The Brothers of Benedictine: Documentary will honor Black graduates

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A Savannahian is on a mission to share the incredible legacy of the unique brotherhood he’s so proud to be part of.

Reginald Franklin once walked the halls of Benedictine Military School as a student.

“I came as a freshman in 75. While I was here, I was on drill team, four years in ROTC, quite accomplished in that,” Franklin said.

Despite being one of a few Black students, he says he wouldn’t trade his experience for anything.

“Not a lot in class of 100, there were eight of us in my class of 79,” he said.

Franklin graduated in 1979, but just recently had an idea.

“A number of years ago the school decided to honor its first Black graduates. It started me thinking about the other African-American alumni who have gone on and done great things with their careers and I wanted to document that, their experience like mine played into a lot of their success in life,” Franklin said.

Franklin, a video production professor at Savannah State, received the school’s blessing, and is well on his way to making The Brothers of Benedictine, a documentary series about the accomplishments of BC’s Black graduates.

“We have 50 years of African-American alumni to track down and get their stories. It’s a long term project but it’s certainly what I would define as a labor of love for me because I’m passionate about this particular story,” Franklin said.

And with this passion project, Franklin hopes to inspire and educate future cadets.

“That was keen on my mind, sharing the legacy with others who share that legacy. making sure the young African-American men who attend BC now are aware of this legacy that exists,” he said.

Franklin is hard at work on the documentary now and hopes to have it finished by the end of this year.

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