Lemonade: Inspired by Actual Events

"I grabbed a magazine during the wait and also to keep from having to look at people who walked by my general area. It felt like every eye in that wing of the building was on me. They knew I didn't work there so I had to be visiting for the other reason. Indeed, I was making more out of it because whenever I glanced up, people were minding their own business, not even realizing I was there. What I was feeling was my own sense of paranoia. I was reading some issue in Ebony about how Mo'Nique was on the come-up. I was so enrapt in the article that I hadn't realized that Judge was standing at the door, holding it open, trying to get my attention. 'Bernard!'"

A small, quaint house in North Carolina blends in with its environment as typical American homes do. Neighbors speak. Dogs bark. Children play. The Dillard name is highly respected within the local community, and all appears to be well on the home front. Within the four walls of this home, however, a war zone exists, and Bernard discovers that he unwillingly must prepare for battle and transform into a soldier at an early age. Although he has taught himself how to smile through it, no one has a clue what he and his siblings are quietly enduring every night in their tiny world. With no manual for this exhausting role, he is forced to learn quickly the art of survival throughout his childhood, his teens, and his young adult years, relying on help from extended family, teachers, and coaches.

As he navigates through adulthood, he seeks to maintain a steady social, professional, and spiritual beat while attempting to lay to rest the experiences that have frustrated him in his past. His odyssey, with all of its ebbs and flows, highs and lows, successes and failures, proves to be challenging yet rewarding. Even so, Bernard courageously opens his hands and unveils what he has done with the lemons of life that he found himself holding.

Simply put, Lemonade is a story about the youth of today and their struggle to become the successful men and women of tomorrow.