01x06 - Make Way for Jakhil

[bunniefuu]

[narrator]
At Marvel, our stories and our superheroes

are inspired by real-life heroes.

So, the editors of some
of our best-known comics

have come together
to work on a special project:

to find and tell the stories
of kids doing the extraordinary,

helping communities near and far,

and changing the world.

These are the kids who will inspire
our stories for years to come.

All the things that homeless people
go through is so sad.

You are gonna grab one of each item.

We provide blessing bags
that can help the homeless.

-Did you get one?
-God bless.

[narrator] Jahkil is already a hero.

Now, we bring his story to the world
with the surprise of a lifetime:

making him to a Marvel superhero

immortalized in his very own comic

as a member of Marvel's Hero Project.

They're everyday kids...

who have accomplished the amazing.

Now, their true stories...

will reveal the heroes that live among us.

This is Marvel's Hero Project.

[woman] We are all familiar with Jahkil.

I cannot wait to share his story.

This really amazing kid
from the south side of Chicago

doing incredible work.

It's a rough neighborhood where he's from,
and homelessness is prevalent,

and he is doing what he can
to be able to better his community.

And he's created
something called "blessing bags"

which is all about giving the essentials

that people need to feel themselves again.

Deodorant, socks,
any type of toiletry that you need.

He very clearly has, you know,
been instilled with the idea

that he can do anything that
he puts his mind to and his effort to.

There's something Spider-Man about it.

[Sana Amanat] Yeah.

There's something very Peter Parker
about it.

Peter Parker started as this kid in Queens
and he gets his powers

and suddenly the city's wide open to him

-'cause he can swing anywhere now.
-[Jon Ennis] Right.

And that's sort of what Jahkil has done.

He started in his small neighborhood

-and now he's all over Chicago.
-[Sana Amanat] Mm-hmm.

And in the same way
that Peter Parker became a hero

and inspired other heroes,
like Miles Morales...

-[Sana Amanat] Yeah.
-...that's what Jahkil is doing.

He's inspiring other people too.

And Miles is continuing
the same sort of story

that Peter Parker was on, you know?

Absolutely and sort of, like,
the mantle of Spider-Man,

it's almost like there's something
about being that brave

and being that heroic
that brings someone out of their shell.

It's almost like there's no problem
that's too intimidating.

He's sees something
that's wrong in the world and says,

"Well, why don't we
just do something about it?"

-Like a little Quicksilver, right?
-[Stephen Wacker laughs]

-Just going from one place to the next...
-[Jon Ennis] Right. Right.

-...so quickly and saving lives.
-[Stephen Wacker] Super speed is good.

-Yeah.
-Super speed is totally him.

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense.

I'm so happy that Jahkil is becoming
part of the Marvel Universe.

I really feel like
this kid is just getting started.

[woman] Here, Jahkil.

How are you gonna decide
who you want to give the blanket to

since we only have one blanket?

She needs a blanket maybe.

Okay.

-Here you go.
-Thank you.

You're welcome.

Would you like one?

-Here you go.
-Thank you, little brother.

-[man] Thank you.
-You're welcome.

Just in case, I'm bringing all of these.

My mission is to build awareness
of homelessness.

To live on the street is really tough,
especially in the winter.

Did you get one?

-I've been saved by angels. Thank you.
-[man] All right! God bless y'all.

-[Jahkil] Did you get one?
-God bless.

[Jahkil] It makes me feel excited to know

that the homeless people actually
get excited for wanting to get the bags.

-Hello.
-[man 1] Hello.

Would you like one?

[man 1] Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

[man 2] Yeah, thank you, little fella.

You really got a great mind
being the age that you are.

-Thank you.
-Keep up the good work, man.

At 11 years old,
he helping homeless people out,

and I appreciate it.

One, two, three, four.

Come on. So, it's bah-bah, bah, bah.

Come on. One, two, three, four.

Jahkil used to be a kid that was so...

He was shy.

And that was a concern of mine.

He is very sensitive.

[woman] He literally would stay on my leg.
He would just stay behind us.

We put him in tap dance,

and the first three sessions
of the tap dance

I had to go on the tap floor with him.

And I said,
"Okay, this is gonna be an issue."

[woman]
In Chicago, we have a lot of homelessness.

My nephew, Jahkil, and his cousins,

I wanted them to see that there's
another side other than the good life.

I took Jahkil
to see the homeless firsthand.

And it can be scary. [chuckles]

We gave soup to the people.

Jahkil, he was questioning me,

"Why, Auntie, why,
why are they down here?"

And so I explained
that this is the way these people live.

It impacted him.
He talked about it all the way home.

