We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maurice Whitfield a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Maurice , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Hi! Thank you for having me! I love this question.
On May 24, 2022, there was a school shooting in Uvalde,TX. 21 people were murdered at an elementary school. Two days later, my mom, who is a substitute teacher in N.C., called me, in tears, after learning the details of how horrific this particular incident in Uvalde was. One week after the shooting, my son came home and told me that his school, here in L.A., was implementing a “shooter drill.” During this drill, the kids were instructed to quietly get up and walk to the wall closest to the door in the classroom. This is so that if a shooter were to walk by the classroom and peer inside, the classroom would appear to be empty. Once they were all lined up against the wall, they were instructed to crouch down into the fetal position and put their heads down, making them “as small of a target as possible.” I was terrified.
That day I asked myself, “if it were all up to you, Maurice, what would you do? Forget money, forget any resistance. Ignore any reasons why you think you ‘can’t’ or ‘couldn’t.’ If you can’t protect your son everywhere he goes, what can you do to help him protect himself in this situation?” I began to google bulletproof backpacks. There were none at that time. There were only bulletproof panels that you could place inside the backpack, so I bought two of those but that didn’t seem like enough. So I began to draw sketches, these sketches became 3D images. I hired an engineer to help me draft and build a prototype. And finally, I patented the “Whitfield Shield” design for a bulletproof backpack that would protect my son from his head to the floor in that exact scenario.
The Whitfield Shield is more than just a backpack. It’s a lightweight, protective shield that can be wielded on a child’s arm while they move to safety. When worn as a backpack, it provides bulletproof protection for the back of the torso as well as the back of the head and neck. It also provides bulletproof protection to the child’s heart, upper chest and middle front torso using widened straps with a connector. While maintaining complete functionality of transporting books, lunch, laptops, gym shorts, etc., these backpacks provide maximum protection from any violence, especially gun violence.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am an Actor and Producer who has made appearances in shows like “General Hospital” (ABC), “Big Time Rush” (Nick), and “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC). I have starred in films like “Pay The Lady” (Amazon Prime, Tubi), “Deadly Dating Game” (Lifetime), and “Call Me King” (Amazon Prime.)
I have been a performer since I was singing and modeling at age 4. Professionally, I’ve been Acting and Producing in Los Angeles for 15 years now. This year has been rough with the Writer’s and Actor’s dual strike. I’ve used this time to explore new ideas and build new skills. As a parent, I’m passionate about the gun violence epidemic in America, especially regarding children. So I became a Product Designer/Developer and patented a design for a bulletproof backpack for kids and young adults.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I am currently pivoting in my career and it is very difficult. I spent the last 15 years building my acting career by booking roles on my favorite tv shows, and in my favorite film genres, producing films, pilots, and commercials, joining SAG/AFTRA, and securing professional representation across the board.
I have spent the last 15 months pivoting, using my creativity in a way that will save lives, giving me a sense of purpose when the industry made me feel otherwise. I am grateful to have the support of my family, friends, and like-minded innovators I’ve met along the way.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
“Necessity is the mother of Invention.” -Plato It is beyond unfortunate that we are resorting to this extremity as a society, but James Baldwin once said “Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Congress has its hands full slowing down the selling of guns in a 9 Billion dollar industry, let alone stopping gun violence itself. So where does that leave our children in the meantime? This backpack is not the answer to gun violence. But it is a working solution to saving children’s lives during a gun violence epidemic. Save Our Children and Protect Our Future with the Whitfield Shield Bulletproof Backpack.
“Ultimately, you can’t control or predict what will happen when a gunman chooses a school, but you can be prepared and that gives you an advantage during a crisis.” -Maurice L. Whitfield
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/only_1_maurice/