An annual event that began as an outreach for the 1999 PBS mini-series I'll Make Me a World is still going strong in Iowa, and organizers expect it to draw some 20,000 participants Friday and Saturday, reports the Des Moines Register. The celebration of African-American heritage, I'll Make Me a World in Iowa, kicks off Black History Month in the state. At the original gathering in 1999, "the prediction was for 300 people to attend, but 1,000 showed up — and now we’ve grown to 15,000 to 20,000 and become a premier arts and cultural organization offering a world-class event,” said Betty Andrews, the festival's executive director. “It’s a blessing to those of us who work to make this happen, and we hope it’s a blessing to those who come and learn and enjoy.” Headliners this year are actor Shemar Franklin Moore of the CBS drama Criminal Minds, and R&B singer Kenny Lattimore.
I'll Make Me a World was a CPB-backed, six-hour mini-series on African-American artists from Henry Hampton, best known for his acclaimed Eyes on the Prize documentary.
This is so awesome that this festival continues to occur so many years after the series aired. It keeps Henry Hampton's spirit alive.
ReplyDeleteI worked on this series and it was really hard to get all the licenses to broadcast performance histories.