J.Cole expands his creative side as an executive producer for the PBS documentary Raising Bertie.
J.Cole’s mini hiatus from the music world gave him a chance to team up with director and producer Margaret Byrne for the film, which will air August 28 as part of the POV series.
Raising Bertie follows three young Black-American men and the challenges they face growing up in the rural town of Bertie County, North Carolina.
“There is a clear disconnect between urban and rural communities in America right now; Raising Bertie challenges prevailing perceptions of race and class in rural America by giving viewers access to a trio of the young black male voices we don’t often hear,” POV executive producer Justine Nagan said in a statement.
The trailer of Raising Bertie immediately pulls you into the challenging lives of Reginald Askew, Davonte Harrell and David Perry, whose stories were filmed over the course of six years. When the audience meets the young men, Reginald’s father and Davonte’s older brother are incarcerated and David is on parole; all three boys are being raised by working single mothers.
“In editing this story, there were competing pressures: to fight against stereotypes, to tell an exciting story, to tell a story of unexpected success and to prove that a filmmaker can communicate an honest story about a culture that is not her own,” Raising Bertie director Margaret Byrne explained. “I made a film about three kids I met and cared about. I knew their story needed telling. The individuals in this story are representative of their community and they matter.”
Dear Filmmakers of Raising Bertie,
Thank you for giving a voice to the voiceless.
Sincerely,
@TCsViews