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Art Saves Lives

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Hello everyone,
I am so excited to finally be able to speak about my short film, "In The Matter Of...". It is sincerely a passion project. I'm sure you've heard that a dozen times but this truly is. You see the message in my film is simply, "art saves lives", because the arts saved my life and quite honestly, continues to save me daily. Let me share a little bit about my life. I was born and raised in Harlem, NY. My mother was a single mom who raised 5 children on her own, working two jobs, at a time, to get by. At an early age I discovered my love for dancing but in my case, my mom was too busy raising us to even notice, let alone act on that information. So, I didn't begin my dance career until I was in my early 20's. Even starting late, being in love with hip hop music and dancing to it, saved me. But, I can't imagine where I would be today if I didn't see Mrs. Jackson, the dance teacher in my elementary school, teaching dance class to the students. I believe one of the major problems affecting our youth today is no longer having arts available to them during educational hours nor after school, for that matter. Can you imagine having to go a full 6-7 hours in school, with the same teachers, learning about math, reading and science without a break in the day to do something fun and inspiring? The idea than an idle mind is a dangerous thing could never be so true especially in these dangerous times. Kids need an outlet. They need to break up their school day. I believe learning and having hands on experiences in the arts, such as drama and music, to name a few can save a child. My film, "In The Matter Of...", takes a moment to drop you into the lives of 3 best friends, Caleb, Wiz and Kink's growing up in the south side of Chicago. One of the toughest neighborhoods in the country today. Where kids are being shot and killed daily by racist cops and disillusioned kids with hours of nothing to do but get access to guns to terrorize one another. "In The Matter Of...", takes us through a journey with our main character, "Caleb". Confronted with real life choices, will the streets get the most of him and his boys or can dancing save his life. Giving to this film will help me in my efforts to help spread the word, through the art of filmmaking, that art saves.

                               Donations
                            ($50) Supporter
Personalized Thank you letter from Jossie Harris Thacker

                           ($100) Imaginer
"BeFLYCreate" shirt and "In The Matter Of" poster

                             ($250) Dreamer
"BeFLYCreate" shirt, "In The Matter Of" poster, and 2 Tickets to the premiere

                             ($500) Believer
"BeFLYCreate" shirt, "In The Matter Of" poster, 2 VIP Tickets to the premiere, picture with the cast, and a personalized social media shout-out

                          ($1000) Achiever
"BeFLYCreate" shirt, "In The Matter Of" poster, 2 VIP Tickets to the premiere, picture with the cast, a personalized social media shout-out, and an On-Screen appearance in the film
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $50 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Jossie Harris
Organizer
Chicago, IL

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