Reframing the Narrative: Morehouse Class of 2025 Explores Black Fatherhood Through Immersive VR and Multimedia Storytelling
ATLANTA — What does it mean to be a Black father in America today? It is a question that requires more than a simple answer; it requires an experience. The Morehouse College Class of 2025 has answered that call with a groundbreaking mixed-media project produced by the Journalism, Sports, Culture, and Social Justice program.
As part of the HJOU 487 Capstone Production course, a cohort of senior storytellers developed a compelling series of video segments exploring the nuanced realities of Black fatherhood. Under the guidance of Professor Emani Rashad Saucier, MFA, the students utilized a blend of rigorous journalistic research and cutting-edge technology—including VR 360-degree video—to create a fully immersive viewer experience.
A Data-Driven, Immersive Deep Dive
The project was far more than a standard video assignment. It challenged students to develop individual story "beats" supported by qualitative and quantitative interviews. To ensure the narrative was grounded in fact, each student was required to produce visual infographics—timelines, graphs, and maps—to substantiate the data presented in their segments.
The resulting production is a tapestry of modern Black life, featuring talking head narration and immersive visuals. The student producers—Aaron Watts, Colin Royal, Harrison Curtis Buck, Jace La Saint, Rece Allen, and SeMaj Musco—tackled difficult and heartwarming topics alike, including:
The effects of systemic racism on the presence of Black fathers.
The vital impact of "stand-in" fathers and community mentorship.
The unique dynamics of "Girl Dads."
The evolving perspectives of fatherhood from the viewpoint of young Black fathers.
The Nostalgia Factor
In a creative twist that bridges generations, the cohort unified their individual branches under a "Nostalgia TV" theme. The students pieced together their segments using classic scenes from vintage television shows featuring iconic Black fathers.
This thematic choice not only provided a cohesive visual thread but also juxtaposed the idealized television father figures of the past with the complex, data-backed realities of the present explored by the students.
Institutional Alignment
This capstone project aligns seamlessly with the broader intellectual mission of the College. The theme mirrors the work being done by The Black Men's Research Institute (BMRI) at Morehouse, led by Executive Director Dr. Derrick Brooms. By adopting the BMRI’s focus on the distinct experiences of Black men, the HJOU 487 cohort successfully translated academic inquiry into accessible, multimedia storytelling.
By combining the history of Black representation on screen with the future of media technology in VR, the Class of 2025 has created a lasting document of what fatherhood looks like from the perspective of the Morehouse Man.