Jahkil was really, really touched by it.

He wanted to help them.

[Jahkil] When I went with my aunt,

that's the first time
when I really witnessed how bad it was.

I didn't really want to see
homeless people sleeping on the ground

with sleeping bags.

All the things that they go through
is so sad.

It made me have a passion
for wanting to help them.

[Na-Tae'] When he came home,
he had just a different outlook.

[Jahkil] Give me another one.

[Na-Tae'] He literally was like,

"These people don't have homes.
We need to go buy them homes."

And my husband and I were like,

"Uh, we can't buy everybody a house."
And he's like, "Why?"

-[Jahkil] Oh, sorry.
-Thank you.

You're welcome.

[Na-Tae'] There was something
that was really burning in him.

Thank you. God bless you.

-[Jahkil] You're welcome.
-[man] Thank you.

He is a giver.
Having a heart for the impoverished,

having a heart for the people
that don't have as much.

Did you give him a blessing bag?

[Phyllis] As we driving around and stuff,
he would see people on the street.

He would literally cry.

You see little tears
coming out his eyes and stuff.

We was surprised that, at his age,
that he had that much depth in him.

[Na-Tae'] We're like,
"Look, we're gonna be living in our car

if we keep giving our money away.

So we gotta figure something else out."

A friend of mine was doing bags
specifically for Thanksgiving.

I showed Jahkil and he said
that he didn't wanna do food...

because of what happens after they
are done with that meal.

What can we give them
that's a little bit more long lasting?

He said, "I think they need to be able
to clean their hands,

to be able to blow their nose,
some socks on their feet."

And I said, "Well, maybe you could put
those things in your bag."

[Phyllis] In the beginning,
we made it, like, a family thing.

Well, our first few hundred bags
was gone like that.

We just packed bags and thought
that it was going to be a onetime thing.

After that, I kept wanting to do it
more and more times.

[Na-Tae'] He's kinda like,
"So, when we gonna do it again?"

And I'm like, "Do what again?"

And he's like,
"I want to do more blessing bags."

I don't know why I kept wanting to do it
over and over again,

but I just know that it was a good thing.

Grab that box over there.

[Jahkil] I think maybe it's just in me
to want to help the homeless.

[Na-Tae'] We said this desire that he has
is not going away.

This could be our way to help him

because he has a genuine desire
to wanna help.

Y'all hang up y'all coats.
Y'all know the routine, right?

-Hi.
-[Phyllis] Hey!

[woman] Ooh! Look at you.

[Jahkil] "Project I Am" is an organization
where you build awareness to homelessness,

and we provide blessing bags that can help
the homeless on a daily basis.

[Na-Tae'] One, two, seven, 20.

-What?
-[Na-Tae' chuckles]

[Phyllis]
Project I Am was done as a stepping-stone

for him to be able
to express his inner self.

-[Na-Tae'] Thirty-three, 62...
-[Jahkil] Can you stop?

Forty-five. [laughs] Okay, okay, okay.

-Do you need help?
-[Jahkil] Yes!

-[girl] Is this how...
-Okay, one, two...

[Phyllis] Once it got going,
it ended up turning into something more.

[boy chuckles] Wait, wait!

Forty-eight, 49...

-Fifty! Yes! Yeah!
-[children chuckle]

[Jahkil] Thank you all for coming.

This is how we are going to do the bags.
You are gonna grab one of each item.

The finished bags will go over here,
into this box.

So, everybody got it?

-[girl] We got it, yeah.
-[Na-Tae'] It's not a race!

[Na-Tae'] Bags counted.

[Jahkil] A bag stuffing is where I invite
some of my friends and my family

and we do like an assembly line and we get
one of each item that we put in the bags.

As time went on,
we started reaching out to his classmates,

his basketball team, his tap team,
his break-dance team.

[interviewer]

I like to help the homeless people
of Chicago, and I like to help Jahkil.

-This is my second time.
-Here, let me count. I got it.

[interviewer]

Um...

Selfless, brave and cool.

-You are no longer racing.
-Oh, I'm sorry. Okay.

[woman] This is one of the good things
that's happening in Chicago.

Chicago isn't just about gangbanging
and getting shot.

Chicago's about giving back and community.

[Jamiel] The blessing bag thing,

it created a domino effect
that hasn't stopped yet.

[Phyllis] We didn't always have
the money to buy the socks,

the towels and all this to be able
to make the bags.

Okay, G.G.

All right, Jahkil.

[Phyllis]
Different people in the family gave us

a lot of stuff to be able
to make the bags.

[Jahkil] G.G...

-she's willing to do anything for me.
-You want me to call you "baby"?

