The board of the Historic Dunbar Community Center in Wichita is hosting a showing of the acclaimed documentary “I’m So Glad: Kansas City and The Roots of Black Gospel Music, The Untold Story.”
This film, which last year was previewed and earned Best Heartland Documentary Feature at the Kansas City FilmFest International, will be showcased on Sat., July 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dunbar, 1007 N. Cleveland in Wichita. For advance tickets, visit https://shorturl.at/GzZJv. Admission is $16 for adults and $6 for kids under 12.
The film – directed by Overland Park-based journalist Paul Wenske – is an illuminating exploration of the rich, yet often overlooked, history of Black gospel music in the KC region. It paints a vivid picture of the development of the Black community in and around Kansas City, MO, and Kansas City, KS, as seen through the lens of the music.
The movie goes all the way back to Western University, the historic Black college in KCK, and its music department, whose graduates introduced African-American folk traditions into the mainstream.
There is the story of Winston Holmes, who launched a record company to compete with the larger White-owned labels that controlled the “race records” market in the 1920s. The documentary profiles gospel stars of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, such as Michael Charles, Genetter Bradley, and Alma Whitney.
“I saw the preview last year and was just amazed at the national and international impact Kansas City had on gospel music,” said KC resident Jim Coleman. “It was totally engaging.”
The Historic Dunbar Theatre opened in 1941 as a hub in the community. The effort to bring it back as a community-based cultural performing arts center continues, with the first phase of restoration complete.
