Notable appearances in the film:
Padma Scott played both the professor and Wanda the employment agency greeter.
Trevor Bailey appeared four times in the film. Once being chased, then being to a woman and her child giving directions, also as an orderly wheeling Jamal into hospital and a shadow in the Pepe and father scene.
Khari Nelson Moran,one the casting agents, appeared in the classroom scene.
Maria Gonzales the store owner in the why got no job scene was an actually store owner of Izzzy's convenience.
The Producer Bill Singleton, Jr. plays the off camera dad of Pepe.
Film set trivia:
The classroom school scenes were shot at Northeastern University at Shillman Hall, and various other campus locations, using some of the same sets as the film "Rave", an earlier film that was produced by Bill Singleton, Sandra Diaz, Ed Sumpter and Trevor Bailey.
Trivia about the shooting:
The filmmakers lost their first director of photography due to their intense shooting schedule and the script.
The filmmakers started shooting the movie without the lead actors and with the faith that they would get the 60 people needed for the film. They did.
Notable tidbits:
The film was almost recast due to a member that had a conflict of appearance in many of the major scenes in the film. The film was based on actual events that took place in Boston Massachusetts.
Dr. Alvin Poussainte, consultant for The Cosby Show and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University had this to say. This is a powerful film. It is gripping, moving, and explores in-depth the scourge of youth violence, particularly in urban areas, and the forces that drive it.
Patrick Smith the sound engineer for the The Tonight show for many years encourage the making of this film and is currently helping to supervise all sound issues and he's a damn good friend.
Kona Khasu was responsible for introducing Trevor Bailey to Bill Singleton and has written several screenplays and he's also a musician.