Purple Heart
Growing up around the military, loyalty, toughness, and brotherhood were instilled in me early on.
As I matured, I developed my own version of these ideas with the kids in my neighborhood. Over time, some of my friends lost their lives or their freedom to gun violence.
I began noticing the unsettling parallels between the soldiers I grew up around and the friends that I lost. Different circumstances, but the same type of trauma. It struck me that I seemed to be the only one seeing the connection.
Purple Heart, named after the U.S. military medal given to wounded veterans, is my exploration of that shared experience and to question how we define sacrifice, survival, and brotherhood through music and housing in New Orleans.
KEVA PETERS, JR. // Peters is a New Orleans-born, St. Rose, La.-raised poet, filmmaker and photographer whose work explores freedom, the nuances of human expression, and the rich tapestry of the Black Southern experience.
He currently serves as a Film Directing Fellow with The COOL Cooperative, a New Orleans-based film nonprofit, where he receives hands-on mentorship and training across all aspects of film production. He is also the University Photographer at Dillard University—the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Louisiana—and served as Senior Video Journalist & Mentor at Lede New Orleans, advising the 2025-26 fellowship cohort.
A first-generation scholar and graduate of both Dillard University and Florida State University’s film programs, Peters is pursuing a career in independent filmmaking rooted in Louisiana.