By Kerry Laird
Prairie View A&M University and its Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center will host a virtual screening of the critically acclaimed documentary What About Me on Thursday, March 3. Focused on the challenges faced by African American males, the film will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A session.
“What we hope will happen from this event is that persons will hear these perspectives and think about the experiences of African American males,” said Camille Gibson, Ph.D., executive director of the TJCPC at PVAMU. Because all interpersonal relationships depend on healthy communication, it is critical that people feel at ease when speaking to young males about the threats and discrimination they face, she said. “We live in a world where folks have an assumption about other people, but there’s not enough talking about where others are coming from.”
What About Me seeks to offer audience members the tools it takes to build that open line of communication.
“Having this information will help people to feel more comfortable to ask young people about their perceptions,” she said. “Too often, we don’t ask questions, so we don’t know what state others are in. My hope is that this event will give us more information, confidence and courage to talk to our young people.”
A Star-Studded Cast
The 45-minute documentary, What About Me, from 5J Entertainment features Black men from well-known, loved TV shows that push the boundaries of social perception when it comes to African American portrayals.
Actors Marcus Scribner from ABC’s Black-ish and Roshon Fegan from OWN’s Greenleaf both grace the screen in the documentary, as well as renowned social activists such as attorney Todd Belcore and civil rights attorney J. Wyndal Gordon, a.k.a. The Warrior Lawyer.
The Q&A session following the screening at PVAMU will include live interaction with actors Timon Kyle Durrett of OWN’s Queen Sugar and William Bryant, Jr. of Greenleaf and The Young and the Restless, and What About Me Executive Producer Taroue Brooks.
“During the course of the film, viewers will be taken on an unexpected journey into the daily lives, struggles, and achievements of Black men who want to make a difference in their careers, families and communities,” Brooks told a major media outlet. He also said the open communication he hopes the film will inspire is critical considering the recent turmoil the country has felt at the hands of antiquated bigotry.
Continuing the Fight against Injustice
For some young African American males, simply existing in the United States is a challenge. Being judged for one’s appearance often turns into a fight for one’s life when labeled as a potential threat or criminal by non-African Americans and, more dangerously, by law enforcement.
In the What About Me trailer, the narrator begins by stating that mass media typically represents Black men in one of three categories: athlete, entertainer or criminal. What About Me promises to give viewers a glimpse of the “foundation of communities that have not been seen on television.”
“Wherever they go, there is explicit and implicit bias,” said Gibson. “As young people, they perceive law enforcement as help. But as they become teenagers, that relationship tends to change. When they become perceived as a threat, their interaction changes.”
“How do we empower our young men and keep them out of the justice system?” asked Susan Frazier-Kouassi, Ph.D., director of the TJCPC. “We have to be really intentional about the socialization that we expose our young people to, and Prairie View is doing a great job with that.”
Frazier-Kouassi said the university’s ability to bring in excellent role models that underscore the importance of African American heritage—authors and activists—provides young people with positive portrayals.
“The documentary is really hearing the voices of African American men,” said Frazier-Kouassi. “We’re also looking to do a racial climate survey for a deeper dive into the educational experience of Black and Latino men in high school—to hear their voices on what it’s like to go to school every day.”
Raising a Voice of Change
Fresh on the heels of last November’s Black and Brown Boys summit at PVAMU, What About Me addresses critical disparities that place young African American males in situations that have lifelong consequences, including educational inequalities and disproportionate representation in the justice system.
Frazier-Kouassi said this is an important piece of the overall TJCPC mission.
“Initially, we wanted to bring together programs in the state that are working to address these issues,” she said. “This is relevant in terms of putting the spotlight on the issues young African American and Hispanic men are dealing with—all efforts to move the needle in a positive direction.”
TJCPC, in partnership with Stella Smith, Ph.D., associate director of the Minority Achievement, Creativity, and High-Ability Center (MACH-III) at PVAMU, is in the process of building a statewide database that highlights Texas programs and initiatives. They are designed to intervene on behalf of African American and Latino male students, improving their educational and future opportunities.
“Our college works with different entities to design or implement programs that will improve the outcomes of Black and Hispanic boys,” said Gibson. “This documentary is in line with our Black and Brown Boys Initiative.”
TJCPC has a follow-up summit to the 2021 Black and Brown Boys Summit, scheduled for August, which will feature young men who will give first-hand accounts of daily interactions that threaten their futures.
“The hope is that we will listen and get a better understanding,” said Gibson.
