“The Anthem”

Scene from Map of Brooklyn

My pilot, The Anthem, emerged from the research I conducted on landmarks in Brooklyn. From 1913 to 1957, Ebbets Field Stadium housed the Major League baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1960, an apartment complex, of the same name, replaced the demolished stadium. The Ebbets Field Apartments still stand today.

In hunt for a story, I thought about the people who live in the Ebbets Field Apartments and wondered what their lives entail. My pilot shows the similarities between Jackie Robinson’s rookie season in the MLB at Ebbets Field and an NCAA Division I prospect who is a resident in the apartment complex. After his best friend is shot by an NYPD officer, the high school basketball star jeopardizes his collegiate career by kneeling during a nationally televised game. He awakens his inner activist as he fights the justice system, racism, and the NCAA. 

During a time when police brutality against people of color is at the forefront of the media, I took this opportunity to highlight the struggles of male Black teens across America, but especially in New York City. Most Caucasians view our young boys as men because they are above average height with facial hair and broad builds, when they are only 12-17 years old. Our boys are constant targets because some consider their rich skin a threat. It saddens me that these stories stem from reality. However, I have accepted a calling to tell our stories authentically. I am and will continue doing so.