College of Charleston to screen documentary about South Carolina Rep. Jermaine Johnson

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)—A documentary exploring Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson’s life and rise to political power premieres this weekend in South Carolina.

The College of Charleston will hold a screening of the documentary, “I Got Myself a Yard,” on Saturday. The screening will begin at 1 p.m. in Room 101 of the Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center.

The documentary follows Johnson’s journey from growing up homeless in California to becoming a College of Charleston basketball star to ultimately representing Richland County in the South Carolina House.

“Growing up in poverty, Jermaine Johnson’s extraordinary basketball talent was his escape, and he tried to become that self-made man we idolize, with an ego to match,” the documentary’s website reads. “But amid career disappointments and personal tragedy, he learned that it wasn’t the talent that saved him – it was the people who loved him. This humbling realization led him down the unlikely road to politics, where he now fights to create a future where no one is left behind. ”

Following the screening, Johnson and the film’s co-director Adam Bailey will take questions from the audience. Michael Lee, the director of the college’s Civility Initiative, will moderate the conversation.

Tickets are available for $25 and must be purchased in advance. Proceeds will go toward Alumni Association programs and services.

The film premieres Friday at the Spotlight 8 Theater in Columbia. An additional screening will be held at the Nickelodeon Theater in Columbia on Sunday.

You can watch the documentary trailer here.