SURE
SURE KIDS
SURE KIDS KNOW ABOUT LOCAL BLACK EXCELLENCE JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS NEW DOESN'T MEAN
IT CAN'T HAVE HISTORY.
THIS IS DENVER GREEN SCHOOL
NORTHFIELD WHERE I REALLY MNEET
HOME TO TEACHERS WHO WANT TO BE
MEMORABLE.
THAT RIVER PLAYS BALL PARK HOME
TO STUDENTS LIKE CHARLES EASILY
.
CAN I USE A CALCULATOR FOR THIS
HOME TO EAT IN BELL RIGHT.
I DEFINITELY THINK MY THERE'S A
LOT OF THINGS THAT WHITE
STUDENTS DON'T KNOW ABOUT
REALLY IMPACT ME STUFF LIKE
THAT.
A LOT OF TIMES I'VE HAD SOMEONE
BE RUDE BECAUSE THEY DON'T THEY
DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THEIR LIFE.
THE SCHOOL IS NESTLED IN AN
EXPANDING AREA ON THE NORTHERN
EDGE OF DENVER.
NEW HOMES, NEW FAMILIES, PEOPLE
WHO MAY NOT BE CONNECTED TO
THE HISTORY OF THE
NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THEM.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THERE?
ERIC MORNING IS A STUDENT
ADVISOR WORKING WITH TEACHERS
IN AN ENDEAVOR CALLED BLACK
EXCELLENCE AND THIS BLACK
EXCELLENCE PROGRAM IS REALLY
ALL ABOUT WANTING TO HIGHLIGHT
LOCAL ACHIEVEMENTS FROM
THE BLACK COMMUNITY.
MORNING WANT STUDENTS TO LEARN
LOCAL BLACK HISTORY DIRECTLY
FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING
USUALLY FOR MOST OF THE YEARS
WE JUST LEARN ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
REALLY KNOWN BLACK PEOPLE LIKE
MLK, ROSA PARKS, MALCOLM, STUFF
LIKE THAT.
BUT THIS YEAR WE'RE LEARNING
ABOUT WAY MORE OR LESS KNOWN
BUT STILL IMPORTANT BLACK
PEOPLE AND I LOVE THAT.
THAT'S AWESOME.
PAIGE, I SEE YOUR HEAD.
WHY DON'T YOU ASK THE NEXT
QUESTION?
GO FOR PAIGE THESE SIXTH AND
SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS.
ALL RIGHT.
I SEE A LOT OF OTHER QUESTIONS
POPPING UP THE ARE MEETING
TWELVE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
PROFESSIONALS FROM
ENTREPRENEURS TO POLITICIANS TO
BUSINESS EXECUTIVES.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO KIND
OF LISTEN TO DIFFERENT DIVERSE
BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES.
SO I WAS JUST WONDERING BEFORE
BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR WHAT
WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
MORNING.
WANT STUDENTS TO LEARN
PERSPECTIVE.
YOU'RE MUCH MORE AWARE OF WHAT
THEY DO AND HOW IT CONTRIBUTES
TO SOCIETY.
YOU'RE MUCH MORE AWARE ON WHAT
A PERSON'S CHALLENGES WERE AND
WHAT THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH TO
GET TO THE LEVEL THAT THEY ARE
NOW THE STUDENTS AT DENVER
GREEN SCHOOL NORTHFIELD ARE
MOSTLY WHITE BUT THE SCHOOL
WANTS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE
OF RACE HEAD ON.
I THINK IT'S AWKWARD FOR ME TO
TALK ABOUT RACE AND THINGS LIKE
THAT BUT I THINK AT SCHOOL IT'S
MORE OPEN BECAUSE THEY'RE
ASKING MORE QUESTIONS AND THEN
THEY'RE TECHNICALLY TELLING
US THAT IT IS OK TO TALK ABOUT
THE STUFF BECAUSE IT'S
THE SUBJECT THAT WE'RE LEARNING
ABOUT.
I THINK IT ALLOWS THEM TO HAVE
A DIFFERENT NARRATIVE ABOUT
PEOPLE OF COLOR HAS REALLY
IMPACTED YOUR
.
. MORNING
. MORNING WANTS TO TAKE QUESTIONS FROM INNOCENT MINDS BUT I HAVE
ALL THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT
WHAT'S GOING ON AND I NEED TO
I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO TALK TO.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY PROBLEMS?
HE WANTS TO TURN THOSE
QUESTIONS INTO EDUCATED
ANSWERS.
THERE'S AN ENVIRONMENT THERE'S
A CULTURE HERE THAT EMBRACES
DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES AND
THAT'S THE THING THAT'S UNIQUE.
THAT'S WHAT YOU DON'T FIND
EVERYWHERE YOU GO BEING
OURSELVES HAVING CONVERSATION
AND NOT JUDGING PEOPLE WHICH IS
HARD BUT NOT JUDGING PEOPLE FOR
WHO THEY ARE.
IT'S GOOD TO HEAR BECAUSE
I KNOW THAT OBVIOUSLY I'M GOING
TO BE HAVING CHALLENGES ABOUT
STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S AWESOME TO KNOW THAT
BROKE THROUGH IT AND THEY'RE
ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, KEEP
THE DREAM.
MY NAME IS EVEN THOUGH LESSONS
IN RACE LEARNED FIRSTHAND, SHE
WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO
HAVE GIVEN ALL THE CHANCES AT
DIFFERENT JOBS, ESPECIALLY
SENRT SHE IS A WOMAN OF COLOR
LOCAL BLACK HISTORY GROWING UP
SHE HAD SOME REAX NAME CALLING
AND JUDGING AS A KID FOR
STUDENTS AT A NEW SCHOOL HAS TO
OVERCOME THE STEREOTYPES YOU
FACE GROWING UP.
THIS IS VERY VALUABLE.
THIS REALLY GROUNDS A PERSON TO
BE ABLE TO GET IT AT THIS LEVEL
I THINK THE PROJECT WAS GREAT.
I THINK A LOT A LOT OF MY
FRIENDS HAVE LEARNED FROM IT
BLACK EXCELLENCE.
I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.
I THINK IT'S REALLY HELPED WITH
ALL THE STUFF THAT WE WERE
TRYING TO FOCUS ON DOING.
DOING STUFF LIKE THIS WILL
PREVENT MORE RACIST PEOPLE FROM
COMING FROM THIS GENERATION.
A PROJECT WITH DESIGNS AT BEING
MEMORABLE WITH PHOTOJOURNALIST
TOM COLE