Four Dallas County judges were recently part of a new Apple TV documentary featuring the work of Hollywood director Ava DuVernay.
In an episode of the documentary series Dear…, Judges Stephanie Huff, Lisa Green, Shequitta Kelly, and Amber Givens discuss their “Pipeline to Possibilities” nonprofit and how DuVernay’s documentary, 13th, inspired them to engage with local communities.
Dear… is an Apple TV exclusive showcasing inspiring figures and those who have been inspired by them.
Episode six of season two, “Dear Ava,” focuses on director Ava DuVernay. She talks about her captivating film work that has inspired many, particularly her documentary, 13th, which takes a close look at the Thirteenth Amendment and its intersection with the legal system.
The four judges were obviously very familiar with the Thirteenth Amendment, but the way DuVernay explained its effects in her film inspired them to want to do more.
Since 2016, their nonprofit, Pipeline to Possibilities, has worked to educate youth on the criminal justice system and encourage a new generation of local community leadership, actively helping children and teenagers across Dallas, especially in lower-income and higher-crime areas.
“[We] go to the high schools to educate them on the criminal justice system, and we all have our own programs in our courtrooms, but we wanted to do something where we would go and make an impact on our young people by going to them,” Green said about the nonprofit.
The four Dallas County judges shared their stories with DuVernay and discussed her filmmaking’s impact on them.
Judge Stephanie Huff was initially speechless when she was asked what it was like to work alongside the award-winning director.
“Excited is an understatement,” Huff told CBS 11.
“I know, I don’t think there are any words,” said Judge Lisa Green.
DuVernay said of the four judges, “Their work has educated other judges across the country to implement similar programs, their impact on student’s lives is staggering, their swagger is contagious, and I salute them. Loudly and boldly today.”
Receiving approval from DuVernay has been very rewarding, according to the judges.
For her part, DuVernay explained how working behind the camera is more than just filming a movie for her but changing a narrative.
“In my films, I’m trying to show an alternative view of what you thought you knew. I’m trying to undo a master narrative, a top layer of the story that we believe, and in many instances, it’s wrong,” stated DuVernay in the recent episode of Dear…