14 year-old Jordan Coleman's "Say It Loud" is a documentary about Black men and education.

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Jordan Coleman was working as the voice of Tyrone the Moose on the Nickelodeon cartoon The Backyardigans when his parents challenged him to use some of his earnings from the cartoon to make a positive contribution to his community.  So he hired a film crew and began interviewing African-American boys and men, including many of the top names in Hollywood and music, like Ludacris, Kobe Bryant, Master P, Al Sharpton, and Biz Markie.  The end result was Coleman’s creation, “Say it Loud!” a youth film that explores the importance of education for African-American boys. 

Jordan interviewed these famous African-Americans to gain their perspective and insight on the importance of education.

“I didn’t want to do the typical movie that might bore other kids my age, and I knew that having celebrities in the film would grab their attention and deliver the message better,” Jordan said. “I still cannot believe that half of these people agreed to do this movie with me. They weren’t paid and took time away from their schedules – all for the important message of getting an education”

In December 2007, Jordan, younger brother Justin Hall-Coleman, and their mother, Chrisena Jordan, formed Mama Don’t Play Productions, which specializes in educational and entertaining film and television programming for children. “Say It Loud!” is the first film from the production company.  For upcoming screenings, please visit wwwsayitloudfilm.com.  You can also view the trailer on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLsAjKT7wW0

This story is filed under: Arts & Culture