Leveling the Playing Field

Film team calls for recognition of Berea College and Kentucky State University for supporting racial and economic equity

BEREA, Ky. and FRANKFORT, Ky., Aug. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The executive team of This Field Looks Green To Me, a feature film project currently in production, has committed to sharing the profits of the film with Kentucky State University (KSU) and Berea College (BC).

This film, set in a 1950s coal-mining town with Jim Crow laws still in effect, will engage people across generations by telling a true Appalachian story about kids, baseball, and the power of grassroots action in smalltown America. The film’s executive producer, Ron Schmidt, explained that KSU, a Historically Black University (HBCU) and BC, a Kentucky college that has been racially diverse since its inception, are ideal recipients for some of the film’s profits.

“Both schools provide both Black and white students from Kentucky, Appalachia, and beyond, tangible opportunities to live together and learn from each other in an educational context, and this aligns perfectly with our project,” he said.

Kentucky Exemplars
“Both schools recognize that creating and maintaining a racially diverse student body enhances learning for all students,” Schmidt added. Seventy-five percent of the students at BC come from low-income Kentuckian and Appalachian families. More than half of the student body at KSU are people of color.

As an example of this commitment from KSU and BC, Schmidt pointed to the recent formation of a new initiative, the Association for Teaching Black History, in partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center and the Thomas D. Clark Foundation. Schmidt has proposed that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recognize BC and KSU as state “Educational Exemplars” for their efforts to advance the best interests of all students in the state.

This Field Looks Green To Me
One of the central outcomes of the movie will be to engage community mentors in building positive relationships with disadvantaged kids over the course of time. The film is proceeding rapidly toward filming and production, with filming scheduled to begin in Middlesboro and Paducah, KY in 2024.

In addition to telling this powerful story of how community can affect grass-roots change, This Field Looks Green To Me will highlight the beauty of the Appalachian people and their multi-ethnic culture – its mountains and original music.

For information about the film please visit www.thisfieldlooksgreentome.com. To join the effort to recognize these educational exemplars, please contact Schmidt at [email protected] or 216-255-1892.

SOURCE This Field Looks Green To Me LLC