Art + Culture
PBS Documentary American Promise Airs in Detroit
January 30, 2014·By BLAC Editorial
The film, part of the station’s award-winning POV series, examines the Black male achievement gap and begins at 10 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2014
January 30, 2014
arents want their children to be happy and succeed more than anything, but it's easier said than done in the case of young Black males. PBS chronicles part of this struggle in American Promise, airing at 10 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, 2014 on Detroit Public TV WTVS.
The documentary follows Idris Brewster and his best friend, Seun Summers-two Black, middle-class boys on their life journey from kindergarten to high school graduation from Manhattan's prestigious-and historically White-The Dalton School.
The two New York boys experience the typical growing pains as they mature, with added pressure from parents and school to be above-average students. After some unexpected and unfortunate life twists, the boys and their families learn that there are many paths to reaching success and happiness.
American Promise is 14 years in the making and explores the effects of race and privilege on the educational achievement gap for Black males, explains co-director and producer Joe Brewster.
"Our goal is to empower boys, their parents and educators to pursue educational opportunities, especially to help close the Black male achievement gap," Brewster says in a press release.
For additional details about the documentary's premiere, visit the BLAC Detroit online events calendar.
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