Come here little Tooka baby.

-Stop! Stop!
-[Phyllis] Gimme them ears.

[Jamiel] It's extremely hard for any kid
right now, in these times in Chicago.

My son is avoiding gangs,
avoiding the street life.

Trying not to go into the lifestyle
of the men in my family.

Most of the men in my family
were in the streets.

I wasn't raised by the type of father
I'm trying to be.

[Na-Tae'] He's never gonna have time
to be on the street

'cause he's always doing something.

And that was our goal as we were putting
him in his different activities.

Let's go, Jahkil. Chin up. Ready? Compete.

Attaboy. Attaboy. Good work.
Yeah, yeah. I hear ya.

-I hear ya. Good job.
-[Jamiel] He loves basketball.

[coach] Stay low. Stay low. Stay low.

And the more repetition you get,
the better.

[Jamiel] He likes it to the point
where he wants to workout.

He wants to exercise.

When I step on the basketball court,
I am a beast.

[Jamiel]
The Chicago today is a lot more tricky.

Some of the kids in his school,
they want to bring him down.

He's dealing with that.

A sensitive kid like Jahkil
who has a heart and cares about things,

he gets teased for it.

It's hard but because he has
such great character in him...

-Okay, this is the last one?
-[Jahkil] Mm-hmm.

[Jamiel] ...that helps him see past
all the negative.

[chattering]

[Jamiel] She remembers you.

-[woman] We meet again.
-[Jamiel chuckles]

My pleasure! Thank you. God bless you.

[Phyllis] When we go to the shelters,
they recognize him when he comes in there.

They are looking forward to seeing him.

-Here you go.
-Thank you, baby.

You're welcome.

[Jahkil] Giving out the bags,
it makes me feel good.

-Thank you.
-[Jahkil] Here you go.

And they give me inspirational speeches.

Compadre.

If I, in my life could've done

what he has done for people,

I would be so happy for myself.

We are blessed for it.

-[man 1] Thank you, all.
-[man 2] God bless you.

[Phyllis] People got to stop looking
at homeless, like,

"Okay, they out here
'cause they wanna be out here.

They out here 'cause the drugs.
They out here because of the..."

all this stuff
is not on one simple element.

Jahkil don't see them like that.
He see them, just like he see us.

They are people too, and they deserve
to be respected as people.

And that's what I go by, what he say.

Can I shake your hand? Thank you.

His dream, when he first started,
was 1,500 bags in one year.

The next year he jumped from 1,500 bags
to 5,000 bags in one year.

The next year we did six.

And now we have
over 10,000 bags this year.

In one year.

You put good out there,
good will come back.

If you pay it forward,
in some way or another,

good will come back.

[woman] The tweet was awesome.

[chuckles] Oh, my goodness.

[news anchor]
Jahkil's vision makes a difference.

[Steve Harvey] His blessing bags
have earned Jahkil national acclaim.

[talk show host]
You just had a very exciting day in LA.

Yesterday, I was giving blessing bags
out at Skid Row.

Sam's Club wanna give you
a check for $5,000.

[crowd applauds, cheers]

Wendell Carter signed
a little mini ball for you.

The Bulls saw the good work
that I was doing in the community...

and they want to invite me out
to see a Bulls game.

[Na-Tae'] So, right now,
Jahkil has actually had the opportunity

to be involved in
some really cool projects.

Hello, everyone.

[audience] Hi.

[Jahkil] We're getting calls and donations
from other countries.

Places like Switzerland.

That's pretty amazing.

[man] Allow me to introduce someone
who is an inspiration

to our entire community, Jahkil Jackson.

[Jahkil]
With public speaking I'm inspiring others

to maybe want to do
the same situation that I'm doing

and help me demolish
the whole homeless thing.

[cheering]

Can you imagine not having a place
to sleep at night?

What if that was your classmate,
cousin, mom or dad?

What if it was you?

We've donated blessing bags
to other countries

like orphans in Africa,
volcano victims in Guatemala.

[man] Well done.

[Na-Tae'] To now see him presenting
in front of thousands of people,

it's just, it's amazing.

He has identified a problem
and has now come up with a solution.

[Jamiel] All of my ancestors,
I feel like they're blessing him.

My father would definitely be proud.

Seeing somebody in our family
doing something different.

And being successful.

Jahkil's mother really said it best,

describing the way that Jahkil just
sees a problem and decides to solve it.

He did it in a way
that was really personal.

-Yeah.
-And we tried to do the same thing

in showing his story.

-Right.
-We wanted to make sure

that the homeless people in this story
had a name, had a voice.

He's trying to remind all of us that
there are people behind these stories.

