A photo of Bill Strickland, a Black man with dark hair. The text reads, "How to make the impossible possible: The MacArthur Genius changing the world through the power of hope"

The MacArthur Genius Making the Impossible Possible: A Hotly Anticipated PBS Documentary on Lavin Speaker Bill Strickland

Happy New Year from The Lavin Agency! As we move into the new year, we’re looking forward to the February premiere of a new PBS documentary on MacArthur Genius Bill Strickland. This longtime Lavin speaker was a high schooler in a poor neighborhood when he fell in love with pottery. His belief that everyone deserves beauty led him to turn a bankrupt community center into one of the most acclaimed social organizations in the world. This Black History Month, PBS is spotlighting his incredible work with its documentary Pursuing Light: The Bill Strickland Story. Learn more below, and get in touch to book Bill to speak at your event!

If you treat people with respect and give them the tools they need, they will perform miraculous deeds, says Bill Strickland.

A MacArthur Genius and the subject of PBS’s hotly anticipated documentary, Pursuing Light, Bill has created a blueprint for building communities that guide people towards employment, passion, craft, and dignity in their work. Jeff Skoll, former president of eBay, says that “Bill Strickland is a genius because he sees the inherent genius in everyone.”

In the new documentary based on his life, Bill tells the story of how he founded the Bidwell Training Center to give youth and adults more opportunities—and, more importantly, to give them hope. He reveals how that center (and the 16 more centers that followed) use environments of art and beauty to redefine the limits of human possibility. “Don’t tell me what you can’t do. Tell me what you can do,” he says.

Pursuing Light is the incredible story of Bill’s quest to change the planet through the transformative power of hope—and it premieres next month! Watch the trailer here, and don’t miss it on PBS this Black History Month.

If you treat people with respect and give them the tools they need, they will perform miraculous deeds, says Bill Strickland. A MacArthur Genius and the subject of PBS's hotly anticipated documentary, Pursuing Light, Bill has created a blueprint for building communities that guide people towards employment, passion, craft, and dignity in their work. Jeff Skoll, former president of eBay, says that "Bill Strickland is a genius because he sees the inherent genius in everyone." In the new documentary based on his life, Bill tells the story of how he founded the Bidwell Training Center to give youth and adults more opportunities—and, more importantly, to give them hope. He reveals how that center (and the 16 more centers that followed) use environments of art and beauty to redefine the limits of human possibility. "Don't tell me what you can't do. Tell me what you can do," he says. Pursuing Light is the incredible story of Bill's quest to change the planet through the transformative power of hope—and it premieres next month! Watch the trailer here, and don't miss it on PBS this Black History Month. https://vimeo.com/1123016456?share=copy

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