Journey marketing consultant Martinique Lewis returns to her hometown to movie a documentary in regards to the Moncrief-Myrtle Avenue hall.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Martinique Lewis, journey marketing consultant and host of Nationwide Geographic's “Black Journey Throughout America” on Disney+ and Hulu, returns to Jacksonville to movie a documentary about tourism within the Moncrief-Myrtle Avenue hall.
Lewis is working with unbiased filmmaker Dana Maule to indicate how tourism in city areas can save and assist protect Black historical past.
Go to Jacksonville, St. Johns Riverkeeper, Discover Jax Core and Black Movies Matter are a few of the contributors to the movie mission, known as “Moncrief Springs.” In seven months, greater than $10,825 has been raised.
Maule says this mission is his approach of doing constructive PR for Northside and letting individuals know there’s extra to like about Jacksonville.
“There’s magic in Moncrief and this documentary will encourage individuals to spend money and time right here in order that Black companies, occasions and historical past can get the love they deserve,” Maule mentioned.
Filming started this week at a number of hotspots on Jacksonville's north aspect, together with Holley's BBQ, Brentwood Golf Course and Durkeeville & Co. Producers additionally took Lewis on a kayaking tour down the Ribault River with Discover Jax Core. Many of those Jacksonville locations are listed on Lewis' journey app, “ABC Journey Greenbook,” an interactive listing of greater than 170,000 Black-owned locations on seven continents.
“When individuals consider Jacksonville, it ought to be extra than simply the Jaguars, it ought to be individuals like Wendy Holley of Holley's BBQ and Monty Duncan at Brentwood Golf Course,” Lewis mentioned.
Throughout Martinique's first go to to Jacksonville in 2023, he spoke publicly in regards to the Florida NAACP journey advisory. The discover was in response to state training, immigration and LGBTQ insurance policies. Go to Jacksonville mentioned they weren’t conscious of any corporations canceling journeys due to these advisories, in response to the assertion.
Between April and June 2023, Go to Jacksonville reported that an estimated 5,827,813 guests and $three.eight billion in tourism come to Jacksonville's economic system yearly, filmmakers mentioned. In the meantime, neighborhoods alongside the Moncrief-Myrtle Ave. hall are designated as meals desert communities by the USDA and town designated the Moncrief space as Well being Zone 1 on account of its excessive charges of coronary heart illness, diabetes and most cancers. .
Regardless of the crime and social disaster within the neighborhood, Maule says his movie is usually a method to begin conversations about allyship, amplification and accountability for Northside neighborhoods and the constructive actions being taken in the neighborhood. The movie shall be submitted to movie festivals within the 2024-2025 competitors season.
The documentary will arrive this 12 months.