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Saatchi & Saatchi give “The Talk”

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In order to raise awareness of “The Talk” that every African-American parent in America should be having with their children given the recent events involving the tragic deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, The Brotherhood/Sister Sol has teamed up with Saatchi & Saatchi in a provocative new campaign. Simply dubbed, “Talk About The Talk,” the New York-based youth development organisation's campaign aims to not only teach young people about how they should behave when they encounter police, but to aid in the organisations efforts to reform the NYPD's “Stop & Frisk” police policies.

The campaign is built around a powerful film created by Saatchi & Saatchi

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The campaign is built around a powerful film created by Saatchi & Saatchi. It portrays several of the intimate discussions black parents should be having with their children about how to avoid potentially dangerous police encounters, and ends (rather controversially) with a white parent telling his son that the police are there to help him. It's a powerful message that illustrates the disparity between how some police officers in the US still treat white and black citizens. The clip, which is named for the “Talk” that is unfortunately still necessarily common in black households across the US, ends with the provocative tagline, “Do we want one America, or two?” Alongside the video, the campaign also features its own website and a variety of social media elements, all of which are grouped together with the #TalkAboutTheTalk hashtag.

Talk About The Talk

Khary Lazarre-White, executive director and co-founder of the organisation, said the 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.” He feels it is a “Light shined on an issue all of America needs to confront,” that can “Help parents have the talk” with their kids. Peter Moore Smith, executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, who also wrote and directed the spot, adds that “After learning about this painful discussion taking place in African American homes,” he 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 both his hope and personal belief that “Positive, constructive conversation about 'the talk' can bring about positive change.”

The spot is a powerful commentary on the historic and present day disturbing reality” Khary Lazarre-White

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According to the Bro/Sis organisation's website, they believe it's “Time to acknowledge that the conversations about the police that happen in black homes are often very different than they are in white ones,” and that “This reality stems from the all too frequent unjust treatment black people suffer during interactions with the police and how the police perceive black people.”

How To Be A Hero – An Interview With Khary Lazarre-White

Their aim is to help catalyse a “Positive national discussion about race and equal treatment under the law, about respect and fairness.” The organisation was founded in 1995 and provides support for black youths aged between 8 and 21 in the form of wrap-around, evidence-based programming such as: Four to six year rites of passage, thorough five-day-a-week after-school care, school and home counselling, summer camps, job training, college preparation, employment opportunities, community organising training, and month long international study programs to Africa and Latin America. They are based locally, but operate nationally, and have earned awards from the Ford Foundation, Brown University, New York Women's Foundation, the Fund for the City of New York, Union Square Awards, and the New York State Department of Education.

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