crafted a creative and far-reaching promotional campaign. And Mary Ducette and her community engagement team organized screenings and special events around the premiere of the show. And my supervisors Eric Bolstridge and Mark Chilla helped me coordinate the entire project in-house (and calmly supported both my vision and my passionate rants throughout the production process).

Acclaimed opera mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson enthusiastically embraced the role of narrator for the film. Three-time Grammy winning jazz musician Branford Marsalis agreed to read passages from Taylor’s autobiography. Emmy Award-winning composer Tyron Cooper, my collaborator on several PBS documentaries, wove together the harmonies of a sensational and moving music score. Several technical magicians, including graphic designers Scott Carmichael and Grant Shorter, audio engineer Kevin Evans, and fellow senior producer and director Jason Pear edited an absolute masterpiece.

Then, as we were preparing for the show’s premiere in February 2024, we received word that US Representative Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-1) was drafting a House Resolution bill (HR#6672) to award Major Taylor the Congressional Gold Medal. The documentary would premiere around the same time that Representative Jackson and others would introduce the legislation into both chambers of the US Congress.

Soon, at the invitation of Representative Jackson and the PBS government affairs office, I would go to Capitol Hill to screen Major Taylor: Champion of the Race before members of Congress and others in Washington. The screening in DC would help support the new House Resolution bill and share with legislators and American audiences the story of Major Taylor—this incredible American hero once lost to history.

And all of this is happening while WTIU plans to distribute the film to PBS member stations across the country through American Public Television this fall.

Four years after the chants of Black Lives Matter echoed in the streets of American cities, we at WTIU can say, unequivocally, that Major Taylor's life DOES matter. And his story also encourages us to discover the very best in ourselves and our fellow human beings.

As Shakespeare introduced to us, and as Lincoln so eloquently stated, we must strive to be “the better angels of our nature.” 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.

Yes, the production of one TV show can absolutely make all the difference in the world.

Todd Gould is a national, award-winning documentary filmmaker and author who currently serves as the Senior Producer/Director at WTIU. Gould is the recipient of 21 Emmy Awards and more than 50 Emmy nominations from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Gould has received the Ernie Pyle Award for journalistic storytelling, the Marshall “Major” Taylor Trailblazer Award for civic engagement, and a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival, as well as multiple honors from the Society of Professional Journalists. His documentary films have been distributed and broadcast all over the world on networks such as PBS, A&E, ESPN, the BBC, and The Learning Channel (TLC), among many others.