The Infamous Future (2021) - full transcript

We fight,
and fight, and fight!

We are graduates, we are
graduates, we are graduates!

So who's graduating today?

Our trailblazers are
graduating today, right?

On this day we
recognize and witness

something really unique here
in the heart of The Bronx.

Young boys that have
made a commitment

- to spend seven years at Eagle, and graduate as youn Brooklyn?
- Brooklyn, yeah.

Last year, for this
particular school,

was our first graduating class.

We had about 93%
of our students,



our young men went to college.

About 98% were accepted
to some college,

be it two year, four year.

I really wanna instill in them

that this is who you really are,

and this is who
you really can be

as you move forward in life.

Looking at this
picture, I remember,

I believe this was
convocation in sixth grade.

I'm here, I have no
face hair, look at me.

It's on a lot of business
cards, it's on the books.

It shows Eagle Academy.

Everybody here in this picture

I'm still very close with
today, we talk on a daily basis.



Right here we have
Kenley McKennis,

plays on the basketball team.

Jayden Wood, and we have Rashid.

We're all gonna
graduate this year.

Oh, Joshua when he was a
baby, he was very hyper-active,

but a fun kid.

Fun kid, he was very fun.

I miss those moments.

I wish I could rewind sometimes.

My son has been at the Eagle
Academy since sixth grade.

Soon he'll be going
away to college.

It's gonna be tough for me.

Six hours away?

That's my only child.

As much as I can, I
will make it over there.

Pop up visits.

It's like a dream come true.

I always told you when I
was in the third grade,

fourth grade, when
I go to college,

we're not paying for nothing.

I always told you
that when I was young,

so guess what happened now?

It's reality.

Your dream came true.

The most thing that I'm
proud of is being able

to see him graduate high
school, and get his diploma,

and move on, and
become what he always

wanted to become as a kid.

And why is that
so important to you?

Because I didn't do it.

I wasn't able to finish school.

Excuse me.

I didn't have the
support of my parents

as much as I am
involved with him.

And I'm glad that
he's gonna finish.

When you are dealing
with the weight of life,

it is really
difficult to navigate

the complexities of the
Department of Education

or City Services to give
your child holistically

what he or she really need.

Joshua Perez.

How you doing, kid?

In the affluent
areas of our community,

the moms and dads, they
already know what college

their child is going to attend.

They know the level of
math that he would need

so that he'll be able
to get into a nice,

Ivy League school.

It's already mapped out.

Our children get to the
end of the journey and say,

"You're supposed to
have that pre-algebra"

"back when you were
in elementary school."

So we are starting off
with a lack of information,

and we have to create a easy
free flow of information

to empower parents
on how to be parents.

One, two, three, four.

So good morning, my
name is David Banks,

and I am the president and CEO

of the Eagle Academy
Foundation, good morning.

Good morning.

So we're here today in
Brooklyn because this is

the kickoff event for what
we call the Brooklyn Nine.

We have selected nine schools

throughout the
borough of Brooklyn

that we are gonna be working
with over the next three years

to really share with
them the best practices

for how to work with our boys.

It's the kick off for
something brand new,

to see if we can
take the Eagle model

and then translate that
into existing schools

that are not all boys' schools.

And I'm betting
that is gonna work.

So many things that we need you
to see and understand today,

but I think it's important
that you understand

who we are as the Eagle Academy,

and what that means
for the young men

who we're gonna be working
with throughout this program.

Let me make it very plain.

Black and Latino males
throughout America,

they're under assault
through the media,

they're under assault from
politicians who talk a good game,

but don't do anything to
actually make a difference,

and it shouldn't
have to be that way.

So my organization decided

we were gonna do
something about that.

There's a transformation
process that must take place

if we want them to
properly transition

into healthy, strong young men.

And that process begins today.

We're gonna be working
with the teachers

in nine schools across Brooklyn

to make a significant
impact in the lives

of our young men and
our boys every day.

The Brooklyn Nine
was a great concept,

but whenever you're attempting

to see how well your product is,

you should go to the
toughest audience.

Brownsville is the ground
zero of education failure

and educational betrayal.

