Download image of MUHAMMAD ALI advance screening and discussion event
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Pioneer PBS will host a special advance screening of Ken Burns’ documentary MUHAMMAD ALI on Thursday, September 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be an in-person gathering at the Pioneer PBS studios in Granite Falls as well as a simultaneous Zoom event offering a sneak peak of the latest by America’s storyteller Ken Burns. The evening will also be preceded by a national Zoom conversation with Ken Burns and others about the film. For more information and to register for this free event, visit pioneer.org/ALI or call 1-800-726-3178.
As is always the case with a Ken Burns documentary, there will be a lot to see and discuss when the film airs nationally on all PBS stations September 19-22. This three-part, six-hour-long series is about more than boxing. For example, viewers will be brought back to the 1960s and learn about how Cassius Clay, at the height of his career, refused to serve in the Vietnam War, protesting how poor Black people were being drafted, while white college students received deferments. Viewers will learn how Muhammad Ali came to be known and loved by billions of people across the world.
The screening event sponsored by Pioneer PBS will feature a 30-minute clip from the documentary centering on race and religion and how Ali's life has impacted sports, society and culture today. Small group discussions will be held online and in-person to gather reactions to the film and the questions it raises for the region of small towns and farming communities served by Pioneer PBS. Before this regional discussion, event attendees will be able to tune into a national conversation with Ken Burns and other panelists, including Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, ESPN Senior Writer Justin Tinsley and Sherman Jackson of the University of Southern California.
Participation in this event is free and open to all. Participants are asked to register online through pioneer.org/ALI or to call 1-800-726-3178.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit: www.pioneer.org.
