You are invited to an in-person screening and discussion hosted by WTTW, Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy (CAAIP), and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary focused on The Birth of Gospel, the award-winning documentary and website in WTTW’s CHICAGO STORIES series.

The documentary traces the rich lineage of gospel music, and how it began in earnest when a young man named Thomas Dorsey came to Chicago during the Great Migration. His own spiritual rebirth at the city’s Pilgrim Baptist Church created a form of music that married blues influences with religious themes.

Tim Russell, Vice President of Community Engagement and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at WTTW and WFMT, will moderate a discussion with the film’s Emmy Award-winning producer and writer Stacy Robinson; Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Director of The Junius B. Dotson Institute for Music and Worship in the Black Church and Beyond at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary; and Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount, the Murray H. Leiffer Chair in Formation, Leadership, and Culture, as well as the Director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

This event is presented in connection with CAAIP’s Soul of Philanthropy: Black Giving From Generation to Generation exhibit. WTTW is the proud media sponsor of the exhibit.

Lead support for CHICAGO STORIES is provided by The Negaunee Foundation and the Jim and Kay Mabie Family. Additional support is provided by an anonymous donor, TAWANI Property Management, the Walter E. Heller Foundation, Northern Trust, and The Bossert Family Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation.

Support for CHICAGO STORIES: THE BIRTH OF GOSPEL is provided by Brenda and James Grusecki, The Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Strategic Growth and Transformation Partners, LLC, and Shure.