Kansas City PBS is excited to announce Leaving Lincoln, a follow-up film to the 2021 local documentary Heart of the City, which followed athletes at Lincoln Preparatory Academy as they faced obstacles on and off the field to seize a football state championship. From Jacob Handy and Nico Giles Media, Leaving Lincoln premieres Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. on Channel 19.1 and Kansas City PBS’ website. The hour-long documentary will be available to stream the following day on the PBS Video App and online.
For most athletes in the city, the appeal of athletic programs in suburban high schools is bigger budgets, wider reach and a higher chance for success. Lincoln Head Football Coach William Lowe and Division 1 college recruits Howard Brown, Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan, Marcus Bass and Tobechi Okoli want to change that. From COVID to crime, and commitments to confrontation, these four D-1 recruits work during their final football season at Lincoln to leave a legacy on and off the football field.
“Heart of the City was one of our most impactful, important documentaries in recent years,” said Kliff Kuehl, president & CEO of Kansas City PBS. “Telling the stories of these incredible student athletes as they transition to adulthood and leave their mark on our community and the world is something we’re incredibly proud of. I’m excited for our audiences to experience Leaving Lincoln.”
In 2020, the team and coaching staff faced the obstacles of a surging pandemic, increasingly encroaching violent crime and the challenge of building on the previous year's best record in school history. For one last season, they’re aiming high: winning a state championship and leaving behind a legacy that inspires other athletes of color to stay close to home.
“In the fall of 2020, I was told that this team had four Division 1 football players and to come check them out,” said Handy on Heart of the City. “To have four D1 guys on any team is great but to have them all at an urban area school was amazing and I had to know more. Heart of the City just left you on a crazy cliff. So Leaving Lincoln is part two: to let you know how the season went and all the adversity an urban area school faces on top of just wanting to play football.”