Review: American Promise - a documentary on opportunity and well-meaning misconceptions
In 1999, two African-American families got a chance to send their oldest sons to Dalton School,a prestigious K-12 Manhattan private school. The school was trying to reach out to minorities, and it seemed to be genuinely committed to giving then 5-year-old Idris and Seun the same chances to succeed as they would any other kids. Idris's parents were filmmakers, and they decided to do a documentary that would follow Idris and Seun from their first day at Dalton to their first day of college. They expected to be able to show how, given the opportunity, black kids would be able to do as well as your average white students.
As American Promise shows, things didn't quite turn out this way. Both Idris and Seun struggled. Seun would up dropping out of [] and transferring to public school. (A pretty good public school, actually - it could be near the level of CPS' top public schools). And while they both graduated and got into college, Idris didn't get into the top colleges his parents hoped for. And it seemed like it took them time to accept that this might not be such a disaster.
As I watched American Promise, it became clear that there were several reasons why things turned out this way.
To get the elephant out in the open, yes - I think race had something to do with it. American Promise showed quite effectively how the teachers' image of what black kids are supposed to be like affect their perception. When the kids were in grade classes, the teachers saw what was just kids being loud and enthusiastic as disruptive and threatening. Or how all black kids in their grade level (and only black kids) got taken out of class for extra tutoring - while parents of other races were expected to get help for their kids on their own. While that second one doesn't seem so bad, the parents took issue with that, arguing that the school was assuming their kids needed more help than white kids just because of their race - and they may have had a point.
There was also the fact that, aside from Idris and Seun, there weren't that many black kids in school. As they got older and started to realize that their physical differences made them stand out. It made them feel alienated. And while they did make non-black friends, they also had to deal with some classmates expecting them to act like stereotypes.
I'm not saying that those things made kids struggle academically. I think they struggled for a lot of the same reason kids of any race struggled. Not everybody can handle a private school's rigorous academic curriculum. I know I wouldn't. And even if they can handle it, some kids are always going to do better than others. Seun in particular gradually emerged as the more artistic and generally creative of the two. Creative souls tend to chafe at structured academic curriculum.
The kids also had to deal with factors nobody could've possibly controlled. Seun was diagnosed with dyslexia pretty early on. Idris was diagnosed with ADHD quite a bit later. While both boys got treated, it did effect their education. Seun also had to deal with stress in his personal life. His mom got cancer, and his younger brother died in an accident. Suffice to say, that took a toll.
But feeling like they're different - and that teachers were treating them differently - made things even more stressful for Idris and Seun. And that stress undermined their focus and their confidence in their ability to succeed.
Which kind of goes to something the documentary didn't explicitly touch on - the difference of expectations.
As I was watching American Promise, I saw a lot of myself in Idris and Seun. Myself and my brother. We struggled with grades. My brother missed and neglected homework assignments. We both failed subjects - quite badly at times. As Idris reached high school, I found myself emphasizing with him most of all. His impatience in classes. The way he fiddles objects in front of him when he's nervous or contemplative. And when the high school aged Seun waved off his parents concerns about a test he was supposed to study for, I was reminded of my brother when he was around that age.
I think that, as white teens, we had more room to fail. More chances to get back up, to get better. I think that it's much easier to write black kids off, to assume that they're hopeless.
We had to deal with different stakes.
Which brings us to the parents.
Since they made an effort to get Idris and Seun into a private school, it expected them to go above and beyond to succeed. Both of their parents pushed them to do their homework, turn in assignments on time and study for tests. Both parents didn't take too kindly to kids slacking off. But I think Idris's parents ultimately took it just a bit too far. The documentary, at least, made it look like they made him studying nearly every waking moment, even on weekends - to the point where they had little time to relax. By the time Idris reached high school, he started taking taps and complaining about getting tired. His parents were complaining about him being lazy. His mom wondered aloud what Idris could possibly be so tired of.
A part of me was really, really temped to shout at the screen "Oh, come on! It's obvious a sign of stress. Poor guy is clearly overwhelmed and you're not helping!"
I may have started identifying with Idris a bit too much at this point.
At the climax of the movie, Idris and his mom found out that he got rejected from some of the more prestigious colleges he applied to - but he still got accepted in several colleges, including the one he seemed to be particularly enthusiastic about. I could understand his parents being disappointed, but they reacted like he didn't get into anything and it was all his fault. When Idris told his mom that he was going to the college he wanted, because it was his decision, end of discussion, I couldn't help but cheer a little inside.
Later, during the post-screening Q&A with Idris's mother, one of the audience members asked her if she thought if she and her husband were too hard on their eldest son. Her response boiled down to "What other choice did I have." Idris was going to face discrimination no matter she does, she argued, so the least she could do was try to put him in the position where he would have the most opportunities.
I couldn't say I agreed with her logic - but I understood where she was coming from.
The fact that there is way more at stake here than there would be for one of Idris's white classmates is quite telling.
American Promise is not the sort of movie you need to rush into theaters to see. But I do recommend that you will see it. Because it will make you think. And, because it doesn't offer any clear answers, it inspires you to think about solutions. Something we don't do often enough.
