An American Promise

About the Project

In An American Promise, Brooklyn filmmakers and parents Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster turn the camera on themselves and make a twelve-year commitment to document the experiences of their son, Idris, and his best friend Oluwaseun Summers – Seun for short – from their first days of kindergarten at the prestigious Upper East Side college preparatory school, The Dalton School, in 1999 to the boys’ high school graduation in 2012. What results is an unprecedented documentary work that reveals the intimate and very personal experiences of two middle class African American families as their boys come of age exposed to the best education possible.

Although exposed to a rich and rigorous learning environment, Idris and Seun display low-self esteem among their mostly white classmates, and struggle to keep up with school work. Through the unique longitudinal scope of the film, we also witness the ways in which popular culture stereotypes of black males begin to affect Idris and Seun’s interactions with teachers and classmates – and the ways in which their identities are formed in and out of school. Faced with unexpected challenges, their parents begin to question their decision to send their sons to Dalton, and Idris and Seun embark on divergent journeys as high school begins.

Set against the backdrop of the racial achievement gap in education, as less than half of all African American males graduate from high school – and less than a third do in New York City – An American Promise is an intimate and timely exploration of the consciously integrated education environments of the 21st century, and the intangible pressures and subtle factors that persist in affecting the success of all male students of color – even in a school of unparalleled resources.

As parents and filmmakers undertaking this personal 12-year journey, Joe and Michèle have encountered countless parents who are grappling with the same questions of how best to support the education of their children. Inspired by this opportunity, An American Promise will be the centerpiece of a national transmedia campaign employing the latest in interactive new and social media designed to help close the racial achievement gap through empowering parents to advocate for their children and provide resources to help them make changes that support their kids’ learning in and out of school.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to support this unique and powerful film. We believe it has the potential to spark important conversations about race, equality and education in America.