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!