We Are the Dream

WE ARE THE DREAM The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical FEST Educator Study Guide About THE FILM WE ARE THE DREAM: THE KIDS OF THE KEY TERMS OAKLAND MLK ORATORICAL FEST MLK Oratorical Fest: A citywide speech contest in Oakland, California The film follows students in the months in which 800-1200 pre-k – 12th grade leading up to the 40th annual Oakland students from over 120 schools are Unified School District’s MLK Oratorical invited to participate. Festival, as they rehearse their speeches in classrooms and in their homes, hoping for Oakland, California: An important a coveted spot in the finals. West Coast port city, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the San Francisco Bay Area. Oakland has consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically About diverse major cities in the country. The Black Panthers: A group that formed in Oakland in the 1960s to give African Filmmaker Americans hope and community during the tumultuous Civil Rights Era. AMY SCHATZ is an award-winning director and producer of children’s shows, Oratory: The art or practice of formal series, and documentaries. Her work – a speaking in public. mix of animation, live action, celebrity performances, music videos, and heartfelt interviews with kids – has earned 8 Emmy Awards, 6 Directors Guild of America Awards, 3 Peabody Awards, Parents’ KEY THEMES Choice Awards, and others. Schatz is a Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy graduate of McGill University, Montreal, Using Your Voice and lives in New York City with her husband Equality and two teens. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America, Women in Film, Following Dreams and the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences. PRESCREENING DISCUSSION 1. Have you ever done any public speaking? What was it like? Exciting? Nerve-wracking? Empowering?

2. What do you know about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy?

3. Where is Oakland, California? Discuss the past and present history of this vibrant city and talk about the multicultural dimensions of the place.

4. Discuss what it means to be “American” today. How are the demographics of our country changing over time? CREATING CRITICAL VIEWERS You live in a media-saturated world, and you are constantly surrounded by an array of constructive messages. Media literacy skills (the who, how, and why behind media creation) are essential for us to be informed citizens – to navigate and make sense of our world successfully.

If you can be trained to view media through a more discerning lens, not only will you become a more productive community member, but you will also be more empowered as a consumer and critical thinker. Prefacing each screening with these questions will help create a more active viewing experience and result in enhanced media literacy.

Medium: How was this film constructed, and how was its story told? What did you see? What did you hear?

Purpose: What motivated the creation of this film? Do you think the purpose was achieved?

Subject: What information, values, ideas, and emotions are presented in this film?

Point of View (POV): Who created this film? What is their perspective?

Audience: Who is the target audience? How did this film make you feel? How do you think it made others feel? CHARACTERS TO KNOW

Karunyan Kamalraj: 9-year-old who discovers MLK’s teachings and uses them to shape his speech about changes he wants for his native Sri Lanka.

Gregory Payton: 9-year-old contestant who recites passages from Dr. King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.

Winston Williams: An educator and speech coach who teaches kids about the role the Black Panthers played in the Civil Rights Movement.

Donovan Edwards: 10-year-old who gives a speech about using social media for positive change.

Lovely Hudson: 9-year-old who performs a moving poem she wrote called, “What You Know About” about the achievements of African American women.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. DECONSTRUCTING THE STORY 1. Why is it important for the MLK Oratorical Fest to exist? What does it offer the participants and community?

2. How does the contest serve as a tool to teach about Black History?

3. How does the history and culture of Oakland, California make it such an important setting for this event?

4. Gregory Payton brought down the house with his speech. What was it about his performance that was so compelling to the judges and audience?

5. Although there are eventual winners in the contest, at the end of the film many kids reflected on what the experience meant to them as participants. What is the general sentiment?

6. How do the parents and teachers prepare and support the kids in the contest? Who in your life cheers you on and supports you to do your best? REFLECTING ON THE PLOT

1. Why do you think Martin Luther King, Jr.’s fight for equal rights in the 1960s resonated with Karunyan, the young Tamil immigrant to the USA from Sri Lanka?

2. Why is it important to preserve great speeches from our past? What can they offer us?

3. Lamiya & Abrar, two Muslim contestants, talk about the irony of thinking that the USA is a place where everyone is free to be who they want to be, yet they still feel persecuted based on their religion and what they wear. Have you ever felt judged or stereotyped? How did it feel?

4. This contest gives many students the opportunity to be heard and recognized by their peers and by the public. Why is it important to hear from a diverse group of voices in our schools and society?

5. How does this contest help preserve the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and why is it important to preserve it?

6. Donovan’s dad said, “When raising an African American boy in this country, you have to raise him a different way because there are certain things that he is going to have to confront that other folks don’t.” What does he mean by this? How does this make you feel?

7. What skills do the kids that compete in the MLK Oratorical Festival gain? How might these skills benefit them in the future? Activities TO DO Start an oratorical event at your own school to celebrate an iconic civil rights leader.

Breathe life into a famous speech by rapping or singing it to a homemade beat.

Combine archival footage (archive.org) with your own narration to create a short video about a civil rights issue you find important. TO WATCH Check out these TED Talks from these kids. Which ones do you find the most inspiring? https://blog.ted.com/9-talks-by-impressive-kids/

Watch Martin Luther King, Jr.’s powerful final speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” delivered the day before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixfwGLxRJU8

Brave New Voices is a national youth group that performs slam poetry across the country. Watch some of the slam performances recorded on their website to be inspired! http://youthspeaks.org/bravenewvoices/

TAKE ACTION Want to learn to speak like Gregory Payton? Enroll in the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Club. https://www.toastmasters.org/education/youth-leadership-program

Hold a fundraiser at your school to benefit a local organization working on civil rights.

Attend a local slam poetry event. Look into slam poetry or spoken word poetry events in your local area and attend one. Once you see how it works, prepare your own poem to perform. ALIGNED CURRICULUM STANDARDS UTAH FINE ARTS STANDARDS – MEDIA ARTS • Respond–Students will perceive and analyze artistic work and process. They will interpret intent and meaning, and apply criteria to evaluate artistic work and process. • Connect–Students will synthesize and relate knowledge from personal and collaborative experience to make and receive art. They will relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding. UTAH CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS SL4-12: Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically with pertinent descriptions, fact and details to accentuate main ideas or themes. SL4-12: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-to- one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening • Comprehension and Collaboration 1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. 3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric. UTAH CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES SS3-1: Describe the responsibilities and rights of individuals in a representative government as well as in the school and community. SS4-3: Determine human rights and responsibilities in the world. Identify rights considered essential for all humans. Propose steps individual students can take to protect these rights (e.g. support for sister schools, energy and resource conservation, letter writing, career choices, fundraising efforts). NATIONAL FILM STUDY STANDARDS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL BY THE FILM FOUNDATION Standard 1.0–Film Language Standard 2.0–Historical and Cultural Contexts Standard 3.0–Production and Creative Expression Standard 4.0–Viewers’ Response and Aesthetic Valuing Standard 5.0–Cross-Curricular Connections Curated Film • Media Education • Artist Support Utah Film Center utilizes the power of film to educate, inspire, and engage Utahns, transcending political, geographic, cultural, and religious boundaries to highlight human experiences from around the world. Utah Film Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit UTAHFILMCENTER.ORG