On Tuesday night, the city of Newark hosted a red-carpet affair for the screening of 'Brick City,' a documentary premiering on the Sundance Channel on Sept. 21. Featuring the fervor and dedication of its mayor, Cory Booker, and its people, 'Brick City' shows what happens when people are doggedly committed to both their loved ones and communities. Actor Forest Whitaker executive-produced the five-part series.

On screen, Booker is a multidimensional titan: He is the dependable father figure who plays midnight basketball with young people to keep them off the streets. He is the grassroots community activist who talks to city employees about why Newark is the place to be. He is also in full form as the didactic mayor who implores his local police department to keep the body bag count as low as possible.

Then there is Creep and Jayda, a young and strikingly committed couple, who used to gang bang and are raising three children. Even though they go through some major obstacles of their own (Jayda is forced to go to jail while pregnant), they remain focused and selfless enough to start an organization, 9 Strong Women, for young women to reclaim their lives.

If you want to witness flowers magically growing through and around concrete, 'Brick City' is worth watching.

See part of the first episode below:



Forest Whitaker had much to say about the particular beauty of this project:

Black Voices: How did this project come about?
Forest Whitaker: It was first brought to my attention by Marc Levin [the filmmaker who created 'Slam']. Marc spoke to me about this possibility. He started a number of projects and told me he thought there was something here. So I looked at it, and we started some conversations, and I decided I wanted to be involved in trying to make it come alive and explore what Cory was doing here. Then I went to Sundance with him, and we pitched the idea, and from there we started.

BV: What would you say is the theme of this documentary?
FW: It's about making a difference. You can make things change. It's about individual empowerment. It's about the fact that you can create your own universe, your own city. And this is just an example of what can happen all over this country. I think that it will be a model, hopefully, for other cities to follow, other mayors to follow and other individuals to realize that they can change their lives.

BV: What do you think of Cory Booker?
FW: Cory Booker is unbelievably inspiring, because he's committed to making a difference and changing people's lives. He is able to inspire people with his words and, at the same time, make people look inside themselves and see a little bit of their divinity. These are the kinds of leaders that we need in this country. These are the kinds of leaders that are going to change this country. We have one in the presidency right now, and I think Corey, and many others like him, are going to change this country and the world.

BV: What might people not expect?
FW: I think they are going to not believe how heroic some of these people are. What's exciting is when you get to the lives of these individuals and you see them going about trying to lead a decent life in the little things they do. They don't have a lot, but [they] are willing to give everything of their time and their hearts. I think it's going to inspire people to realize that they, too, can do so much with what seems like so little. At times, people feel that they don't have a voice, and I hope this movie can allow people to know that they do.

BV: Did it inspire you as well?
FW: Oh, the film inspired me. I was blown away. There's a couple of moments when I really choke up inside. One of them is when a man sits down and talks to these kids and he says to them, "You guys are going to go over there now, and I want you to feel confident. I don't want you to walk with your head down. You belong there." He gets them on the bus, and then he's sitting in the front and starts crying, and they're like, "Why are you crying?" And this little 8-year-old boy puts his arm around his shoulder.

And to me, that's a powerful thing, because it just shows you that generational movement, how change can occur and you have new horizons ahead of you. Even though you may feel you are stuck in this environment, you can go someplace new. That's what the [scene on the] bus was for me, that kind of a metaphor. This man who went through so much, this warrior, is bringing these new children along. The emotion you see coming out of these children, the love that they have, is the human part of tomorrow.

BV: What's next for Newark?
FW: I think great things are in store for Newark. I think there are a lot of businesses that have been brought in that are now slowly going to start to see [growth]. People's neighborhoods change. You are going to see an international influence here, because as you'll see, there are more people coming to the ports here, bringing more money there. Then you are going to see children brought up with a sense of hope. Children being brought up here in the regular schools and the charter schools as well. They are going to be educated to be the leaders of tomorrow because they have someone to follow.