*With an executive producer hand in the Spike documentary series on Kalief Browder and the upcoming project on Trayvon Martin, Jay-Z is calling on more producers, filmmakers and activists to turn a creative eye toward addressing socially issues that can spark activism.
The rap mogul shared his call to action in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter.
“Some of us will work for progress regionally. And a few of us will be like Kalief Browder, a modern-day prophet whose death two years ago started a discussion that continues today about how poor, black juveniles are treated in the criminal justice system,” wrote Hov.
He went on to write of Browder: “It is up to us to continue to amplify his story so that we can save a generation of kids from the same fate. His is the kind of story that you can’t ignore, and people are starting to see that what happened to him is not an isolated case. He’s just one example in a system that is broken. We need to be the ones who fix it.”
“My hope is for my next documentary, ‘Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,’ to create a similar conversation that leads to change and helps keep our children safe. And it’s an honor to have the support of Trayvon’s family in telling the story,” added Jay.
The artist concluded by calling on everyone to find an issue that needs addressing: “Look around at what’s happening in your town and your city right now. Think small, and you can do much bigger things.”
Read Jay Z’s column its entirety here.
