See Isaac Run – The Documentary
In 2011, Jamal T. Jackson began his Master of Social Work Program and immediately began reflecting on his own life experiences. Initially, what he discovered and rediscovered was a rich history to be proud of as well as suppressed emotions and experiences from his childhood through young adulthood. Jamal lost his father at the age of sixteen which caused grief, a few unhealthy coping skills in dealing with conflict and a significant void in his life. Jamal followed in his father’s footsteps as a student athlete in college and his transition after being a student athlete was challenging. Eventually, Jamal decided to attend graduate school and obtain a Masters in Social Work. As a graduate student in his social work program reflecting on your life is part of the journey. This led Jamal to want to learn more about his father’s experiences as an African American child growing up and integrating Macon Georgia public schools in the late 1960’s. Although Jamal had known some facts about his father’s experience he was curious about the infamous 1968 See Isaac Run Highlight, which aired across the nation on CBS news in 1969, earning him numerous athletic scholarships and why his father did not speak about his experiences. So, Jamal decided to chronicle his father’s experiences as well as his meetings with his father’s teammates, classmates, friends and family to get a better understanding of his father.