Library to screen Freedom Writers

The Racine Public Library will show the movie, Freedom Writers on Wednesday, June 4, at 6 p.m. as part of the "Coming Together Racine" series of discussions about racism and race relations.

In this gripping story, based on the book by Erin Gruwell, Hilary Swank stars as an inner-city teacher who gives kids raised on drive-by shootings and hard-core attitude the one thing they need most: a voice of their own. Dropped into the free-fire zone of a school torn by violence and racial tension, teacher Erin Gruwell battles an uncaring system in a fight to make the classroom matter in her students' lives.

Through telling of their own stories and hearing the stories of others, a group of supposedly "unteachable" teens are empowered to discover the power of tolerance, reclaim their shattered lives, and change their world.

The Freedom Writers Foundation says this about their mission: "It's time to publicly and systematically promote an educational philosophy that honors diversity in the classroom. It's time to give students the opportunity to reach their full potential and aspire to higher education. It's time to remind them that they can deeply impact their communities and the world. The Freedom Writers Foundation believes the time has come. And by empowering students and teachers alike through outreach, curriculum, and scholarships, the time is now."

A member of Coming Together Racine will facilitate a discussion of the movie after the screening at the Library, 75 Seventh St. Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag supper. The series is cosponsored by Coming Together Racine and the Racine Public Library and is funded by the library's Alma Boernke Endowment Fund.

Coming Together Racine is a 501(c)3 organization developed in response to community needs identified at a Town Hall Meeting in 2005.