[Script Info] Title: [Events] Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.48,0:00:09.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I was a little girl,\NI would sit at the dinner table Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.14,0:00:13.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and revel in my father telling stories\Nabout the civil rights [movement]. Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.07,0:00:16.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I have an active imagination,\Nso I just envisioned my father Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.18,0:00:18.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at all of those strategic places: Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.32,0:00:20.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,walking across that bridge in Selma, Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.72,0:00:22.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sitting at those lunch counters, Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.13,0:00:25.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,standing on the steps\Nof the Lincoln Memorial. Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.08,0:00:29.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I even envisioned my father burning bras\Nduring the women's movement. Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.32,0:00:31.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't know whose bras he was burning, Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.20,0:00:34.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it was very exciting to see\Nmy father out fighting the good fight. Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.40,0:00:38.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as I got a little older, and my father\Ngot a little more successful, Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.24,0:00:42.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then suddenly the only handicap \Nhe seemed to revel Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.11,0:00:43.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was his golf score. Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.96,0:00:46.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The next thing I knew\Nwe were living in a gated community, Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.77,0:00:49.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my father was driving\Na convertible Mercedes, Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.50,0:00:52.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I decided that if I wanted\Nto fight the good fight Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.16,0:00:56.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and go off to college, that maybe I\Nwould do so standing in front of a judge. Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.60,0:01:01.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I went off to college, and as I was\Npursuing law, there was this moment, Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.01,0:01:04.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this moment in time when I turned\Nto my television, like so many folks, Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.90,0:01:08.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I saw this young man\Nstanding in front of a tank Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.30,0:01:09.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Tiananmen Square. Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.07,0:01:11.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'll never forget that moment. Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.69,0:01:15.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He stood there, so resolute\Nand so passionate. Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.55,0:01:17.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it was so much bigger than him, Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.22,0:01:21.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether it was about democracy\Nor freedom or education. Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.32,0:01:26.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As I fixated on that moment, I realized\NI wanted to stand up for something. Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.25,0:01:29.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I thought about\Nmy cleats or my pompons, Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.26,0:01:31.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or that tiara, even those Greek letters, Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.64,0:01:34.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I realized I'd never\Nstood up for anything. Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.50,0:01:37.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So at that moment, I decided\Nthat I wanted to be a teacher. Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.58,0:01:41.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I remember calling my father,\Nand he didn't take the news so well. Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.28,0:01:44.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He quickly reminded me\Nthat teachers don't make any money, Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.02,0:01:45.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is true. Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.35,0:01:48.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He also told me that I would never\Nafford a home in Newport Beach, Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.45,0:01:50.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is still true to this day. Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.59,0:01:54.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But no matter how cynical my father\Nwas about my "new-chosen profession," Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.83,0:01:58.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought, "It's bigger\Nthan a dollar or a paycheck." Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.50,0:02:00.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's like that "Aha!" moment. Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.00,0:02:03.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, shortly after I made\Nthat decision to stand up, Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.87,0:02:07.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I turned on my television again\Nand watched the Los Angeles riots unfold, Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.55,0:02:12.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I remember seeing the faces\Nof young kids who were so angry, Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.47,0:02:14.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and justifiably - Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.18,0:02:16.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kids who had their back against the wall, Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.56,0:02:18.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kids who didn't have a voice, Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.43,0:02:22.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kids who'd reach for their fists\Nor a spray can or, worse yet, Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.87,0:02:25.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reach for a Molotov cocktail\Nand destroy something. Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.97,0:02:28.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I had another epiphany. Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.20,0:02:30.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At that moment I realized\NI not only wanted to teach, Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.78,0:02:33.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I wanted to teach those kids. Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.43,0:02:36.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once again, I picked up the phone,\NI called my father on the golf course, Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.92,0:02:39.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he made all kinds of cynical jokes,\Nthe most important was, Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.87,0:02:42.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"No matter what you do,\Nplease don't eat the apples," Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.62,0:02:46.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because he convinced himself they're laced\Nwith strychnine or razor blades. Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.34,0:02:50.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I'm going to tell you\Nabout my first day on the job. Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.33,0:02:54.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wore the exact same dress that Julia\NRoberts wore in the film "Pretty Woman." Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.06,0:02:56.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had polka dots; I had pearls. Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.18,0:02:58.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as I was about to leave my house Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.13,0:03:01.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and make that 45-minute drive\Ndown Pacific Coast Highway Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.11,0:03:04.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in my convertible white Rabbit, Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.10,0:03:07.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I started thinking about\Nall of those great stories I'd read Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.02,0:03:08.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the literary canon - Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.84,0:03:12.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stories by Homer, stories by Shakespeare. Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.28,0:03:13.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as I made that drive, Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.65,0:03:16.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wondered what kind of stories\NI was going to read with my students. Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.14,0:03:19.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But they had a story of their own. Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.33,0:03:20.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because I quickly found out, Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.69,0:03:23.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in their city, shortly after\Nthe Los Angeles riots, Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.63,0:03:26.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there were 126 murders - Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.90,0:03:28.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,126. Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.04,0:03:30.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I walked into my classroom - Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.53,0:03:33.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there were no textbooks,\Nthere was no technology, Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.79,0:03:36.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I looked at students\Nwho were miserable. Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.70,0:03:40.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Students at the age of 14\Nwho were told they were going to fail Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.06,0:03:44.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and drop out of school by the end\Nof their 9th-grade year. Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.26,0:03:47.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Students who desperately\Nbelieved that they'd be behind bars Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.08,0:03:49.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the time they were 16. Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.32,0:03:51.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And worse yet, students who believed Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.78,0:03:55.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they would be six feet under\Nby the time they turned 18. Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.62,0:03:58.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My students had never read\Na book from cover to cover, Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.43,0:04:00.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nor did they intend to. Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.48,0:04:01.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They hated reading, Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.89,0:04:03.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they hated writing, Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.24,0:04:06.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the only thing that seemed to bring\Nthem together in perfect harmony Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.79,0:04:08.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was they really hated me - Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.32,0:04:13.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this perky, annoying person\Nwith my polka dots and my pearls. Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.12,0:04:16.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if you don't believe me,\NI'd like to show you a brief clip Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.42,0:04:18.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to show you what that first day was like Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.41,0:04:20.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what my students\Nthought of their teacher, Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.57,0:04:22.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this cheerleader from hell. Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.42,0:04:23.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.42,0:04:26.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Video) (Background music) Student #1:\NLooking around at them, Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.45,0:04:28.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was like looking at nothing Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.96,0:04:30.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I didn't care. Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.44,0:04:33.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Student #2: A lot of students\Nwere just bad, you know? Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.37,0:04:37.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I didn't expect Erin \Nto try to teach us anything. Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.83,0:04:41.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I knew that she was nothing more\Nthan a babysitter. Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.94,0:04:46.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Erin Gruwell: It was very evident\Nthat they didn't want to be there. Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.12,0:04:49.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I could walk into my classroom\Nand I could tell who was pissed off, Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.54,0:04:52.