Educational Media Reviews Online

The Pact is an inspirational documentary about the lives of three young men from Newark, New Jersey who overcame the temptations of street life to become productive members of the medical profession. Narrated by twelve year old Malique Bazemore, who is seeking his own path to success by excelling in school and avoiding gangs, the personal and professional lives of Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins are explored. Sociological statistics (ca. 2008) pertaining to young black males are used sparingly; the focus is on the voices of the doctors themselves, and the viewer is drawn into their worlds. Committed to community outreach, the three doctors are in high demand as speakers at schools, jails, and public forums. The camera follows the men at their respective day jobs and their efforts to maintain a busy speaking schedule, while dealing with issues in their personal lives. Because of some early brushes with the law, the doctors know the pitfalls of modern street life, and their warnings are authentic, and not of the hypothetical variety that leave children and young adults unimpressed. Their credo that success comes through hard work and tenacity remains constant. A brief appearance by comedian Bill Cosby- himself active in speaking on the importance of personal responsibility and education in the black community- does not detract attention from the doctors’ stories. The viewing of the documentary can be supplemented by accessing The Pact website www.thepactthemovie.com, where discussion questions are shared, as well as information on festivals, screenings of the documentary, and other Pactproject activity.