In the role of parent, one major objective is to provide your child with the opportunities to do the things you did not have. Filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson’s documentary, American Promise, is an unapologetic, 12-year journey into the lives of their son, Idris and his friend, Seun. Offering diverging takes on the multicultural experience, the film follows the two families starting with the enrollment of their sons into the prestigious Dalton School, an elite Manhattan prep school that continues to high school and the difficult choices made to ensure their children had the “best education.”
Why the title, American Promise?
The title, I think, addresses many different issues. One is the promise we make as parents and to our children to provide the best education possible, so all doors will be open to them. The title also represents our larger society’s promise to our communities that education is the means to greater opportunities, success and happiness.
What did you learn while bringing the project to reality?
I think we learned many things as parents and filmmakers. I think the one thing that is common to both is the question of trust in your vision and patience. The filmmaking and parenting process has also taught me how resilient our boys are in the face of adversity. And how, with guidance and support from us as parents, our sons can turn adversities and challenges, racial or otherwise, into constructive opportunities for growth. But, perseverance is key.
Do you think the film creates a watershed moment on the subject of educating African American boys?
I don’t know if it is a watershed, I think it is more like a drop in this rising tide. A black male achievement movement is has been gaining momentum over the many years prior to our completing the film. I hope our film is helping to contribute to this much deeper conversation toward change that has been happening across the country with a variety of organizations and parent groups, teacher groups, and youth. This movement shed light on how our boys are perceived and how implicit bias impacts our expectations of them. These unconscious attitudes and perceptions in turn have an effect on how our boys feel about themselves and perform in school and in life. Our implicit biases impede them from realizing their full potential. I think our film helps shed light on these issues while also providing a compelling coming of age story in which the full complexity of these two black boys’ life and personality are explored and celebrated. We hope our story can be a catalyst to spark new dialogue, new understanding and new actions that can pave the way for forward momentum and lasting change.
What brought you the greatest sense of satisfaction making this project happen?
I think what really warms my heart is to observe and see both Seun and Idris at the end of the process holding their own and proud of the film as they engage with audiences across the country in such an eloquent and self-assured way. It’s what makes me most proud. To see them up there engaging audiences is a self-sufficient manner being able to ultimately be agents of change and have their own voice at the end of the film.
American Promise opens November 22-27 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., www.siskelfilmcenter.org or call 312-846-2800.
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