Just blocks away from the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Digital Sharp Shots, LLC and The Social NetworKING™ kicked off Black History Month with a bang. The digital duo premiered The Lives Untold™ Docuseries featuring award-winning journalist Monica Pearson. Over 150 attendees, including everyone from the eager college students to the established professionals, filled the M Bar to witness the unveiling of a living legend who holds over 30 Emmy awards.
With her husband, John Pearson by her side, Monica Pearson discussed everything from humble beginnings in Louisville, KY to sweet victories as not only the first African-American female anchor in Atlanta, but as the first minority anchor period. She even touched on the progression of the city:
“People said that this part of town would never come back and now look what’s across the street…. pretty soon people are going to be running in here trying to buy the M Bar.”
“Look at the 4th Ward…back in the day you couldn’t give a house away, now houses are selling for $500k and up.”
Although Pearson has been approached by several people who are interested in telling her story, she embraced “the vision of the project” that Georgia State film student and director, Drew Alexander created. He believes that, “So many people have amazing stories… Lives! Their lives have gone unspoken and these are the stories we should hear… These are the lives that matter to us, the people we can relate to… The Lives Untold™.”
Following the screening, The Social NetworKING™ moderated an empowering Q&A segment. Monica Pearson provided unfiltered responses to questions about broadcasting 101, her battle with breast and liver cancer, the Black Lives Matter movement, and a wealth of advice:
“You’re not reinventing the wheel, but you can put a new spin on it.”
“It is incumbent upon us to reach back, pull up, and push forward. It does no good if we are successful and we don’t share it with other people…. There’s a high school girl and an elementary girl that can use your help.”
“You can get around a person who doesn’t like you for the color of your skin, but because your work is so excellent, they cannot afford to let you go…”
“We’ve got to take back our families, our streets; Black lives do matter… But how can we say black lives matter when it refers to police, yet we’re killing each other everyday.”