“It’s about my community and the people and places that make us who we are,” Queen Latifah said of her upcoming project.
The rapper and entrepreneur’s years-long housing mission in Newark is officially headed to television.
BET has scheduled a Friday, November 27 premiere for the documentary You Can Go Home Again. The film will air at 10 p.m. Eastern on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
The documentary traces the artist’s return to the New Jersey city that raised her. It follows the heavy lifting behind RISE Living, a mixed-use development named in honor of her late mother, Rita. Rita Owens, who passed away in 2018, spent time as a Newark schoolteacher, a legacy the film ties directly to her daughter’s neighborhood investments.
The documentary captures an effort that stretches back years beyond the screen. Latifah joined Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for an April 2022 groundbreaking ceremony after construction on the site had already begun that January.
Her BlueSugar Corporation partnered with Life Assets Development and Gonsosa to bring the vision to life. The development was planned with 76 residential units, including 16 explicitly designated as affordable housing alongside market-rate apartments.
The project was deliberately built to anchor residents in the community rather than price them out. The blueprints also set aside 1,900 square feet of ground-floor space for nonprofit organizations.
Additional features built into the property include a business center, fitness facilities, and electric-vehicle charging stations. Residents also gained access to in-unit laundry and common-area Wi-Fi.
Before hitting home screens nationwide, the documentary received an early screening on November 4 in Chicago. Latifah appeared at the Obama Presidential Center alongside her childhood friend and project partner, Tammy Hammond.
Muta’Ali directed the feature, with Flavor Unit Entertainment and P&G Studios handling co-production duties. Flavor Unit is run by Latifah alongside Shakim Compere, who served as an executive producer on the film alongside Loretha Jones.
The project arrives as Latifah deepens her institutional ties with the network. In June, she and LL Cool J joined BET’s advisory board.
