Private Project

Uprooted

In the 1960s, residents wanted a thriving Black neighborhood in Newport News, Virginia, to keep growing. White city leaders wanted that land for a new college. Only one side had the power of eminent domain. The Johnsons, one of the last families in the neighborhood, tell the nearly forgotten story of a college expansion like the ones that broke up Black communities across Virginia and the country.

  • Brandi Kellam
    Director
  • Lisa Riordan Seville
    Producer
    A Woman on the Outside (2022), Breonna Taylor's death: How a 26-year-old Black woman was killed by police (2020) and Before a Breath
  • Brandi Kellam
    Reporter
  • Louis Hansen
    Reporter
  • Christopher Tyree
    Director of Photography
    Building Peace on Desktops (2011) and Thao's Library (2015)
  • James Johnson
    Key Cast
  • Barbara Johnson
    Key Cast
  • Davarian L. Baldwin
    Key Cast
  • Anthony Santoro
    Key Cast
  • Leonard Colvin
    Key Cast
  • Philip Hamilton
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Narrative, Nonfiction, Historical
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 8, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Whistleblower Summit and Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    United States
    July 26, 2024
    Impact Award Finalist
  • Virginia Film Festival
    Charlottesville, Virginia
    United States
    November 3, 2024
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • WHRO
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
  • ProPublica
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
  • NETA
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: Free TV
Director Biography - Brandi Kellam

Brandi Kellam is a two-time Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist and documentary film director.

A Gracie Award recipient and Tobenkin Prize honoree, her groundbreaking reporting on public policy has sparked local and national debates about racial justice, including her 2023 ProPublica series “Uprooted.” The series, which explores the widespread displacement of Black communities by colleges and universities, spurred legislative action in Virginia that could potentially seek redress for displaced families.

Kellam was the 2021 recipient of a reporting grant from Columbia University’s Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. Previously, Kellam was a reporter and producer for MSNBC and CBS News, based in New York City and Washington, D.C.

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