J-School Journals is a showcase for student documentaries that airs on the university’s public access cable channel and is also streamed online.
J-School Journals, originally called “Documentary Night,” has become a legacy at FAMU since 2006.
This legacy will be returning at 7 p.m. Sunday. The project is run by journalism Professor Kenneth Jones.
“I wanted a name we can use that would broaden the scope from documentaries in one night,” Jones said. “My goal is to take this past FAMU and take it on the road.”
In the past, J School Journals was aired at an in-person screening in Lee Hall auditorium on FAMU’S campus, but this year it will be broadcast on FAMU TV-20. The two documentaries that were chosen to air this month are titled “Together” and “The Sneaker Game.”
“Together” is produced by Maya Williams and Aliyah Terry. “The Sneaker Game” is produced by Kamryn Marshall and Kelly Pusey. All producers are seniors majoring in broadcast journalism.
Williams is from Atlanta and Terry is from Tampa.
“Together” explores the statistics of Black marriages, shows the history of the institution and gives the perspective of current Black couples.
“As a child of divorce, I have never seen an example of what healthy Black love looks like,” Williams said. “I aspire to have a long-lasting marriage in the future, and it is really important for me to start learning how to have a long-lasting relationship.”
The purpose of the documentary is to show why African-American couples don’t stay together in past generations. Williams said that she wanted to explore the roots of why the Black community has the lowest rate of divorce.
“My favorite part about ‘Together’ is meeting all the Black couples, hearing their stories, and learning a little bit more about what it takes to help a relationship last,” Terry said.
Marshall is from St. Petersburg while Pusey is from Fort Lauderdale.
Their documentary, “The Sneaker Game,” is about resellers and buyers in the sneaker community and the relationship they share in their love for shoes.
Marshall came up with this idea because she is a “sneakerhead” herself. She’s always aspired to obtain high-end sneakers as she grew up and was able to immerse herself in the sneaker community even further by getting a job at Kids Foot Locker in high school.
“The reselling community made a serious shift in how people bought shoes and I wanted to create something that can show this change,” Marshall said.
Although it was Marshall’s idea to create the documentary, she was assisted by producer Pusey, who helped to bring the documentary to life.
“My favorite part about this documentary was filming and getting the interviews and seeing it all come together,” Pusey said. “I also liked hearing from the resellers and buyers their personal perspectives on sneakers and what got them interested in the sneaker world.”
The broadcast date for FAMU TV-20 is Sunday, Dec. 12. The documentaries will also be available to be streamed online via sjgcmedia.com soon after.