Four student producers of a 20-minute documentary about the redevelopment of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg joined WaveMakers to discuss the project on Tuesday, April 23.
The documentary, “Addressing Broken Promises,” explores the past and future of the historically Black Gas Plant neighborhood that was razed in the 1980s to make way for a Major League Baseball stadium. The site is now set for redevelopment by the Tampa Bay Rays. Plans call for a new stadium, retail locations, entertainment venues, and a Black history museum.
The students, part of the Pinellas County Schools Journeys in Journalism program, interviewed St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld, community activist Gwendolyn Reese, and others.
“We’re handling every single side,” said Zephyniis Wharton, a 10th-grader who helped write the script. Their goal, she said, was to report on what’s happening so viewers can formulate their own opinions about it.
“The documentary is made up entirely of the people’s words,” said Myles Sayles, a ninth-grader who edited the documentary.
Jules East, an 11th-grader who conducted many of the interviews, said she spoke to one gentleman who felt it might not be the right time to make such a big investment when the city has so many other needs.
Director Keegan Cunningham, an 11th-grader, said he assumed there would be much greater opposition to the redevelopment, but spoke to a long-time resident who was highly supportive.
“That means a lot coming from him because he lived through the original displacement of the Gas Plant community,” Cunningham said.
The students received guidance for the production from Kenya Woodward, coordinator of The Journeys in Journalism program, and Lakewood High journalism teacher Chris Mosher.
The Poynter Institute, a nonprofit established to train journalists, established the Journeys in Journalism program more than 20 years ago. The “Gas Plant Reporting Project” was supported by Poynter and a grant from Florida Humanities, the state’s National Endowment for the Humanities affiiliate. As part of the project, students at John Hopkins Middle school students collected oral histories for a podcast and Melrose Elementary students shared their vision for redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site.
Hear the entire conversation by clicking the link below, going to the WaveMakers archives or by searching for WMNF WaveMakers wherever you listen to podcasts.
