The Children Could Fly
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Description
There is a commonly held perception about why black children suffer; it is a myth about their inherent state of nothingness, their ability to embody more pain than others, which rarely has anything to do with the realities that black youth endure. The Children Could Fly disavows these myths, specifically by examining one of the major institutions responsible for justifying suffering: schools. This documentary sets out to disrupt normative beliefs that, particularly for Black children, increased schooling leads to social and economic uplift, critical thinking, and a sustainable sense of purpose. It aims to center critical dialogue and visuals rooted in empirical understandings of the inextricable link between the wellness of Black children and the abolition of schooling--its historical and ongoing investments in structural, institutional, and interpersonal forms of anti-Blackness. It will disentangle functions of schooling from education; and it aims to follow/highlight the pedagogical practices that we engaged throughout our students four years of high school, practices that sought to ensure that all of our [Black] students had access to quality education (knowledges, resources and communities) en route to their well-being.
The Children Could Fly picks up where If These Cells Could Talk ends. It showcases the practices and processes necessary to reverse the aging in [black] children caused by societal/toxic stress. It centers the stories of two black children (Tatiana & Isaiah), their families and their supportive educational communities. Their unified stories and experiences push us to think beyond the limitations of schooling toward the necessity and fullness of deep-rooted education for our young people.
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Publication Date
9-24-2021
Publisher
Hidden Temple Productions