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who's jaded, who's hungry, who's bored, Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.04,0:04:55.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who can't wait to get out of here,\Nwho hates my guts. Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.24,0:05:00.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's easy to be perceptive\Nand to be in the moment, Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.16,0:05:02.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but to be in the moment\Nyou have to be vulnerable. Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.50,0:05:05.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had to walk in there\Nand not have a guard up. Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.56,0:05:09.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Student #1: I think\Nthat anybody in that situation, Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.18,0:05:11.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you've got be scared out of your mind, Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.40,0:05:13.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you have to be scared out of your mind. Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.60,0:05:14.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Have to be. Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.74,0:05:16.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Have to be. Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.24,0:05:19.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because not only\Nare you dealing with people Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.33,0:05:22.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that don't care that you're a teacher, Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.50,0:05:24.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they don't care about you. Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.69,0:05:25.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's personal. Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.69,0:05:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Background music ends) Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.80,0:05:28.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(On stage) EG: It's personal. Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.68,0:05:30.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, looking at these students, Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.55,0:05:33.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I realized, "How can I get them \Nto put down their fist, Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.61,0:05:38.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to put down that spray can,\Nor worse yet, put down that gun?" Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.65,0:05:42.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because in my classroom I had students\Nwho just came from juvenile hall, Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.68,0:05:44.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had ankle monitors around their legs, Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.94,0:05:46.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a probation officer. Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.73,0:05:51.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Students who just came from rehab\Nfor crystal meth or crack cocaine. Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.80,0:05:56.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Students who bounced around\Nfrom foster home to group home to shelter. Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.06,0:05:59.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Students who would never\Nturn in their homework Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.44,0:06:01.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or have their parents bake me brownies, Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.31,0:06:03.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if they did,\NI probably shouldn't eat them. Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.36,0:06:10.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And most of my students could care less\Nabout these dead white guys in tights. Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.52,0:06:14.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dead white guys in tights\Nlike togas or Shakespeare. Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.69,0:06:18.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so what I tried to do was to figure\Nout, "How can I teach my students Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.49,0:06:22.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they have a story,\Nbecause we all have a story?" Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.79,0:06:25.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I decided that we were\Ngoing to play a game Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.27,0:06:27.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was anything but a game. Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.44,0:06:31.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was going to simply put this piece\Nof tape down the center of my floor Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.02,0:06:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and ask my students questions. Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.54,0:06:35.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And hopefully that line\Ncould be a gravitational pull. Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.70,0:06:38.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as my students\Nwould stand on that line, Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.30,0:06:42.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would know where they stood,\NI would know their story. Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.46,0:06:44.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As the questions began, Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.43,0:06:50.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I believe that 150 kids who walked\Ninto my classroom at the age of 14, Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.62,0:06:52.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of them were poor. Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.86,0:06:55.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, all of them knew\Nin the pit of their stomach Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.35,0:06:58.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what it felt like to not know\Nwhere that next meal was coming from, Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.49,0:07:03.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be so proud that they didn't want\Nto turn in that meal ticket at school. Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.67,0:07:05.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of them knew\Nwhat it felt like to go home, Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.89,0:07:07.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the lights had been turned off again. Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.84,0:07:10.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's no food in that fridge again. Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.32,0:07:14.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And those hardworking single moms\Nwith those cockroaches and those roaches Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.18,0:07:17.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were never going to get ahead. Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.87,0:07:21.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of my students knew\Nwhat it felt like to be homeless, Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.54,0:07:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be picked on. Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.30,0:07:26.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of them knew what it felt like\Nto want to end it all, Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.06,0:07:29.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to stand on the ledge,\Nto put a razor blade to your wrist, Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.02,0:07:32.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to look at those pills. Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.39,0:07:36.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of my students had been\Nbullied or were the "bullier." Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.16,0:07:41.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of my students had visited somebody\Nin juvenile hall or jail or prison, Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.33,0:07:43.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or themselves had been there. Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.86,0:07:46.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the most disturbing question\Nthat I asked my students Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.88,0:07:49.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was if they'd ever lost somebody. Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.58,0:07:52.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as student after student\Nstood on the line, Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.79,0:07:55.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I realized, "That is our story." Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.63,0:07:58.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because to be 14 and to go\Nthrough your entire life Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.03,0:08:01.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,feeling like you have\Na bull's-eye on your chest, Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.12,0:08:04.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be 14 and to look over your shoulder Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.18,0:08:07.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and wonder and wish,\N"Am I going to make it home today" Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.77,0:08:10.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to see that hardworking\Nsingle mom again? Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.20,0:08:15.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To be 14 and to be numb\Nand anesthetized to your future? Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.58,0:08:18.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I wanted to teach\Nmy students to have a voice. Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.17,0:08:22.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And maybe they couldn't change\Nthe cast of characters they were dealt, Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.03,0:08:25.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but maybe if "the pen\Nwas mightier than the sword," Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.76,0:08:29.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe, just maybe,\Nthey could rewrite their own ending. Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.45,0:08:31.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I decided that we were going\Nto have a toast, Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.08,0:08:33.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"a toast for change." Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.86,0:08:35.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And maybe it didn't matter Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.10,0:08:38.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that most of my students had been kicked\Nout of every school they ever attended. Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.86,0:08:41.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe it didn't matter\Nthat my students had a 0.5 GPA. Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.12,0:08:45.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Starting right then, starting right now, Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.10,0:08:49.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we were going pick up a plastic champagne\Nglass filled with sparkling apple cider, Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.12,0:08:51.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we were going to wipe\Nthat slate clean. Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.76,0:08:54.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first young woman who picked up\Nthat plastic champagne glass Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.78,0:08:56.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,got very serious. Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.44,0:08:59.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And her change wasn't\Nabout a number 2 pencil. Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.46,0:09:02.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her change wasn't about a test Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.70,0:09:06.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or student scores or data or statistics. Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.68,0:09:11.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She picked up that plastic champagne glass\Nat the age of 14, and she simply said, Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.78,0:09:16.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I don't want to be pregnant\Nby the time I turn 15, like my mama, Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.55,0:09:20.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I don't want to spend the rest\Nof my life behind bars, like my daddy, Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.29,0:09:26.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I don't want to be six feet under\Nby the time I turn 18, like my cousin. Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.17,0:09:28.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to change." Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.38,0:09:31.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in that moment of vulnerability, Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.88,0:09:33.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and in that moment of being exposed Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.65,0:09:35.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in front of a room\Nfull of her so-called enemies, Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.97,0:09:40.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it gave every other kid the opportunity\Nto pick up a plastic champagne glass Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.00,0:09:44.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and dare to dream and to dream big. Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.37,0:09:47.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Young boys were tired\Nof being told to act like a man Dialogue: 0,0:09:47.23,0:09:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when there was no man in their house\Nto show them or to guide them. Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.13,0:09:53.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Young boys were tired of sitting\Non the edge of their bed Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.100,0:09:57.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"on this Christmas" or "this birthday,"\Nwaiting for their deadbeat dad Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.45,0:10:00.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to show up and bring them a present\Nor tell them they love them. Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.65,0:10:02.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they never showed up. Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.84,0:10:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Beautiful young girls were tired\Nof being touched in places they knew Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.08,0:10:08.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they weren't supposed to be touched. Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.09,0:10:11.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And people touching them\Nhad names like "Uncle Joe." Dialogue: 0,0:10:11.80,0:10:15.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as each and every student\Npicked up that plastic champagne glass Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.77,0:10:17.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and talked about change, Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.74,0:10:19.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I handed them a journal. Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.53,0:10:23.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the idea was, "Go back,\Ngo back to wherever you feel safe, Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.11,0:10:26.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and write, and own it. Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.87,0:10:29.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And maybe these words\Nwill make you immortal. Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.90,0:10:32.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And together we're going to read\Nstories about other kids Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.63,0:10:34.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who've written their words down. Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.40,0:10:36.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Kids who come from undeclared wars - Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.14,0:10:38.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or declared. Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.71,0:10:40.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Little girls in tiny little attics Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.81,0:10:43.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who will look out her window\Nand watch her friends Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.14,0:10:45.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,being led off like sheep to slaughter. Dialogue: 0,0:10:45.41,0:10:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she owned it. Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.00,0:10:50.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every day, that little girl\NAnne Frank wrote her story. Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.72,0:10:52.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or young boys like Elie Wiesel, Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.31,0:10:55.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who was crammed into a cattle car,\Nrode into Auschwitz-Birkenau, Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.88,0:10:59.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,watched his entire family\Nperish in a chimney. Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.49,0:11:01.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But he wrote about it. Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.64,0:11:04.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or courageous little girls\Nin places like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.54,0:11:07.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who watched her friends\Nbeing picked off by snipers, Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.42,0:11:10.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and yet every day she too wrote about it." Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.91,0:11:13.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So my students\Nstarted writing their story. Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.86,0:11:16.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in doing so, we started\Nsending these letters off Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.50,0:11:19.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like these messages in a bottle. Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.63,0:11:21.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe someone will listen to us. Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.74,0:11:24.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe our cries won't fall on deaf ears. Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.87,0:11:27.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe these icons will come and see us, Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.19,0:11:30.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,150 gangsters. Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.73,0:11:32.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they came. Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.55,0:11:35.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The woman who helped Anne Frank\Nin that tiny, little attic, Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.100,0:11:37.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this simple secretary, Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.08,0:11:40.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,got 150 letters, Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.55,0:11:44.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she hopped on a plane, even though\Nthere were typos and grammar mistakes, Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.83,0:11:47.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to give homage to my students\Nand their story. Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.64,0:11:51.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Schindler's survivors who walked\Nacross those railroad tracks Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.84,0:11:53.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leading into Auschwitz-Birkenau - Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.87,0:11:56.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they too got letters from my students. Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.32,0:11:57.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They too came. Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.28,0:12:02.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bosnian refugees came to our classroom.\Nand looked at my students - Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.73,0:12:05.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who could care less about\Nthe color of their skin, Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.16,0:12:07.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the side of the street they came from, Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.11,0:12:10.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or, more importantly,\Nwhat their parents did or didn't do. Dialogue: 0,0:12:10.34,0:12:11.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They came. Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.01,0:12:14.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then one day\Nmy students got really cocky, Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.64,0:12:19.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they said, "You know, Miss G, we keep\Nsending these letters out into the world, Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.30,0:12:22.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and all of these icons come into room 203, Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.77,0:12:25.