​In the early 1900s, America had booming, successful, self-sustaining Black Wall Streets. These communities have since been systemically and violently destroyed. This short documentary video educates about stories of one thriving Black Wall Street – in Jackson Ward, Richmond, Virginia. It centers the histories of racially motivated, systemic violence against Black communities in the United States, and the continued impact of policies that sustain inequity today. This documentary not only focuses on the often untold realities of racial injustice and systemic economic violence towards Black communities in the US, but also actively uplifts Black people, greatness, and wealth.


​This project would not have been possible without Paul Rucker, VCUarts, and Dr. Spencer Crew, George Mason University. 
Produced by James Mertz & Nora Neely, 2022