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Proud to be a hoodie: Jamil displays his ‘urban uniform’
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The hoodie who will not be stereotyped
Laura Thistlethwaite24/ 4/2008
JAMIL Thomas is not your average hoodie.
The 18-year-old student, who has written to the Prime Minister and MP Sir Gerald Kaufman since he was eight, is leading the fight against stigmatising young men as gang members.
Now, the former Burnage High pupil is starring in a film which addresses the stigma young people endure because of gang crime.
Jamil, of Wilbraham Road, said: "Since the age of eight I have been writing letters to the Prime Minister and my MP asking for change in our community.
"I am fed up of being stereotyped for where I live, what I wear, and for being a young male – I want to draw attention to that.
"Me and my friends have been stopped by police for no reason. Obviously there are gangs in Fallowfield, but it isn’t fair to target everyone who is young and in a group.
"I’m not your average hoodie, I wear hooded tops and tracksuits because I feel comfortable in them. I live in an urban environment and it’s what people my age wear. I would never want anyone to feel intimidated by me wearing a hoodie."
After making his acting debut at The Lowry, playing Othello in a BBC youth project, Jamil was cast as Leon – a young man who finds himself caught in the crossfire – in the REELmcr community film which premiers on Friday at the Town Hall.
He said: "Through this film we are able to show how we are stigmatised, it’s called Wake Up for a good reason, we want people to wake up to the constant battle young people have to deal with stigma, because of our age and where we live."
City College student Jamil, who lives with his mum Yvonne and brother Sekou, says he is sick of missing opportunities due to prejudice.
He said: "I’ve applied for so many jobs in the past, as have my friends, and if your post code is Moss Side or Fallowfield, they don’t want to know.
"I know ‘hoodies’ who are at college and work in offices nine to five, but no-one considers that, in the eyes of the police we are all trouble makers.
"At the minute I’m applying for a grant to set up a recording studio in Fallowfield. I’m passionate about creating facilities for young people in this area and helping to improve it."
The 20 minute short film, scripted by Chorlton’s Richard Davis and funded by Manchester City Council, is accompanied by a documentary, Fallowfield Then and Now, in which four generations of residents speak about their community.
REELmcr Director Jaqui Carroll, of Waverton Road, Fallowfield, said: "We all got together and discussed what the film should be about. Inevitably gun crime came up, it is obviously a very pertinent issue to them.
"It broke my heart to hear young people say that their biggest worry about going out is not coming home alive
"We’ve all seen a lot of negative things happen in Manchester over the last few years. While we were making the film two young people from Fallowfield were shot in Withington.
"What did come across is that the young people are fed up to the back teeth with it all. They’re fed up with the fact that the only time their area ever gets any media attention is when it’s negative. So to see these young people have this incredible talent for film making is great. But more than that, they’ve got aspirations. Lads like Jamil want to go out and make a difference in their own communities."
The premiere of Wake Up! and Fallowfield: Then and Now, takes place on Friday, April 25, at 7pm. The event is free, call REELmcr on 0161 226 4487 for tickets.
Most recent 2 of 4 user comments
7/05/2008 at 22:21
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I don't doubt your talent, but maybe you should rise above it all, be an individual, and reject the kind of clothes which create a negative image. Otherwise you're just cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Uniforms do NOT encourage creative individualism.
8/05/2008 at 18:09