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they share their world with us. Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.27,0:12:28.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's time that we take\Nour world out there." Dialogue: 0,0:12:29.00,0:12:31.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My students wanted to go on a field trip. Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.16,0:12:33.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They wanted to go to Washington, D.C. Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.14,0:12:36.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They wanted to follow in the footsteps \Nof these civil rights activists, Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.53,0:12:40.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Freedom Riders, who got on buses\Nand stopped at every depot Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.34,0:12:43.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and drank out of those drinking fountains,\Nsat at those counters, Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.40,0:12:46.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sat on that bus,\Nno matter where they wanted to sit. Dialogue: 0,0:12:46.46,0:12:48.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For those of you who have\Nnever dealt with teenagers, Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.99,0:12:51.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the idea of taking 150 students\Nto Washington, D.C., Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.07,0:12:55.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all I could think about\Nwas "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll." Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.93,0:12:59.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in the pit of my stomach,\NI knew that I had 150 students Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.52,0:13:01.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who lived below the poverty line. Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.65,0:13:03.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So they didn't have\Nthe luxury of going home Dialogue: 0,0:13:03.70,0:13:05.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and talking to that\Nhardworking single mom Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.66,0:13:08.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and asking her to pull out her Visa, Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.17,0:13:10.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or convincing her to write that check, Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.00,0:13:13.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or even to go to the ATM\Nand get that crisp $20 bill, Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.92,0:13:15.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because if they had that $20 bill, Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.86,0:13:17.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that should go for lights, Dialogue: 0,0:13:17.59,0:13:19.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that should go for food in that fridge. Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.36,0:13:23.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I told my students,\N"You have to figure out a way. Dialogue: 0,0:13:23.40,0:13:26.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we're going to get\Nfrom point A to point B, Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.45,0:13:28.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we're going to take this journey, Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.62,0:13:30.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you have to figure it out." Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.60,0:13:32.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as we began to fundraise, Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.55,0:13:35.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one of my students put me on the spot,\Nlike all kids will do, Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.41,0:13:39.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he said, "Miss G, what happens\Nif we raise all of this money, Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.24,0:13:41.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we don't make it there?" Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.34,0:13:44.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at that moment I thought,\N"We're not going to make it there." Dialogue: 0,0:13:44.41,0:13:46.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So like a deer in the headlights, I said, Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.38,0:13:49.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"If we raise all this money and don't make\Nour way to Washington, D.C., Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.100,0:13:51.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we can buy some more books. Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.04,0:13:55.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe we can take a field trip\Nto the Museum of Tolerance. Dialogue: 0,0:13:55.72,0:13:57.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe we can have a pizza party, Dialogue: 0,0:13:57.51,0:14:00.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so in that case it's a win-win\Nbecause we did it together." Dialogue: 0,0:14:00.75,0:14:05.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But then I stopped myself and to this day\NI don't know how and I don't know why, Dialogue: 0,0:14:05.65,0:14:08.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I said, "But if we do make\Nthat chic trip, Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.72,0:14:10.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we do raise that money, Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.00,0:14:13.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your lives will never be the same." Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.21,0:14:15.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they did. Dialogue: 0,0:14:15.87,0:14:19.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, for a brief moment,\NI'd like to show you our field trip, Dialogue: 0,0:14:19.12,0:14:23.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when 150 kids put down a fist,\Nput down a gun, Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.28,0:14:27.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,picked up a pen, and wrote their story, Dialogue: 0,0:14:27.41,0:14:31.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and took their words,\Ntheir story to our nation's capital. Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.80,0:14:35.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Video) (Background music) Student #3:\NSomebody came up with this idea Dialogue: 0,0:14:35.10,0:14:39.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we should honor all of our friends\Nwho had been lost to senseless deaths. Dialogue: 0,0:14:40.90,0:14:45.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Student #4: So we wrote names\Nof people we lost in our lives on pins, Dialogue: 0,0:14:45.44,0:14:49.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we were wearing them as a symbol\Nof that their spirit is still alive. Dialogue: 0,0:14:49.20,0:14:51.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, they're still with us,\Nthey're still part of us. Dialogue: 0,0:14:54.94,0:14:57.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Student #5: We all held hands, Dialogue: 0,0:14:58.18,0:15:01.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we left the hotel holding hands. Dialogue: 0,0:15:04.70,0:15:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Student #6: We took a walk\Nto the Washington Memorial, Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.02,0:15:12.