Q: Your film appeared to slam Richard Pryor and the Rapper NAS for their use of the "N" word, why?
A: The use of the images of Richard Pryor and NAS, was to show how we have publicly displayed the word over the course of time. Richard Pryor, before his death, had gone on record to publicly denounce his use of the word, and the Rapper NAS ( one of the few socially conscious rappers ) intentions of wearing the jacket had nothing to do with the glorification of the word. I have enjoyed some of Pryor's masterful story telling and I have also enjoyed some of the thought provoking music from NAS.
Q: Your film seems to talk down to our youth. Wouldn't it be better to praise them instead of criticizing them?
A: The film is not targeted to all of our youth, there are millions of Black Children that are performing at very high levels academically all over the US and the world, but we must not be afraid to face the facts, there are places within this country that Black Children are dying on the streets and in the classrooms at an alarming rate. We can not be afraid to tell our children about some of the struggles that existed before they were born, so that they will not squander some of the opportunities that they have today.
Q: Why must you talk about slavery in your film, can't we ever get over this time period?
A: Hollywood has never been afraid to address the Holocaust or many other horrific conditions that have happened to mankind around the world such as the movie " The Killing Fields", but there seems to be a backlash at the mere notion of mentioning slavery in a film or documentary. Roots did a wonderful job at helping us understand some of the conditions that took place, but there needs to be more. Many have suggested that if we forget and move on, it will help our future generations, but in my opinion, hiding from 300 years of our American History will not heal us as a nation.
Q: Are you afraid that your film will make young blacks angry at whites?
A: With proper instructors, the film should be used as a tool to make young Blacks & Whites come together, and understand that there were many white people that died for many black causes during slavery and the Civil Rights time era. Also, I am finding out through the various responses to the film, that a lot of the images in the film have been glossed over in classrooms around the US. There are many people of all cultures within the US that did not know these horrific conditions ever took place.
Q: Do you really believe that there is some big evil creature that is making us do evil?
A: I do believe that we all have control of our mind and actions, but I also believe there is a spiritual component that African Americans have lost during our struggles for jobs and equality. The loss of this component has trickled down to our children and hurt us in many ways. The use of the "MASTER OF DARKNESS" in the film represents the evil that can grow inside the hearts of mankind.
Q: I run a basketball program designed to keep kids off of the streets, your film seems to knock this as an outlet, why?
A: I absolutely love the game of basketball, but we have to expose our youth to the many areas of life that they have the potential to excel at.
Q: It seems like your film is indirectly blaming hip-hop for all of the problems in African-American culture?
A: I want to be really clear with this answer. Many of the conditions that inner-city kids face today, were created long before hip-hop came into existence. If we eliminated the "N" word would that create jobs for our African-American youth ? If we cleaned up the lyrics in many songs would that bring a sense of urgency to make our society recognize the importance of education? The answer to those questions is ....no. Some of hip-hop needs to be addressed and cleaned up for the greater good of our children, but there are many hip-hop artist that want to create meaningful lyrics but they are being told by the public that socially conscious rap does not sell, which I think is false. The film only touches upon some aspects of hip-hop for about 3 minutes. The greatest message that a young person can learn from the film is....we must give honor to those (black & white) who suffered, so that we may have some of the freedom and educational opportunities that we have today.
Q: Why did you leave out so many great African-American heros, why is there always such a focus on MLK and Malcolm X?
A: Many of our youth today, only have about an 8 minute attention span when it comes to videos and films (especially historical films). With that in mind, I knew I only had about 10 minutes to get my point across, while giving the teacher or a pastor 40 minutes to explain to their audience what they saw. If I tried to address psychological racism or add in strong religious concepts, the film would have turned into a mini-series. It would have been impossible to place all of the great historical figures in only 10 minutes. In the future, I do plan on creating other short films that will address many of the problems that our society faces on a day to day basis.
Q: Why didn't your film address the solutions?
A: I did not feel it was necessary to give solutions, because the problems that African-American children are facing in Chicago is far different than the problems in other parts of the country. I thought it would be best for those who live in various parts of the US to create their own solutions, because they are living with those situations on a daily basis.
Q: What has surprised you the most about the reaction to this film?
A: I am surprised, that many people from around the world are being affected by many of the conditions mentioned in this film. This film could have eliminated the words "African-American" and still reached people all around the world.
