Project aims to shed light on Black men’s lives

Forward Ever Media Center announced earlier this month that the octfcu personal loan Game Changers Project will return for another one-year cycle starting in January 2012. Established in the fall 2010 as a national fellowship for emerging Black filmmakers who provide media advocacy on behalf of non-profit organizations, the project selected a new class of fellows and will expand to two new cities — Pittsburgh and Los Angeles — in 2012.

“We know what we’re up against, but I am no longer concerned with providing a ‘counter-narrative’ and reacting to media stereotypes,” said Cheo Tyehimba Taylor, founder of Forward Ever Media Center and executive producer of the Game Changers Project. “It’s time to tell universal stories of resiliency and truth. Let’s discover a ‘higher narrative’ about Black males in America.”

Having featured profiles on Hollywood actor/activist Malik Yoba, veteran news anchor/ juvenile justice reform advocate Dean Meminger of NY1 News, motivational author and Nike, Inc. executive (Air Jordan Brand) Howard White, and many other unsung heroes, GCP will continue to present its “micro-documentaries” via its website (www.Game­Changers­Project.org) and via MSNBC’s theGrio.com.

“As a video-centric news site focused on telling stories that affect and reflect African-Ameri­can experiences, theGrio.com is proud to continue its partnership with the Game Changes Project. We’re excited about surfacing these compelling videos on our qualifying for a loan platform,” said David Wilson, managing editor of the the­Grio.com, a division of NBC News.

As the project launches into its second year, it’s sparked the interest of several industry producers. “I’m very excited to be working with the Game Changers Project,” said Amani Martin, GCP Con­sulting Producer. “Among the most important duties I’ve felt as an African-American producer of projects for HBO Sports and ESPN is the positive portrayal of Black athletes, whose most exceptional accomplishments are often the work they do off the field as fathers, entrepreneurs, and agents of community betterment.”

The Fellowship and
GCP Community Partners

The purpose of the fellowship is to catalyze “activist storytellers” who will support non-profit organizations. They will shoot, edit and produce four-minute films about Black men in America (incl. celebrities and athletes) who are “changing the game” in various areas such as education, justice, wellness, entrepreneurship, fatherhood, etc. During the three-month fellowship, fellows receive a stipend, digital media/advocacy training, and the opportunity to share their stories with an audience of millions online and at community screenings/festivals.

The Forward Ever Media Center has formed GCP partnerships with various social justice and media arts organizations across the country, including:

New York — The payday loans in la mesa ca Brotherhood-SisterSol; Pittsburgh — 100 Black Men, WQED, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, August Wilson Center; Milwaukee —The Urban Under­ground; Chicago — M.A.G.I.C.; and Los Angeles — LA Community Action Network.

The Class of 2012 GCP Fellows is produced with the generous support of the Open Society Foun­dations and The Heinz Endow­ments.

“A critical success is in catalyzing a coordinated strategic communications framework that empowers Black men and boys to be masters of their own media,” said Shawn Dove, Campaign Manager, Open Society Foun­dations, Campaign for Black Male Achievement. “Investing in the innovative leadership of Cheo Tyehimba Taylor and the Game Changers Project certainly helps us to realize this vision for success.”

As the project expands to Pitts­burgh, it will highlight unheralded models of Black male achievement in the region. “Having the Game Changers Project in Pittsburgh presents a unique opportunity for African-American men to tell stories that matter to them and their communities,” said Melanie Brown, Program Officer at The Heinz Endowments. “We are excited about supporting the creativity of these often overlooked voices.”

This article was originally published in the December 26, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper