Growing up in suburban Missouri, I faced my fair share of racial discrimination and microaggressions. From teachers asking me if I have a father to being denied opportunities because of the stereotypes associated with my race, I was taught at a young age how the world views me as a young black woman. 
Luckily, throughout my childhood, my parents took extreme care in teaching me how to take back my power in my identity to use it at a strength instead of the weakness the world wanted me to feel like it was. 
Particularly my father, for whom this film is a letter of appreciation, would always show me how to handle situations of mistreatment. For example, when I was in middle school my father took me to my first high school football game. The game was cut short due to a severe thunderstorm and as everyone was running to their cars to hide from the lightning and rain, a few white boys yelled racial slurs at the black players from the other team. My father instantly jumped into action, but as a scared little middle schooler in a sea of intimidating high schoolers, I tried to walk away. I thought that since the slurs weren’t directed at me, it wasn’t my war to fight. However, my father caught me by the arm as I tried to slip away and said to me, “No, I want you to see how to handle this.” At that moment, I realized that even when injustices aren’t directly aimed at me, it’s my duty to use my voice to try to make a difference, no matter how small I think the outcome will be. 
Because of that experience and the many many subsequent experiences I had growing up, I have been inspired to use my creative voice to highlight the issues that the black community faces–– whether they’re outright discriminations or slick microaggressions–– while highlighting our strengths and bringing forth hopeful solutions. 
Through this film, I want to bring awareness to the harsh realities that many black youths have to face when they’re forced to grow up and have harsh conversations at young ages. However, despite these hard conversations, our community is full of beauty and worth far beyond how the outside world views us. More importantly, I want young black boys and girls who watch this film to walk away not seeing their race as a weakness, but instead as something beautiful to be celebrated and embraced. 
      
 -Jordan Taylor Brown, Director, “Thug”


Director’s Statement 

After being  profiled by a cop, Denzel, a young black man, must have an important conversation with his little sister Destiny without losing himself.



Thug

Short Film

Events

Events

Details

Credits

Thug

Short Film

Events

Events

Details

Credits

Write-Director

Producer

Director of Photography

Production Designer