As I said several times on this blog, writing off people is much easier.
"American Promise" will be screening in Chicago at Gene Siskel FIlm Center until November 27. Click here for more information on showtimes and tickets. For more information on screenings outside Chicago, check out the documentary's official website.
As American Promise shows, things didn't quite turn out this way. Both Idris and Seun struggled. Seun would up dropping out of [] and transferring to public school. (A pretty good public school, actually - it could be near the level of CPS' top public schools). And while they both graduated and got into college, Idris didn't get into the top colleges his parents hoped for. And it seemed like it took them time to accept that this might not be such a disaster.
As I watched American Promise, it became clear that there were several reasons why things turned out this way.
To get the elephant out in the open, yes - I think race had something to do with it. American Promise showed quite effectively how the teachers' image of what black kids are supposed to be like affect their perception. When the kids were in grade classes, the teachers saw what was just kids being loud and enthusiastic as disruptive and threatening. Or how all black kids in their grade level (and only black kids) got taken out of class for extra tutoring - while parents of other races were expected to get help for their kids on their own. While that second one doesn't seem so bad, the parents took issue with that, arguing that the school was assuming their kids needed more help than white kids just because of their race - and they may have had a point.
There was also the fact that, aside from Idris and Seun, there weren't that many black kids in school. As they got older and started to realize that their physical differences made them stand out. It made them feel alienated. And while they did make non-black friends, they also had to deal with some classmates expecting them to act like stereotypes.
I'm not saying that those things made kids struggle academically. I think they struggled for a lot of the same reason kids of any race struggled. Not everybody can handle a private school's rigorous academic curriculum. I know I wouldn't. And even if they can handle it, some kids are always going to do better than others. Seun in particular gradually emerged as the more artistic and generally creative of the two. Creative souls tend to chafe at structured academic curriculum.
The kids also had to deal with factors nobody could've possibly controlled. Seun was diagnosed with dyslexia pretty early on. Idris was diagnosed with ADHD quite a bit later. While both boys got treated, it did effect their education. Seun also had to deal with stress in his personal life. His mom got cancer, and his younger brother died in an accident. Suffice to say, that took a toll.
But feeling like they're different - and that teachers were treating them differently - made things even more stressful for Idris and Seun. And that stress undermined their focus and their confidence in their ability to succeed.
Which kind of goes to something the documentary didn't explicitly touch on - the difference of expectations.
As I was watching American Promise, I saw a lot of myself in Idris and Seun. Myself and my brother. We struggled with grades. My brother missed and neglected homework assignments. We both failed subjects - quite badly at times. As Idris reached high school, I found myself emphasizing with him most of all. His impatience in classes. The way he fiddles objects in front of him when he's nervous or contemplative. And when the high school aged Seun waved off his parents concerns about a test he was supposed to study for, I was reminded of my brother when he was around that age.
I think that, as white teens, we had more room to fail. More chances to get back up, to get better. I think that it's much easier to write black kids off, to assume that they're hopeless.
We had to deal with different stakes.
Which brings us to the parents.
Since they made an effort to get Idris and Seun into a private school, it expected them to go above and beyond to succeed. Both of their parents pushed them to do their homework, turn in assignments on time and study for tests. Both parents didn't take too kindly to kids slacking off. But I think Idris's parents ultimately took it just a bit too far. The documentary, at least, made it look like they made him studying nearly every waking moment, even on weekends - to the point where they had little time to relax. By the time Idris reached high school, he started taking taps and complaining about getting tired. His parents were complaining about him being lazy. His mom wondered aloud what Idris could possibly be so tired of.
A part of me was really, really temped to shout at the screen "Oh, come on! It's obvious a sign of stress. Poor guy is clearly overwhelmed and you're not helping!"
I may have started identifying with Idris a bit too much at this point.
At the climax of the movie, Idris and his mom found out that he got rejected from some of the more prestigious colleges he applied to - but he still got accepted in several colleges, including the one he seemed to be particularly enthusiastic about. I could understand his parents being disappointed, but they reacted like he didn't get into anything and it was all his fault. When Idris told his mom that he was going to the college he wanted, because it was his decision, end of discussion, I couldn't help but cheer a little inside.
Later, during the post-screening Q&A with Idris's mother, one of the audience members asked her if she thought if she and her husband were too hard on their eldest son. Her response boiled down to "What other choice did I have." Idris was going to face discrimination no matter she does, she argued, so the least she could do was try to put him in the position where he would have the most opportunities.
I couldn't say I agreed with her logic - but I understood where she was coming from.
The fact that there is way more at stake here than there would be for one of Idris's white classmates is quite telling.
American Promise is not the sort of movie you need to rush into theaters to see. But I do recommend that you will see it. Because it will make you think. And, because it doesn't offer any clear answers, it inspires you to think about solutions. Something we don't do often enough.
As I said several times on this blog, writing off people is much easier.
"American Promise" will be screening in Chicago at Gene Siskel FIlm Center until November 27. Click here for more information on showtimes and tickets. For more information on screenings outside Chicago, check out the documentary's official website.