Frequently Asked Questions
Straight Talk on The Exodus from Derek & Jamar

Why Choose Delta first?
How did you research your material?
Will you do a series on all Black sororities?
What was the most difficult part of the process for you?
Was the fact that you are men a challenge in telling this story?

Why Choose Delta first?

Black Sorority Project is a two-part documentary series highlighting the beginnings of the Black Sorority Movement in America. Genesis (Alpha Kappa Alpha) and The Exodus (Delta Sigma Theta) tell the first two stories because you can't honestly tell one story without telling the other. Delta is first because of the significance of their participation in The Women's Suffrage March. This is a little known American History fact that can attract a wider audience to the overall project from the start. Remember, one of our main goals is to invite non-Greek, diverse audiences into a greater appreciation for the contributions of Black Greek life.  

Also in 2000 we collaborated on a similar project for Alpha Phi Alpha, our beloved fraternity. We are actually line brothers. The painting and video were very popular among brothers, even though the video was available in an extremely short run. The prints were sold in a limited edition of 2006 copies. It sold out in less than a year and is no longer available. We have made "An Experiment in Brotherhood" available again for your viewing here. As you can see, there were no official fraternity symbols used here either. It was not necessary. If you know your history, you know your founders when you see them. Besides, its nice to finally have something you can hang in your 'grown up' house (after the dorm years) or at work. This project is where it all started for us.

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How did you research your material?

We worked from a variety of stories and were extremely limited taking creative license with historical facts in order to preserve the integrity of the story, as we know it today. We consulted a variety of sources from the collections of Moreland Spingarn Research Center, New York Public Library Collection, Schomburg Center for Research and Culture, Widener Library at Harvard College and the Library of Congress.   In addition, we referenced Paula Gidding's In Search of Sisterhood, Mary E. Vroman's Shaped to its Purpose, Floris Barnett Cash's African American Women and Social Action: The Clubwomen and Volunteerism from Jim Crow to the New Deal and doctoral dissertations. We also worked with several authors, historians and Delta consultants. Research was one of the more enjoyable aspects of our process.

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Will you do a series on all Black sororities?

Probably not, it was always our plan to tell the beginning of the black sorority movement. It just so happens that one cannot in fairness tell the story of Delta Sigma Theta and not tell the story of Alpha Kappa Alpha because the stories are too closely intertwined. Some have argued that it is essentially one story told over a period of years from two differing perspectives. We also find this difference to represent a larger philosophical distinction between African-American women and how racial progress is best achieved.

Our interests as creative professionals go beyond Black Greek subject matter. There are many great stories to tell, historical and otherwise. We are committed to create high-quality productions of significant entertainment value for a variety of audiences.

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What was the most difficult part of the process for you?

The graphic effects were extremely tedious. For each minute of animation you see in the film, it required approximately 3-6 hours of design and rendering. Jamar was the lead effects designer and handled a tremendous workload for this film. As a result, he shaved a few years off of his life expectancy.

The entire project was a creative decathalon. We wrote, designed, filmed, cast, painted, researched and more. It was a wonderful challenge. We are happy to know that so many people have been pleased with the end result. We are also quite happy to be done.

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Was the fact that you are men a challenge in telling this story?

No, it was actually an insightful lesson. We both have great respect for African-American women. We are both husbands and sons to wonderful women and fathers to girls. African American women are no wilting flowers in our communities. As a matter of fact, they are often leaders in our homes, churches and families.

In addition, the Delta story was well preserved including a wonderful collection of colorful quotes directly from Delta Founders. We knew that building these characters was an achievable task for all of these reasons. In the end all of our characters and narrators were women. They ultimately brought the story to life.

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Derek & Jamar Productions would like to apologize to President Louise A. Rice; the Executive Board of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; and the members of Delta for any harm it may have caused in an effort to be transparent with the public about the controversy that surrounded this Project. The FAQs contained statements that were based on information that was available to us at the time. Upon review of additional facts, and after further consideration, we recognize that there were statements posted in our FAQs that were misrepresentations, which proved to be harmful to Delta and its leadership.