Some kids just need grownups telling them how proud we are
Like four years ago, it began with a tweet. Back then, Detroit native, author and national commentator Jemele Hill implored her nearly 1 million Twitter followers to make sure Detroit kids see “Black Panther,” the iconic Marvel film that would become a cultural sensation.
I, at the time a Detroit Free Press columnist, answered the call, as did Big Sean and Eminem, sponsoring the #DetroitBlackPantherFieldTrip for more than 900 Detroit public high school students. We took over 10 theaters at Emagine Royal Oak.
Four years later, I asked in a tweet whether we should do it again. And Hill agreed.
“Detroit’s children deserve to feel inspired and hopeful and see themselves reflected in such a dynamic way. The Black Panther franchise isn’t just movies, but a colossal cultural moment,” Hill said. “As always, I’m honored to play any role in bringing light and positivity to the city I love so dearly.”
Joined by Damien Hooper-Campbell, chief impact officer at Stock X, our trio sponsored a Detroit Public Schools Community District #WakandaForeverFieldTrip on Tuesday.
But the story isn’t about the movie. The story is about how the kids were chosen. We celebrated more than 200 juniors and seniors who each had a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and did not miss a day of school in the first quarter. Yep, you read that right: Perfect attendance and good grades, and most of the students had 4.0 GPAs.
They are the students that Deputy Superintendent Alycia Meriweather called the Top 3 Percent. And the hope is that such rewards – like a break from class for an iconic Marvel movie and a big tub of popcorn – will inspire thousands more students to persist and excel.
For years in my column, I reminded readers that all Detroit children are my children. I remain a writer by trade, warrior by necessity where our children are concerned.
So when the school district issued a call to us all to help get children safely back in school,
my hope was that everyone in the community would step up.
I wasn’t surprised that Jemele did. I’m glad that Damien did. Now, I’m imploring all of us to find even more ways to show our kids that they are important, to make them see that education matters and to teach them that doing the right thing has rewards.
I know it is harder for some kids than others. Getting to school can be a challenge. Learning in a pandemic is a challenge. And people don’t always want to remember that our kids have been growing up in an arena of mayhem and death for more than two years now. Many were suffering trauma before the pandemic struck.
But rather than focus on what’s wrong with the school system or finding ways to criticize our kids, let’s remind them how resilient they are, how loved they are and how special they are.
For nearly three hours, I had two focuses: a really great film and some really great kids who weren’t afraid to let their emotions show.
I sat next to a student who, masked and mesmerized, never took her eyes off the screen. But at one powerful moment, when a fictional nation cried out “Wakanda Forever!” and fiercely crossed their arms across their chests, we both did, too, instinctively, quickly, then giggled at each other.
And like most theatergoers of all ages at the end of a Marvel movie, when the credits rolled, no one moved. No one spoke.
So when the final post-credits scene appeared, it wasn’t a surprise. But the kids’ reactions were. They sat in silence, some in tears. Then the applause slowly rolled up and down the theater.
It was a moment of hope, a moment to let go of grief, particularly the continued mourning of the death of lead actor Chadwick Boseman. It was a moment to believe.
And it was a perfect metaphor for their lives in these times.
There is hope. There is a future. And for those who strive, who achieve against odds they don’t deserve, there are rewards.
Let’s give them more than hope. Let’s show our children, the children of Detroit, that we are proud when they strive, that we have their backs when they work hard, that we believe they can be, and do, anything.
Sure. They need big things, like renovated schools and extra staff and more teachers to lower class size. But sometimes, they just need a pat on the back and a gaggle of grownups, eyes glistening, applauding them and telling them how proud we are.
And we’ll keep doing it in ways big and small and sometimes, with a morning off and a big bucket of popcorn.
Rochelle Riley was an award-winning columnist at the Freep from 2000 to 2019. She is a member of the Michigan, North Carolina and NABJ journalism Halls of Fame and is now director of arts and culture for the city of Detroit. Learn more at www.rochelleriley.com.