We were approached by Coca-Cola to create an experience for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights that helped tell the story of black men in baseball for the Atlanta Braves. We knew from the very beginning that this was a difficult ask. It is one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever been a part of. We got to interview several people connected to Hank Aaron, Bill Lucas, and Marquis Grissom. Through these interviews we were able to understand their experiences and craft a story to share those experiences with low tech and high impact. The idea of the exhibit was to put the viewer in the shoes of these men and make them feel the same emotions they felt at different times in their life. Each of the three men had a display in a large room that the viewer could walk up to. It began with Marquis and ended with Hank. The viewer would approach each display in darkness. Radar sensed their presence and began to play dramatic audio describing their story. During impactful pieces of the story, parts of the board would light up in sync with the audio. When the performance ended, the viewer was prompted to walk to the other side, see how the man pushed through hardships and did great things. When the viewer finished with Hank, there was one last wall that highlighted challenges today. It asked the viewer to take a personal pledge to acknowledge the struggle and to continue actively trying to make things better. Each of these men had triumphs and weights heavier than most human beings could imagine, and we got to share these experiences with the public and with the people who loved them. Watching their loved ones and strangers react to these personal moments showed me the incredible power of emotional connection and story that speaks to the deepest levels of the human experience.
