To kick off Black History Month, NAACP Image Award Nominated animated short film “Bridges” is available on the Our Heroes Rock YouTube channel.

“Bridges'' is the brainchild of WWE Superstar Big E, award-winning artist and narrative designer Jonathan Davenport and acclaimed journalist Andreas Hale. Written and directed by Davenport, the animated short which premiered at the Urbanworld Film Festival in November, gives viewers a unique look at the story of Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child to integrate into an elementary school in the South on Nov. 14, 1960. 

The short follows a lonely 12-year-old girl named Maya whose bouts of social anxiety keep her from connecting with other kids. When Maya is introduced to the story of Bridges during a field trip at a futuristic Black History Museum, it may prove to be the inspiration Maya needs to face her fears once and for all.

“We’ve always envisioned ‘Bridges’ as applesauce with vitamins and minerals mixed in,” Big E said. “We hope people are both deeply touched and thoroughly engaged while watching Ruby Bridges’ story unfold through hip-hop and animation.”

“Bridges” is told through the voices of a colorful cast, including the audacious AI-powered robot E-Tour, voiced by Big E, and Grammy-nominated recording artist Rapsody, who narrates Bridges' phenomenal story through rhythm and rhyme. Rapsody and Erick the Architect, producer for Brooklyn Hip Hop trio Flatbush Zombies, collaborated on the short’s original music track “My Name is Ruby Bridges.”

To learn more about “Our Heroes Rock” and OHR Media, visit ourheroesrock.org. Follow the conversation on social @Ourheroesrock and #Ourheroesrock.