That's what makes him such an
exciting character to show on a comic,

'cause that's essentially
what our superheroes do.

And J.L. Giles, the artist,

-has a really kinetic style.
-Right.

And we thought that
that would really lend itself well

to Jahkil being a really kinetic kid.

And they found
some exciting moments to focus on,

the fact that they made mom a character,
'cause she's so important in his life.

I like that we get the tweet
from President Obama.

Clearly able to inspire everyone,

from kids of his own age to
the former president of the United States.

Yeah. One of the most exciting things
in the comic is his super speed.

You know, it's a perfect power for Jahkil

so he can deliver these blessing bags
all around the city.

To the point where he's running out

-of the panel.
-Right.

Well, what I like about him is his style.

He's clearly trying to do everything
and he's doing it in style.

He's got a suit on. We've, you know,
outfitted him in his own superhero gear.

Mm-hmm. Look at those shoes,

-he's gonna love those shoes.
-I hope so.

He already gets so much done in one day,
I can't imagine Jahkil with super speed.

We're just Marvel-izing it.

Jahkil's community
is such a big part of his life,

such a big part of his story.

I think they're gonna be excited for him

-to see him in a Marvel comic.
-Yeah.

I can't wait for him to get
this Marvel comic,

-the first issue of Jahkil.
-Right.

Well, we were actually able
to catch him in his community.

He stopped long enough?

[chuckles] Only for a moment.

He's doing a talk about his blessing bags,

and we've got some surprises for him.

Well, I can't wait to welcome Jahkil
to the Marvel Hero Project.

Let me introduce you to the visionary
of Project I Am, Jahkil Jackson.

[cheering]

My organization, Project I Am,
builds awareness to homelessness,

providing blessing bags
that are full of toiletry items.

-Jahkil, wait.
-Hmm?

I think it's time for somebody
to give you a blessing.

A bag.

What happened?

Nothing happened.

Marvel.

-Hmm?
-[chuckling]

"Dear Jahkil--" Don't touch the box.

[chuckles]

"You are fierce and determined,
not only to get to the hoop,

but also to make a difference through
your compassion towards others.

With every blessing bag, you deliver hope,

and because of that you represent
everything that Marvel stands for.

There's a box in front of you.
Open it up now."

-Go ahead.
-[man] Wow. Yeah.

[Na-Tae'] "You have been selected
to be a part of a very special team

of kids like you.

The next generation of heroes

who inspire us with the ways
they are changing the world.

-Welcome to the Marvel Hero Project."
-All right.

[Jamiel] Wow.

All right.

"And to show you how much
we admire everything you're doing,

we are making a donation, in your honor,

to an organization that helps alleviate
homelessness in the amount of $10,000.

[cheering]

That's not all.

The folks in the mighty Marvel Bullpen

have created something special
just for you.

Inside the box,
you'll find an instant collector's item:

a comic book made for and starring you."

[gasping]

"We are so proud of you as a member
of the Marvel Hero Project.

Your friends at Marvel."

[chuckling]

Show it. Let me see.

[Na-Tae'] Put-- Show it. Put it up.

[laughing]

-Wait, I have my own comic book?
-[laughs]

-By Marvel.
-Open it.

You are a superhero.

-[Phyllis] Aw.
-[laughs]

-Those are some nice shoes.
-[Na-Tae'] Look at that.

-It's all about the shoes.
-Yeah.

-[Jahkil] Made by actual Marvel?
-Marvel. Yeah.

-By Avengers Marvel?
-Yes. [laughs]

-[Jahkil] Aw.
-Look at my superhero!

-[audience] Aw.
-Aw.

-You gonna make me cry.
-Grandma, don't cry!

I've never seen her cry before.

To know that she's crying
because of me is a big deal.

I'm happy as a lark. [chuckles]

I'm the proudest parent ever, ever.

This is awesome.

My father was a hood superhero himself,

I'm sure he would be extremely proud
because he sees himself in his grandson.

Oh! They got me speaking to classes.

[Jamiel] Yeah, that's nice.

He's like I'm a superhero.

-[boy] Do you have super speed?
-[Jahkil] Yeah.

[boy] That's cool.

That's like the best one of you running.

Yeah, I have super speed. Whoa.

[Jahkil]
I've always wanted to have super speed

because my schedule is off the chain,
I'm, like, Captain America.

I'm like all these superheroes
that have a comic book.

I have a comic book now.

This year
I wanna make 15,000 blessing bags.

I mean, last year I did 12,000

and my goal was to do 6,000,
so I can do 15,000.

It's possible.
Plus, now I have super speed.

So yeah, I can do it.