OWN’s next project pairs Oscar-winning Moonlight writer and Michael B. Jordan

Oprah Winfrey’s OWN continues to empower its viewers with compelling stories by pairing Moonlight writer Tarell Alvin McCraney with Michael B. Jordan as executive producer.

Between Moonlight‘s well-deserved win that was slightly overshadowed by the Oscars flub and the current state of affairs in America, it’s clear that some stories need to be told more than others. Like Beyoncé or Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey’s efforts toward black empowerment should never go unnoticed.

The next endeavor for OWN will be a show that brings together a lot of talent: Moonlight co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney will team up with Michael B. Jordan, who will executive produce with Revenge’s Mike Kelley and Melissa Loy.

First of all, those are all people who know how to put together a compelling drama. I mean, for the most part. But once you learn the premise, it becomes quite apparent that OWN really wants to go for the feels here:

"“[…] the untitled coming-of-age series centers on a 14-year-old prodigy from the projects. Haunted by the death of his closest friend and relied upon by his hardworking mother to find a way out of poverty, he must choose between the streets that raised him or the higher education that may offer him a way out. Set in South Florida at the end of the Obama administration, the lyrical drama is inspired by events in McCraney’s own life and explores the precarious balance needed for the making of a man.”"

At first, I thought Michael B. Jordan planned to star in the film and we’d be getting another Fruitvale Station, which of course, is absolutely fine. Like, don’t let the terrible Fantastic Four reboot fool you, Michael B. Jordan’s a great actor. But he’s also not 14.

Moreover, I love that creator McCraney wants to highlight his life growing up in Liberty City (which is not too far from where yours truly resides). He explained that he “wanted to explore the pivotal steps toward adulthood and identity, the ones we take when we think or feel we have no other choice.”

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The entire team putting this together knows they hold a powerful message in their hands, so I feel pretty excited to see it come together. With things like A Wrinkle in Time and Black Panther, diverse voices deserve to be showcased.