Download - The Freedom Writers Diary
The Freedom Writers Diary
Erin Gruwell• Graduated from the University
of California Irvine• Began at Woodrow Wilson
H.S. in Long Beach, California as a student teacher
• Earned full-time teaching position in a classroom of “low achieving students”
• The LBC – Long Beach, California
• Homicide rate 8 times the national average
• South L.A. “Ghettos” make crime prevention difficult
• Drugs, gangs and poverty rule the area
• LBC made infamous by Snoop Dog and others in the 90s
• Takes place following LA Race Riots
A Product of the Environment
It all started with this…
Gruwell intercepted a racist drawing and questioned her class about the Holocaust – no one had heard of it!
• Hatred, Racism, and Gang Violence rule the atmosphere at Wilson
• Gruwell encourages students to write journals about their experiences being evicted, abused, or watching their friends die
• Reached her students by relating famous stories like Romeo and Juliet and Anne Frank to their lives
Just a teacher?
• Writing journals became therapeutic for many of the students
• All 150 Freedom Writers graduated from high school and many went on to attend college
Making a Difference
•The students’ journals went on to become The Freedom Writers Diary
• The Freedom Riders fought against segregation during the Civil Rights Movement.
• What they had in common:– Both subjected to racially motivated Violence– Both possess a desire for change– Both have help from others– Both ensured their stories would live on!
They were inspired
• We will be reading excerpts from The Freedom Writers Diary and watching clips from the movie
• Using their writings as a basis, we will be writing our own book composed of narratives based on our life experiences
What this means to you
• On April 23rd we will be video chatting with one of the actual Freedom Writers
And then a special treat
I had the honor of meeting her!