dream hampton, executive producer of the award-winning, change-making “Surviving R. Kelly,” is working on another docuseries unearthing a horrific injustice that has been long ignored. Variety confirms she is exec producing and directing a docuseries about the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of America’s deadliest incidents of racial violence, yet one that has largely been left out of history books.
Tentatively titled “Black Wall Street,” “the limited series weaves together past and present to recount the 1921 Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which left more than 300 African Americans dead and thousands displaced and the city on fire,” the source details. Tulsa mayor G.T. Bynum has launched an investigation to “locate the unknown sites of the mass graves and to help provide a level of closure and justice for the Massacre.”
The news of this project comes after days of riots across the U.S. and the world, in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Cineflix Rights will distribute “Black Wall Street.” No word on a broadcaster yet.
“Black people from Tulsa have refused to let the Greenwood District Massacre be erased from history. I’m so inspired by their persistence to lift up the stories of what North Tulsa was before the massacre,” hampton said. “They are proud that their ancestors, just a generation out of slavery, purchased land and created businesses that personified Black excellence.”
“After 99 years of silence, ‘Black Wall Street’ needs to be told, and there’s no one better than Dream Hampton to bring it to life,” added J.C. Mills, president and commercial director for Cineflix Productions.
Seen by almost 27 million viewers, “Surviving R. Kelly” aired in early 2018, rehashing Kelly’s history and his past child porn charges. It has been especially lauded for its focus on black women’s voices, and its exploration of how culture particularly dismisses women of color’s accusations of sexual misconduct. Since its debut, Kelly has been arrested and indicted on multiple counts of sexual assault, and accusations and charges have continued to pile up.
The influential docuseries won a Banff Television Festival award and was nominated for an Emmy, a PGA Award, and a Television Critics Association Award.
“Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning,” “It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It,” and “Finding Justice” are among hampton’s other EP credits. She directed short “I Am Ali” and doc “Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice Mapping a Detroit Story.”
