Black Lives, Black Health, Black Wealth, #We Matter is the theme for Black History Month at WKU. As the Intercultural Student Engagement Center continues to hold events, author and creative producer Jason Boyd spoke as the keynote speaker for February.

He starred in two events on Feb. 21, beginning with the Black Male Networking Luncheon and ending with a keynote address. His documentary work “We Matter” follows the theme of “Black Lives, Black Health, Black Wealth, #We Matter”.

Boyd says that during the luncheon, he was very excited to speak to younger Black men.

 “I got the chance to talk to young brothers,” Boyd said. “I got to speak to some of them afterward and I feel like they are headed in the right direction.”

According to Boyd, he grew up in the Manhattanville Projects until he was “old enough to appreciate the differences in right and wrong”. He eventually found his way to Bowling Green where he ran into trouble and ended up being incarcerated for seven years.

As he relives his time in Bowling Green, Boyd recalls all the events that made him who he is today. 

“We grow, we learn, we make mistakes and we learn from those mistakes,” Boyd said. “I turned them around and it made me into a man. I’ve had some rough times, but I got love for the place,” Boyd said.

While in jail, he took the initiative to change his life by taking college courses, visiting multiple activists and reading books. Overall he felt like he had to hold himself accountable for his actions and make a change.

He initially pursued his college education at WKU, but when he ran into trouble with the law, school had to take a backseat until he could rebuild himself back to that point.

He then went on to get two degrees with an associate degree in business administration at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, followed by his bachelor’s degree in communication at the University of Louisville.

His new documentary work, “We Matter”, encompasses all of what he is passionate about. He wanted to put in all his emotions and express his feelings on the matter at the time.

“The whole thing is catered around us,” Boyd said. “It’s just Black history. It has clips from the Breonna Taylor protests, features from local rappers and it discusses the topics of racism against Black people.”

With everything that he has done, Boyd just wants Black people to know that they matter, despite all of what happens to them in society.

“What I learned from everything that I’ve been through, you just gotta know that people care about you and that you matter,” Boyd said.

News reporter Gabrielle Bunton can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @gbunto_.