STORIES BY JEVON JORDAN MCKINNEY
Official Journalist Portfolio
FEATURED WORK
Stories of Artistic Representation
“A BROKEN RECORD”-WRITER & DIRECTOR
June 2021-Present
I am the writer and creative director of my award-winning short documentary with the Youth Documentary Academy titled, “A Broken Record.” It explores the censorship, appropriation, and overall treatment of Black Musicians in our society. As the creator and director of this project, I am responsible for networking with local Colorado artists and educators such as University of Denver Professor Roger Holland, Singers Kid Astronaut & Json Martin, and national saxophonist and radio host Tony Exum Jr., to set up interviews where we get their perspectives on the state of Black Music as well as the history of its themes and mistreatment. I direct a crew with camera, lighting, and sound in order to create a film that I hope will contribute to the long-needed discussion about giving Black artists the recognition they deserve.
A Broken Record has won various awards including the Colorado Short Circuit Film Festival Young Filmmaker Award, The Best In Visual Art at Celebrating Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC) Symposium, and aired as an Official Selection at The All-American High School Film Festival in Times Square, New York City.
"A Broken Record" will air on PBS' show "Our Time" nationally in the future.
Here is a short Trailer! Find Out more about A Broken Record in the More Tab in the Header.
The city of Fort Collins only has a Black population of 1.6 percent.
For a college town that loves to celebrate its diversity, a lot of Black and Brown citizens never get to experience it. They're not the ones shown in travel ads persuading potential students and tourists about how great of a community this place is. They're not the ones whose homes and communities are highlighted (Unless it’s in a token attempt to score diversity points before the city continues to ignore their communities and their stories). They're not the ones who get their stories told, unless it's highlighting only negative parts of their narrative.
This project hopes to change that...
In an attempt to shed light on the good the Black community of Fort Collins is doing for the city, I set out to find the best shining examples of achievement in town. I found that a great place to start are the businesses that keep the city afloat. Especially in an era so positive on uplifting businesses of Color.
Therefore, I am proud to present three innovators and trailblazers whose businesses shine a light on a community long thought lost in this city.
Here are the Black Businesses of Fort Collins!
Find out more in the Transmedia tab in the Header
A TOWN OF SOUL: FORT COLLINS BLACK BUSINESSES
December 2022
"Journalists are the watchdogs of society. It is our job to give platforms to voices who have gone too long without it."