Erin Gruwell
On Saturday November 16, I had the privilege of seeing Erin Gruwell speak here at Saint Mary’s. As part of the United Nations International Day of Tolerance, no better speaker could have been chosen to share their experiences with diversity and tolerance. While at first I had no idea who she was, I was quick to find out that she was the teacher from the hit movie Freedom Writers. Now, I’m not going to lie when I say the first time I heard that the lady from the movie was coming, I got my hopes up that Hillary Swank would soon be strolling down The Avenue. And for a while, I even contemplated if getting up at 10 on a Saturday would be worth it. But holy guacamole was it.
The reality of it is, our school is not all that diverse and so to bring someone who has experienced culture shock first hand to share their experiences, it was truly amazing to think how open minded, as well as open hearted Erin was and still is to this day. As white 24 year old and new English teacher, Erin soon found herself in the midst of racial tension and problems that college had not prepared her for. However, from it she grew and transformed lives of teenagers who questioned if they could even live until 18. What Erin Gruwell saw in her students was that they were being told that they were not as smart unable of to reach success, they eventually created this future for themselves. The students did not know that behind their hard backgrounds, became incredible storytellers. Because Erin saw her students with an unprejudiced viewpoint, she learned to know them, not by gang affiliation, but for who they were. And with the faith she had in them, eventually turned their stories into a best seller.
Gruwell stated that it was easy to stereotype her students when they first walked in, due to their baggy pants and overall lazy attitude. Racial tension was easy to see in her class, just based upon where students would choose to sit. However, she had the power to look through them to find something greater. While her class was first seen as the underdogs, she was able to turn around the lives of dozens of students. Now, the characters in the movie based upon real people, she said they all continued on into college, an opportunity so many take for granted.
As a whole, Erin’s speech was so inspirational. Her pure, open heart inspired everyone and definitely did not leave a dry eye in the house. So to the future teachers out there, even though the road may not be easy, you have the power to change and sculpt lives. It is amazing to think she was just a few years older than me when she impacted so many, so wonderfully. So as she stated, “Cheers to change.”
Photos are provided by the author