Flint is a sports town, and athletes from the area frequently play at MSU, University of Michigan and other major universities. After college, a high proportion of Flint athletes go to the professional leagues.
Why Flint? People might ask themselves what it is about the city that fosters athletic talent. Emmanuel White, a 1999 MSU graduate, grew up in Flint and now lives in the East Lansing area. White is creating a documentary examining the city of Flint and the athletes who come out of it. The documentary is in three parts, focusing on basketball, football and boxing athletes from Flint. He has finished the first part — "With This Rock" — which focuses on basketball.
The movie was filmed primarily in Flint but includes footage from all over the country because White went wherever the former players were located. He spent four years gathering footage.
White spoke with The State News to talk about his documentary, the process and what he hopes to accomplish with his work.
The State News: Can you give a summary of the documentary?
Emmanuel White: This is a pro-athlete piece. You never hear it from the athlete's side, just what the institutions are saying. The documentary series speaks volumes to the city of Flint — its history, culture, people's willingness and ability to strive against almost insurmountable odds and lift themselves up and come back to the community and help others. I'm also trying to show people that a lot of these guys who had professional careers still succumb to drugs because of the pressure of having to achieve and escape the poverty and violence of the city.
SN: What was your inspiration for "With This Rock?"
EW: I saw all these athletes in Flint were gaining a lot of success. I realized I had to do something — that there was a story to tell about these people. I contemplated the idea for two years before I even got started.
SN: Why is "With This Rock" controversial?
EW: MSU won't be happy because the film advocates that MSU should retire Terry Furlow's jersey, and they won't retire it due to race politics. What happened was Furlow walked out before a really big game with nine other black players in 1975: It was MSU vs. Indiana. The game didn't even start because the coach was starting a white guy the black players didn't agree with. Furlow still has a scoring record in the Big Ten, but the MSU community won't retire his jersey due to the controversy around his life.
SN: What goals are you hoping to achieve through the production?
EW: I'm cocky; I can do it all. I wrote, produced, directed, edited and financed this whole project, and now, I'm negotiating the distribution. I want to shed some light on the circumstances of the city, the athletes that are trying to come back and make positive differences, but are having problems with the institutional barriers, jealously or, as they say, "player hate."
"With This Rock" is on sale at Schuler Books & Music in the Meridian Mall, 1982 W. Grand River Ave. in Okemos. Justus Hamilton Thigpen, the first person from Flint to play in the NBA, will be at a DVD signing at Schuler at 7:30 p.m. March 10. For more information or to order the video online, visit White's Web site at www.60bpictures.com.
