Raising Bertie

An authentic and tender portrait of the lives of three young boys in North Carolina’s rural, African-American led Bertie County – Reginald “Junior” Askew, David “Bud” Perry, and Davonte “Dada” Harrell – as they face a precarious coming of age. Junior, Bud, and Dada, three engaging young men with difficult pasts, attend high school at The Hive, an alternative school for at-risk boys. When budget shortfalls lead the Board of Education to close The Hive, Junior, Bud, and Dada must return to Bertie High School and a system that once failed them. RAISING BERTIE offers an in-depth look at issues facing rural America’s youth and what happens in the everyday lives of young people caught in the complex interplay of generational poverty, economic isolation, and educational inequity.