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More than an athlete: Steph Curry is co-producing a film on the Charleston church shooting

The entire country drew to a standstill when a white supremacist mass shooter opened fire on a prayer meeting at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, June 17th back in 2015. Nine people were fatally shot, making it one of the deadliest hate crimes on American soil in the past decade.

Since then, the town has tried it’s best to do what was only left to do: move on. And since the terrible tragedy, there’s been even more mass shootings and heartbreak to spare. I hate to say it but, because we’re forced to go on with our lives and because these nightmarish crimes continue, it has normalized these types of events in America.

But now thanks to three-time NBA Finals Champion Stephen Curry and actress Viola Davis, a new film about the shooting in his hometown of Charleston will be produced to help contextualize and slow the processing down, according to Variety.

Nine lives being gunned down in their most sacred place of worship is more than a headline, and Curry is making sure he changes things to reflect that. The film is called Emanuel, after the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

According to Curry’s production company, Unanimous Media, the documentary “features intimate interviews with survivors and family members who were left to grapple with this senseless act of terror.” The documentary is being billed as a “poignant story of justice and faith, love and hate, and the healing power of forgiveness.” Curry said,

“Emanuel is an incredibly powerful film and we’re honored to come on board as executive producers. The documentary highlights how a horrible tragedy can bring a community together, and spreads an important message about the power of forgiveness. Stories like this are the reason we created Unanimous and entered the entertainment space. I hope the film inspires others like it does me.”

It’s been amazing to see the evolution of athletes of the past couples of years.

There was a time when athletes did as Lauren Ingraham suggested; shut-up and dribbled but now more than ever athletes, especially basketball players, are embracing being brands, icons, and drivers of important causes.

We’ve seen LeBron, many times, expand his platform from a basketball player to businessman, actor, film producer, and even music A&R. He has a Starz sitcom called Survivor’s Remorse, a 60-minute Vince Carter documentary entitled The Carter Effect, and a host of other projects that I’m sure no one knows about.

 

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This is a story of faith for everybody. @devonfranklin thanks for bringing this to life. 🍿 ready April 2019

A post shared by Wardell Curry (@stephencurry30) on

Being that Curry is from Charleston and a man of faith, I would imagine this project is huge for him and it’s dope to see him take action to spread light and information given his platform.

I hope more athletes use their spotlight for good in the future.