(PRESS RELEASE) For Immediate Release.
Worcester, MA (June 13, 2023)
Independent documentary filmmaker, Cyrille Vincent, has teamed up with the Major Taylor Iowa Cycling Club to raise awareness and funding for the film documentary project Whirlwind. The film is based on the life of the late Major Taylor, the first black man to win a world bicycle championship in Montreal, Canada in 1899. Coined “the Black Cyclone” during a time of civil unrest, Taylor rode first class in ocean liners to compete in cycling races around the world. Fifty years prior to Jackie Robinson, Major Taylor broke the color line in sports and became the world’s fastest man on a bicycle.
To raise critical funds for the film, Vincent, an inspired non-cyclist, has committed to ride the 500 mile RAGBRAI bicycle ride across the state of Iowa alongside the Iowa chapter of the Major Taylor Iowa Cycling Club. To learn more about Major Taylor’s bicycle career and legacy, the current status of production, and to see the trailer for the film, please check out the website: www.worcesterwhirlwind.com.
For those riding RAGBRAI, please stop by the Black Girl Do Bike DesMoines/ Major Taylor Cycling Club booth at the expo or look for us out on the route. To support this film project, consider donating in the following ways:
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/548ad5a0
Tax deductible donations can be made by mailing a check to the Worcester Historical Museum (30 Elm Street Worcester MA 01609).
Please mention WHIRLWIND on the check memo and send an email notification to : production@worcesterwhirlwind.com to facilitate tracking and give you a THANK YOU credit in the film end credits.
Email production@worcesterwhirlwind.com for questions and media inquiries.
About Whirlwind
Although exceptional in many ways, the life of Major Taylor can be a lens through which to view the larger arc of African American and American history, from Reconstruction to the Great Depression. His story reflects the aspirations, tenacity, and remarkable achievements of the post-Civil War generation, despite growing racial violence and the denial of basic rights in both the South and North. At the same time, Taylor’s story is the tale of dreams deferred, of a generation of Black Americans who saw the promises of Reconstruction dashed on the rocks of virulent white supremacy. Through this film, we hope to educate, inspire and engage our audience.
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