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it was quite a ways Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.38,0:15:17.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and - there were 150 of us. Dialogue: 0,0:15:17.77,0:15:19.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we didn't let go. Dialogue: 0,0:15:19.62,0:15:23.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everybody started honking at us\Nand we just kept on walking. Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.11,0:15:26.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Student #7: The world just goes by Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.07,0:15:28.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and no one stops to look\Nat somebody in their face Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.75,0:15:31.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to actually look at them for who they are. Dialogue: 0,0:15:31.43,0:15:34.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so we stopped traffic, Dialogue: 0,0:15:36.32,0:15:40.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you could feel the presence\Nof this is something bigger than us. Dialogue: 0,0:15:46.78,0:15:50.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,EG: I'll never forget this man rolled\Ndown his window, very disgruntled, Dialogue: 0,0:15:50.21,0:15:52.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he said, "What are you doing?" Dialogue: 0,0:15:52.17,0:15:55.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and one of the "Freedom Writers" said,\N"We're changing the world." Dialogue: 0,0:16:02.10,0:16:04.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Background music ends) Dialogue: 0,0:16:04.15,0:16:06.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(On stage) EG:\NFor a group of 150 students, Dialogue: 0,0:16:06.95,0:16:10.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,change meant that they didn't have\Nto be like that mother Dialogue: 0,0:16:10.36,0:16:12.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who was strung out, Dialogue: 0,0:16:12.16,0:16:14.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or that deadbeat dad, Dialogue: 0,0:16:14.45,0:16:16.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they could rewrite their own ending, Dialogue: 0,0:16:16.84,0:16:20.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they could be the first\Nin their families to graduate, Dialogue: 0,0:16:20.95,0:16:23.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the first in their families\Nto go to college, Dialogue: 0,0:16:24.13,0:16:27.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the first in their families\Nto take these stories, Dialogue: 0,0:16:27.58,0:16:29.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to put them in a book, Dialogue: 0,0:16:29.42,0:16:30.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to send them off - Dialogue: 0,0:16:30.46,0:16:32.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,once again, like a message in a bottle - Dialogue: 0,0:16:32.77,0:16:35.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and hope that those cries\Ndidn't fall on deaf ears. Dialogue: 0,0:16:36.72,0:16:39.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I sent 150 copies\Nof my students' stories Dialogue: 0,0:16:39.72,0:16:42.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to every single publishing\Nhouse in our country. Dialogue: 0,0:16:42.52,0:16:45.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And every single one of them\Nrejected my students. Dialogue: 0,0:16:45.51,0:16:48.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every single one, except one - Dialogue: 0,0:16:48.68,0:16:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the same publishing house\Nthat took a chance Dialogue: 0,0:16:50.80,0:16:53.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on a little girl in a tiny, little attic. Dialogue: 0,0:16:54.25,0:16:55.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it's as it should be Dialogue: 0,0:16:55.36,0:16:58.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the publishing house\Nthat published "The Diary of Anne Frank" Dialogue: 0,0:16:58.51,0:17:03.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,decided to take a chance on 150 kids\Nand published their book. Dialogue: 0,0:17:03.81,0:17:07.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Would anybody read a book\Nwritten by and for and about kids? Dialogue: 0,0:17:08.35,0:17:10.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Apparently someone would Dialogue: 0,0:17:10.05,0:17:14.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because this little book became\Nthe number one book in America. Dialogue: 0,0:17:14.63,0:17:17.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I tell you that because\Nmy students nicknamed this book Dialogue: 0,0:17:17.82,0:17:19.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The Little Book that Could," Dialogue: 0,0:17:19.75,0:17:22.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in honor of that train\Ngoing down those tracks, Dialogue: 0,0:17:22.50,0:17:26.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I think I can, I think I can,\NI think I can." Dialogue: 0,0:17:27.32,0:17:31.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I stand in front of you\Nas an ordinary teacher Dialogue: 0,0:17:31.42,0:17:34.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had an extraordinary experience. Dialogue: 0,0:17:34.33,0:17:37.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And even though I haven't\Nquite mustered up the courage Dialogue: 0,0:17:37.80,0:17:41.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to stand in front of a tank in any square, Dialogue: 0,0:17:41.49,0:17:45.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or like my students, stand\Nand stop traffic by myself, Dialogue: 0,0:17:46.07,0:17:49.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I did muster up the courage\Nto stand in front of you today, Dialogue: 0,0:17:50.32,0:17:53.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I hope that,\Nstanding in front of you, Dialogue: 0,0:17:53.38,0:17:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you see me, Dialogue: 0,0:17:55.28,0:17:57.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you see my kids. Dialogue: 0,0:17:57.45,0:17:58.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you hear me, Dialogue: 0,0:17:58.93,0:18:00.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you hear their cries. Dialogue: 0,0:18:01.13,0:18:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when a beautiful Holocaust survivor\Nchallenged my students, Dialogue: 0,0:18:04.12,0:18:08.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she said, "Evil prevails\Nwhen good people do nothing," Dialogue: 0,0:18:08.17,0:18:09.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I stand before you, Dialogue: 0,0:18:09.78,0:18:12.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,challenging each and everyone of you, Dialogue: 0,0:18:12.55,0:18:15.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,each and everyone of you\Nwho is a good person, Dialogue: 0,0:18:15.20,0:18:16.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to do something. Dialogue: 0,0:18:16.74,0:18:19.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Don't let those cries fall on deaf ears. Dialogue: 0,0:18:19.86,0:18:21.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Don't turn the other cheek. Dialogue: 0,0:18:21.72,0:18:23.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do something. Dialogue: 0,0:18:23.02,0:18:25.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do something for a kid in need. Dialogue: 0,0:18:25.53,0:18:27.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. Dialogue: 0,0:18:27.06,0:18:30.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)