In the special, kids unite to make changes in their neighborhoods, in their schools, and in themselves -- through political action, poetry and art.
"When I was young, there was a song called 'We Shall Not Be Moved.' It was about strength and courage and was often sung during the civil rights movement. One verse said, 'Black and white together, we shall not be moved.' What this really meant was that black and white together, we cannot be stopped," said Ellerbee. "We know racism still exists, but these kids show us how we can really embrace each other's diversity and celebrate those differences."
For instance, kids of different races who were friends in elementary school often begin to pull apart in middle school. In Ohio, a group of high-school kids, recognizing the problem, formed the Student Group On Race Relations (SGORR). Members of SGORR go into elementary schools and give kids of different races concrete ways to stay friends through middle and high school.
In Illinois, some kids noticed a big difference between the quality of schools in primarily black neighborhoods and schools in primarily white neighborhoods. "Schools are funded by property taxes, so it basically means the zip code you live in determines what kind of school you're going to have," says Matt, who is white and lives in suburban Chicago. "We want to challenge them (the politicians) to tell us to our face that our schools don't deserve the same funding as suburban schools," says Brandon, a student from the inner city school. Now kids from both races are doing just that -- challenging authority -- together.
1 comment:
wow, that's beautiful!!
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