It's a story of accomplishment and the ability to overcome challenges.
"All The Difference" chronicles the lives of two African-American males from the south side of Chicago, Robert Henderson and Krishaun Branch. They grew up amid violence and poverty. Yet, their bleak surroundings didn't stop their ambition to be the first in their families to attend and graduate from college.
Robert talked about violence in his own family. His father killed his mother when he was just an infant.
"It's a different situation than most people. It really shaped me to be grateful for what I have in life," he said. 'I want the audience to see that there will be struggles. There will be times you get knocked down, but you gotta get back up again."
Today, he sees himself as a role model. The film follows the journeys of Robert and Krishaun over a 5 year period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf_-dHjKJh0
"I hope that people get from it that we make college completion unnecessarily complicated and expensive," Executive Producer Wes Moore said. "How we're thinking about the FAFSA. How we're making sure kids are getting all the financial help their situation merits. How we're thinking about developmental course work. These are things we can structurally do something about to make sure more students who start college can finish."
"All The Difference" is a co-production of American Documentary | POV; Part of American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. it airs tonight at 9 p.m. Central on PBS.
