Eagle Academy students
experiences highlighted in
new documentary
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Black and Latino students
at Eagle Academy, the allboys
school network started
in the south Bronx, are the
focus of a new documentary
called The Infamous Future
which will premiere on HBO
Max on New Year’s Day.
The Infamous Future follows
students at an academy
in the Bronx with a particular
focus on one teen, Joshua
Perez, and his mother Rosa
and how the academy’s educators
work to break a longstanding
American prejudice
and ensure some of the city’s
most disadvantaged students
succeed.
“A lot of people believe
that if you’re from the South
Bronx, you’re not going to
make it, you’re not going to go
to college, you’re not going to
be what you want to be,” says
Perez in a trailer for the documentary.
Writer and producer,
John Campbell, also followed
alumni Christopher Davis,
President and CEO of The
Eagle Academy Foundation;
David C. Banks, principals
of several Eagle Academy
for Young Men schools and
Brooklyn Borough President
and mayoral candidate Eric
Adams for the fi lm.
The school was founded
in 2004 after a Columbia University
report found that 75%
of all inmates in New York
were men from seven New
York City neighborhoods:
The South Bronx, Harlem,
the Lower East Side, Bedford-
Stuyvesant, Brownsville,
East New York and South Jamaica.
“Our young men face
many hurdles when it comes
to educational success. Over
the course of 15 years, we at
the Eagle Academy Foundation
have created the infrastructure
and support system
which allows them to thrive
and reach their full potential,”
said founder David C.
Banks. “The debut of ‘The Infamous
Future’ on HBO Max
is a rare opportunity for people
to see the promise and excellence
young men of color
have when given the opportunity
to succeed.”
Since then, The Eagle
Academy Foundation’s network
of schools now includes
six public schools across New
York City’s fi ve boroughs and
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BRONX TIMES R 8 EPORTER, JAN. 1-7, 2021
Newark, New Jersey. The
academies boast a graduation
rate of 87%, almost 30 percentage
points above the national
average for young men of
color, with 98% of their graduates
prepared for college or
other career opportunities.
“I wanted to tell a success
story on education, particularly
focusing on Black and
brown boys,” said Campbell.
“Eagle Academy is that story.
The students’ and educators’
success not only impacts their
lives but the lives of the entire
community, inspiring all generations.”
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