1. The Freedom Writers Diary

2. 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”

3. A Product of the Environment • 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

4. It all started with this… Gruwell intercepted a racist drawing and questioned her class about the Holocaust – no one had heard of it!

5. Just a teacher? • 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

6. Making a Difference • Writing journals became therapeutic for many of the students • All 150 Freedom Writers graduated from high school and many went on to attend college • The students’ journals went on to become The Freedom Writers Diary

7. They were inspired • 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!

8. What this means to you • 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

9. And then a special treat • On April 23rd we will be video chatting with one of the actual Freedom Writers

10. I had the honor of meeting her!