And if we could find
success in Brownsville,

then the product could operate
anywhere in the entire city.

The young men of Eagle
Academy, please stand.

These are the young men who
are gonna be the mentors

for the middle school boys.

They know how to stand strong.

They will give you
a firm handshake

and look you in your eye.

And we're gonna make
sure that we transfer

all of that to your son.

I'm happy, is y'all
happy to be here?

Yeah!

I'm happy, is y'all
happy to be here?

Yeah!

Hey listen!

25 young men in each
of these young schools,

and they're gonna be
mentored primarily

by older Eagle students.

Either students who
are seniors or are alum

who graduated and
are in college,

who are just a few
years older than them

but have lived the
Eagle experience.

These are young men
that were quiet in there.

Quiet, right?

Slouched down, right?

But now you'll notice that
their body language will change.

You'll notice that they'll
become more talkative.

The confidence
will start to come.

And when they come back
into the auditorium,

you're gonna see something
very, very powerful.

I know elected officials
all over New York City,

and they all would say
to me, "This is great",

"you're doing great work,
keep up the good work."

Borough President Adams was
the only elected official

who said, "This work should
be spread across New York",

"and I'm going to the mayor to
make sure that that happens."

Please give him a really,
really warm welcome,

brother Eric Adams.

When I sat down
with David and said,

"How do I duplicate the
Eagle Academy experience?"

He made it clear,
"We need money, Eric."

"We need money to train
teachers, to train our team."

We were able to identify
$3 million for him

and start the
program of educating

a team outside his team
to give other students

the Eagle Academy experience
without having to sit in

an Eagle Academy school.

I guarantee you you
will see the difference

between your son today
and what will happen

over the next three
years, if you make sure

that you support
us in doing that.

In this poem, Invictus,

"I am the master of my fate,
the captain of my soul,"

the most powerful
lines of the poem.

We want young men
to understand, look,

no matter how many
teachers said,

"You can't learn, you can't
do this, you can't do that."

You are the master of your
fate, captain of your soul.

It's a great, great start to
a great program, gentlemen!

We'll see you shortly.

Eagle mentors!

Form the formation!

Invictus straight!

Out of the
night that covers me,

black as the pit
from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

for my unconquerable soul.

Brothers, are we ready?

Born ready!

Brothers, are we ready?

Born ready!

Minute by
minute, hour by hour.

As we grow our
story, we grow our power.

So give yourselves a round
of applause, young brothers.

Let's give your mentors
a round of applause.

Let's give your parents
a round of applause.

And we are embarking on
this journey together.

Just get it out of the way.

Are you ready?

Hey!

You grabbed my arm
and pull it down!

That's a old school move!

Hold on.

Yeah!

Finds, and shall
find, me unafraid.

It matters not how
strait the gate,

how charged with
punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

Yeah, that ending is just like.

It motivates me, I can't
wait for my graduation.

I wanna see that
same thing you saw.

I've been in Eagle
Academy from sixth grade

all the way to the 12th grade.

And this is the first
graduating class

to ever come through
these seven years, man.

We are in a special
place right now.

We have a opportunity to really
impact a whole generation.

I'm proud to be a Eagle alumni,

and I'm proud to be a member,
a brother of Eagle Academy.

Just because I'm
a person of color,

just walking through the
street, or I'm on the train,

or I have a hood on, that's
already an assumption.

I wanna go on a path
where I can go to college

and to see from there.

One day when I'm older,
and I'm where I'm at,

that's gonna be my motivation.

Those things that were said
to me when I was younger,

those assumptions
that were made,

all those videos that I
saw, all those comments.

I'll let that be my motivation.

I was like, okay.

Just in my head, I'm like,
"Okay, one day you'll see."

I don't have to say anything,

I'm just gonna let
my actions speak.

Ali House!

I am the greatest!

Hughes House!

Dreams
deferred, never!

Hughes House!

The Eagle Academy that has
gone from a school in The Bronx

to now in every borough
in New York City?

Our work goes beyond
our traditional schools

that we have created.

And I'm talking about
beyond all boys' schools.

I'm talking about in traditional
schools, co-ed schools.

