American Promise is a documentary film that captures the experiences of Idris Brewster and Seun Summers two middle-class African American boys from Brooklyn. Recorded over the span of thirteen years, this film chronicles their journeys at the Dalton School, one of the most prestigious private schools in the US. While this documentary raises serious concerns and challenges to the widely held American Dream, it presents us with a much needed insight on the realities of class, race, and opportunity in America. Filmed by Idris’ parents, Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson, the documentary begins with Idris and Seun entering the Dalton School, a prestigious, historically white private school located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (alumni include
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Idris is deemed as having behavioral problems by his teachers and Seun can’t read at the standard level. Both students become the only students that are placed in the school’s tutoring program. They begin to see the differences between themselves and their classmates. At one point Seun tries to brush the color out of his gums because kids at school had said that “black is ugly.” Idris, who plays basketball at a local club in Brooklyn, is jeered for “talking too white.” As he reaches puberty, he finds it difficult to find dates for school dances; his parents suspect that race might play a factor in the interactions. Even though both boys improve academically (still falling below the standard), they have emotional and social problems that trouble their teachers and …show more content…
In this specific case, I believe that the multiple issues presented in American Promise have proven that the mission of education is succeeding in reproducing social and economic inequalities. As I have previously explained in my paper, the American Dream is a dominant ideology that states, freedom, opportunity, and social mobility can be achieved equally through hard work. However, the academic and social struggles that Idris and Seun experienced at the Dalton School proves that “whole groups of people are increasingly privileged or constrained by their family’s wealth histories” (Johnson 1); that reveals the socio-structural problem of the racial wealth gap.
Race in the Classroom and Linguistic Reproduction According to Michelle Alexander in her book The New Jim Crow, she argues that communities of color are often targeted by the criminal justice system. This leads to the mass incarceration of young, Black men which leads to the cycle of poverty (experienced by low income, communities of color). Because of this institutional and systematic discrimination, Black and Brown youth are disadvantaged in forms of employment, housing, welfare, and educational
Idris is deemed as having behavioral problems by his teachers and Seun can’t read at the standard level. Both students become the only students that are placed in the school’s tutoring program. They begin to see the differences between themselves and their classmates. At one point Seun tries to brush the color out of his gums because kids at school had said that “black is ugly.” Idris, who plays basketball at a local club in Brooklyn, is jeered for “talking too white.” As he reaches puberty, he finds it difficult to find dates for school dances; his parents suspect that race might play a factor in the interactions. Even though both boys improve academically (still falling below the standard), they have emotional and social problems that trouble their teachers and …show more content…
In this specific case, I believe that the multiple issues presented in American Promise have proven that the mission of education is succeeding in reproducing social and economic inequalities. As I have previously explained in my paper, the American Dream is a dominant ideology that states, freedom, opportunity, and social mobility can be achieved equally through hard work. However, the academic and social struggles that Idris and Seun experienced at the Dalton School proves that “whole groups of people are increasingly privileged or constrained by their family’s wealth histories” (Johnson 1); that reveals the socio-structural problem of the racial wealth gap.
Race in the Classroom and Linguistic Reproduction According to Michelle Alexander in her book The New Jim Crow, she argues that communities of color are often targeted by the criminal justice system. This leads to the mass incarceration of young, Black men which leads to the cycle of poverty (experienced by low income, communities of color). Because of this institutional and systematic discrimination, Black and Brown youth are disadvantaged in forms of employment, housing, welfare, and educational