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Award-winning filmmaker James Jones of Greenville has written and directed a new TV pilot about the life of Washington native Sarah Louise Keys. ‘The Hero Keys vs. Carolina Coach’ focuses on her infamous bus trip on August of 1952, in which Keys, who was stationed at Fort Dix New Jersey, was traveling home to Washington, to visit her parents, and was arrested in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina after refusing to give up her seat in the middle of the bus to a Marine. She was held overnight in the Roanoke Rapids jail. An ensuing lawsuit resulted in a decision by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which ruled the ICC Act forbids segregation on interstate buses. “This all happened three years before Rosa Parks,” said Jones. “When I was attending school, I was told about Rosa Parks, but nothing about Keys. This is a story that really hasn’t been told and a lot of folks don’t even know about. I felt it was important to bring awareness to the woman who stood her ground, did what she had to do, and stood up to everyone. She deserves props for being one of those that helped to end segregation.”

The eleven-minute pilot was shot in Greenville last December. The focus of the eleven-minute short is on that fateful bus trip. Jones needed a bus that would best replicate one from the 1950s. “I worked with Pitt County Commissioner, Mary Perkins and Pitt County school superintendent Dr. Steve Lassiter and was able to secure a school bus for the shoot,” said Jones. “We were able to give the interior the look and feel that we were looking for. In all, it took us two or three days to complete the shoot.”

And there were around 25 extras for the production, two of whom just happened to be Leesa Jones, the curator of the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum, and her husband, Milton. “It was a powerful experience and an honor to be asked to participate in the pilot and represent Sarah’s family, and one that brought back many memories for me,” said Jones. “To be in the movie pilot was more than just an acting role for me. Seeing the faces of the actors who looked at Sarah with disdain and the bus driver who spit on the floor in anger brought to life how powerful it would have been for her to remain determined to stay in that seat. It took a massive amount of courage. This is a story that needs to be told and celebrated. We all owe her a debt of gratitude as she helped to break the back of segregation.”

Leesa and Keys are cousins, which immediately caught the attention of Jones. “How ‘dope’ is that?” said Jones. “In the pilot, I had Leesa and her husband sitting behind a young Black girl on the bus. It was remarkable to me how similar Leesa and Keys looked. At the end of the first day of shooting, I thanked them for joining us and shared with the crew and the extras that Leesa and Sara were cousins. Many were amazed to have been working so closely with someone who was related to Keys.”

Jones gave a lot of the credit for pursuing this project to Leesa, as they met back in 2019 during the shooting of Freedom of NC in 2019, which he also wrote and directed. “Leesa sparked the idea of doing this,” said Jones. “When she told me about the story of Keys, I knew right then I had to do something; I just didn’t know when. All I could think about was how gravitating the story is and why is it that no one knows about it. It has been a hidden gem up until now, and I want to change that.”

Jones said they are currently marketing the pilot to several networks as a miniseries made for TV and film festivals as a short film, with the hope that someone will pick it up. He also has his fingers crossed that it might catch the eye of director, producer, and writer Tyler Perry. “I recently learned after watching his latest film, ‘The Six Triple Eight,’ a story of Black women who sorted mail for US Troops in Europe,” said Jones. “While watching the credits, I saw Keys’ name come up on the list of the 800 Black female soldiers who were sent on that mission. We have seen her fight the fight on the big screen, and years later she fought the fight right here at home. This is why I’m compelled to get this story out there to the masses and shed light on this giant of a person who, at the age of 22, didn’t fail and kept fighting. Perhaps Perry will share in that same vision as well.”