American Promise

A Film Screening + Conversation with Director, Michèle Stephenson

American Promise spans 13 years as Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, middle-class African-American parents in Brooklyn, NY, turn their cameras on their son, Idris, and his best friend, Seun, who make their way through Manhattan's Dalton School, one of the most prestigious independent schools in the country. Chronicling the boys' divergent paths from kindergarten through high school graduation, this documentary provides a rare look into the lives of two middle class black families as they navigate the ups and downs of parenting and educating their sons in a country still wrestling with notions of difference, race, class, and opportunity. American Promise is the winner of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival US Documentary Special Jury Award.

This screening is provided by the Ed Factory's Teacher's Institute @Minneapolis and sponsored by the Blake School, Minneapolis Public Schools, and Jack and Jill of America, City of Lakes chapter.