And we think that in
helping those teachers,

we will be able to help
hundreds of thousands

of young men of color
all across the country.

We're gonna teach
a man how to fish.

I'll
see you on Monday.

Josh, hit me up.

- All right, bro.
- Bro.

Listen, I'ma see
you when you graduate.

I'll be there.

I'ma try to get some
front-row seats.

Our goal must be to
ensure that we implement

long, sustaining partnerships.

How do we partner with our
faith-based institutions

to be part of our
educational experiences?

How do we utilize our civic
groups and local groups,

our precinct councils,
community boards,

NWACP, urban leagues.

How do we put in place
those institutional changes

that no matter what
happens in Washington, D.C,

it would not impact
Washington Avenue in Brooklyn.

We will be still moving
forward with our overall plan

of making sure that every child

receives a quality education.

Thank you.

Listen, let the Dean's
Team know we're gonna meet.

In the morning.

Ali Seventh grade,
you're dismissed.

I don't think there's
anyone that says like,

"We just don't
want good by them."

I think people just
are paralyzed, like,

"I don't know what to do."

So we choose to disengage.

And we get to lean into
that discomfort as a school

and say, "We're
gonna take it on",

"and we're gonna
smile while we do it."

"We're gonna grow our guys."

This is the value of a teacher

who looks at a face ad says,
"There's something behind

"that I wanna reach that person.

"I wanna influence that person
who is behind that face,"

"behind that color,
behind that language,"

"behind that tradition,
behind that culture."

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

I came into Eagle
with these guys,

so they were sixth graders.

They were short, didn't
have facial hair.

And now I'm looking out at
them, and I'm just like, "Wow."

It means that eventually
seeds prosper and they grow,

and they turn into something

that you see down
there, and I'm glad.

So I'm excited.

I'm excited to see the program,

and be here just to watch.

Out of the
night that covers me

black as the pit
from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be.

Class of 2018,
you can be seated.

As you leave, remember
that you're leaving

understanding that this
community is going to support you

even when you do
leave those doors.

Your Eagle brothers
that are next to you

are gonna be with you
every step of the way.

Mayan Perez.

Tapir Donovan.

To see our young men,

I'm gonna try not
to get emotional.

To see our young
men that I know,

they're story could
have ended another way,

and to see them thriving
means the world to me.

We plant seeds, but we
don't know that we'll ever

see the fruits of our labor.

Joshua Perez.

Yeah!

Go Josh!

Mark Anthony Barton.

Good afternoon everyone!

Good afternoon Eagle!

Good afternoon!

This world is changing
on a daily basis.

You've got to work harder than
you could have ever imagined.

But you have the talent, and
the gifts, and the abilities

inside of you that
you can go off,

and no matter what
happens in this world,

you're gonna be one
of the game changers.

I believe that.

I don't just say that.

I believe that.

That's the reason
why we do this work,

because everywhere I
see young men like you,

I see promise, I see potential.

I see young men that
if we don't get you

to be where you need to be,
this world will never be

where it's supposed to be.

I'm happy
crying, I'm so proud.

You're gonna make me cry.

I knew you could do it.

Who has a camera?

Take your camera
out, there you go.

There we go, here
we go, here we go.

Y'all getting in it, right?

We ready, all right,
right over here.

One, two, three.

Education, it is an ocean liner.

We have to slowly turn
that ocean liner around

and this is the starting point.

And if we can show
that the successes here

were tangible results,

then we could force the
city to duplicate it,

to turn it the Brooklyn
90, the Brooklyn 900,

and really the Brooklyn
educational system,

and New York City
educational system.

A phrase that I use
often for the young men

that I speak to,
is that I tell them

that they are truly
unique to the universe.

There are people
that have your name,

there are people who look
like you, they sound like you,

but they're not you.

They don't have
your fingerprint.

So find your destiny,
fulfill your destiny,

and you are to
manifest the potential

for which you were brought
here in the first place.

And I believe that,

and I try to make sure
that they understand that,

and they see the
uniqueness, the greatness

that they have inside of them

so that they can
take that and run,

and go on and be all that
they're supposed to be.