H.E.R. educating kids on civics thru music
NEW YORK, July 6, (AP): In addition to making great music, H.E.R. wants to be an active citizen who empowers young people with information.
The Grammy- and Oscar-winning recording artist gets to do both in the new animated Netflix series, “We the People.”
Created by Chris Nee and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, the 10-part series provides a range of civics lessons through three-minute music videos on topics that include the Bill of Rights, immigration, and the courts. It features award-winning artists LinManuel Miranda, Brandi Carlisle, Bebe Rexha, and others.
H.E.R. took on the “Active Citizenship” episode, writing and performing the song, “Change.” It deals with teaching young people to get involved with issues in the community by volunteering, writing letters to elected officials, and peaceful protest.
The animated segment was directed by Oscar-winner Peter Ramsey, known for “SpiderMan: Into the Spider-Verse.”
H.E.R. admits the idea to make music and educate seemed daunting at first.
“I was like thinking about all these topics and how can I make this, like, cool? And, you know, it just started off with just saying exactly what it is: ‘Wrote a letter to the mayor can you hear me out.’ Like how would we really have a conversation about this with somebody who doesn’t necessarily understand,” she said.
That made the process fun, while at the same time gratifying — she was educating the viewer with important information.
The 23-year-old believes the importance of the subject matter lies in the lack of understanding many citizens have when it comes to the rights and duties of citizenship.
“I feel like sometimes things aren’t taught on purpose,” the recording artist said.
H.E.R. cited the power of artists like Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye when it comes to writing music about social justice.
Learn
”(They) are saying things so simply. But we digested them, and we really thought about the way that we live our lives based on this music,” she said.
And it’s because music is a language that everyone understands.
“It’s something that makes us feel good, makes us want to fall in love and makes us sad or makes us learn. And so, what better way to teach, especially people at a young age or of all ages,” she said.
She hopes the collection of music videos in “We the People” will “share the knowledge, that hasn’t always been shared” when it comes to rights, privileges, and responsibilities.
“It’s up to us to make these changes and to empower the youth. So, as we grow, as we learn, we teach. And in that, I think will make a huge difference,” she said.
“We the People” premiered Sunday on Netflix.
They arrive every year in their snazzy black and white tuxedos, causing traffic jams and clamoring for quality real estate.
Endangered African penguins have long been a source of delight to visitors of the South African community of Simon’s Town, mixing with humans as they go about their penguin tasks, which includes the important one of finding a nest and breeding.
Now these critters are the stars of a new eight-part series on Netflix called “Penguin Town,” which follows several of the birds and reveals their personalities, from a middle-aged pair nicknamed “the poster penguins for monogamy” to a young bachelor looking for his first mate.
“It became very clear very quickly that this was like watching a reality show like ‘Love Island’ or ‘Big Brother,’” said Cayley Christos, a field producer on “Penguin Town” and co-owner at production company Red Rock Films.
“I know people don’t love anthropomorphizing all the time, but it’s hard not to do when they so clearly have these personalities,” she added. “And so we didn’t really have a choice but to make it really personal.”
The show is narrated by comedian Patton Oswalt, a veteran at voiceover work. “I jumped at the chance because I watched a lot of the raw footage and I was just kind of bowled over how enchanting and sweet it was.”
Among the some 1,000 breeding pairs that arrive each mating season, the filmmakers capture relatable characters, including a whimsical misfit they call “Junior” and a pack of troublemaking penguins known as the “Car Park Gang.”
Personalities
“You really do kind of latch on to some of these personalities,” said Oswalt. “You follow all these little stories and you’re rooting for these guys.”
Behind the sweetness is serious business. Only 2% of the African penguin population is left from the number that the existed 100 years ago. Christos cites estimates that the species has about 10 years left before extinction.
“Living among people isn’t easy. It’s not the best place for them. They really should be on an island, but they have no choice. They’d rather face these huge giants walking around them all day long than die,” she said.
The flightless, aquatic birds first started showing up in Simon’s Town on the Western Cape in the early 1980s as boat traffic around their natural habitat increased. They usually arrive in November and stay for six months.
“Slowly, slowly, slowly they realized that this was quite a safe, nice place to be. They weren’t getting attacked by land predators,” said Christos.
Initially, the arrival of the colony was greeted with some dismay by residents. “Like any good wildlife, they march around and they poop in people’s gardens. And so I think it’s been an interesting adjustment,” she said.
Townsfolk soon realized that the penguins were a tourist draw and a potential source of income. “They really are gods in that town and everybody’s businesses are named after them.”
The team from Red Rock Films initially focused on about 80 nests and then whittled the list down to 50 pairs they would follow 24 hours a day. One more cut led them to a final five to concentrate on.
Filmmakers used all sorts of equipment to capture the penguins — nest cams, drones, waterproof cameras, special tripods and an antigravity rig. So committed to environmentalism was the 30-member team that they pledged to abstain from meat and fish during the eightmonth shoot, eating an exclusively plant-based diet.