Peter Moore Smith, executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi NY, wrote and directed this piece which depicts several intimate discussions between African-American parents and their children about how to avoid potentially dangerous encounters with the police. This is a common dialogue dubbed “the talk” in black households. In sharp contrast, the spot–part of a Saatchi campaign for The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, a NY-based youth development organization–next shows a white father telling his teenage son that the police are there to help. Then the question is ultimately asked, “Do we want one America–or two?”
Khary Lazarre-White–executive director and co-founder of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, a group that has been centrally involved in efforts to reform the NYPD’s “Stop & Frisk” policies–said, “This spot is a powerful commentary on the historic and present day disturbing reality that it is necessary for the parents of black children to talk to our children about how to survive police encounters. It is a video that can help parents have the talk. It is a light shined on an issue all of America needs to confront.”
Saatchi’s Smith related, “After learning about this painful discussion taking place in African American homes, I felt it was important that, first of all, everyone knows that it’s happening, and secondly, that we start to examine the reasons why. It’s our hope–and it’s my personal belief–that positive, constructive conversation about ‘the talk’ can bring about positive change.”
The campaign also features a website and other social media elements, including the hashtag #TalkAboutTheTalk, which seek to raise awareness and spark a discussion about “The Talk.”
