UofM’s Hooks Institute and WKNO to Host Special Preview of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s Upcoming Documentary Series 'Making Black America'

Sept. 13, 2022 — The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis and WKNO-TV (Memphis) will host a special preview of the upcoming four-part Henry Louis Gates Jr. PBS documentary series “Making Black America: Through the Grapevine” at 6 p.m. on Sept. 26 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in Meeting Room A. The screening will feature select scenes from each episode before the series premiere on WKNO on Oct. 4. The event is free and open to the public.

About “Making Black America: Through the Grapevine”

“Making Black America: Through the Grapevine,” hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people — beyond the reach of the “white gaze.” Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.

About WKNO

WKNO is a non-profit, private foundation serving the Mid-South for more than 65 years. An important community resource, WKNO uses the power of non-commercial public broadcasting to provide the Mid-South with quality educational and cultural programs that inform, entertain and inspire. For more information visit wkno.org.

About The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change

The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute implements its mission of teaching, studying and promoting civil rights and social change through research, education and direct intervention programs. Institute programs include community outreach; funding faculty research initiatives on community issues; documentary films; implementing community service projects; hosting conferences, symposiums and lectures; and promoting local and national scholarship on civil and human rights. The Hooks Institute is an interdisciplinary center at the University of Memphis. Contributed revenue for the Hooks Institute, including funding from individuals, corporations and foundations, is administered through the University of Memphis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information visit memphis.edu/benhooks.