Give us freedom from misguided controversy

I saw it. It was good. No film based on true events is going to be perfect. It was clear in the movie that there were white, middle-class kids. They just weren't the focus of the story. Besides, I don't see what the complaint here is. I don't see how the exclusion of the white, middle-class kids then (or now) from being the focus in the film affects the success of the non-white, low-income kids. Besides, the film states, over and over again, how things at the school had "changed" ever since forced integration brought those low-income, students of color to the school. It is an explicit point in the film.

Erin is told, in the beginning of the film, that she'd have 150 students. The film focuses on just one class. Clearly, not all 150 students were in that class. So, there may have been a white quarterback in one of her classes. But his story is not the one being told. I think there may be a sense of "I want to be part of the story too" by those whose stories are just not as compelling.

And there may have been teachers supportive of Erin. They also were not the focus of the story. It's still a film. There has to be drama. The drama is going to come from the teachers who did not support Erin not from the ones who did.

Well, I'm glad SOMEBODY is speaking out. I, for one, am SICK TO DEATH of all these movies that posit white women as the saviors of all of these inner-city "minorities." As an inner-city "minority" the MAJORITY of my teachers were Black and Hispanic and they spent their lives giving back to Black and Hispanic children. My own mother is a Chicago Public high school teacher who will be retiring this year after 37 years of service to Black and Hispanic children. However, her story rarely gets told. It's the stories like "Dangerous Minds," and "Freedom Writers" that get all of the credit. Why? For the same reason that people act like Angelina Jolie was the first person to recognize the genocide in Darfur. People are so "inspired" when they see a privileged white woman go into the "depths of depravity" that are inner-city schools. Never mind that there are MILLIONS of stories of minority teachers doing the same things for ages! And what do we get? "Lean On Me." And that's about it. But, it's Hollywood, and Hollywood isn't run by, nor is it concerned with catering to, "minorities." So, I suppose that a story about a "wonderful white woman" and how asesom she is for sacrificing for Blacks and Hispanics is more interesting than Black and Hispanics teachers who are the majority of the people who teach in those schools. But it still irks me to no end! But, I'll give thanks and love to my mother who bought diapers, drum heads, sanitary napkins, clothes, laundry detergent, and literally, the kitchen sink for her students. If nobody else appreciates her, I do, and I'm sure all her students do as well.

Oh, and Ms. Shauna, the reason why people are so upset about the way these children are depicted is because "minority" children are always depicted as thugs who don't realize that there is life beyond gangs and drugs. That is NOT an accurate depiction of us. Today, I volunteered at the MLK Black College Fair in Chicago, which is the largest fair of its kind in the world. Thousands of Black and Hispanic children gathered in Navy Pier to talk to college recruiters. Why? Because they are aware of the importance of an education. Many of them are. But that never gets portrayed. And like it or not, that becomes part of the problem. There are white Americans who only receive their information about "minorities" from the media, and when we're all portrayed as thugs to them, that effects the way they treat us. And believe me, ain't nothin nice about the way I've been treated by many whites.

Hell, Springfield, IL won't even show the movie "Stomp the Yard" because they're supposedly afraid of "gang violence" erupting at the movie theatres. But I'm sure "Freedom Writers" is all over the place. Let's see: a movie about collegiate African-Americans investing in time honored traditions vs. a movie about Black and Hispanic inner-city kids who need Hilary Swank to tell them that "there's more to life." And which wins out? The one with the white woman!