Heart Of Stone Analysis

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Film: Heart of Stone 2009 Partners: Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience, Rutgers University, African American & Jewish Coalition, Newark History Society, Weequahic High School Alumni Association Trailer: https://youtu.be/rzDXqrrU_0s The film opens with the head principal putting on a bullet proof vest and heading out onto the streets around his high school. The movie is about Weequahic High School in Newark, New Jersey. The high school, once a leading school in the nation, is plagued by gang violence, lack of funding, and keeping kids in school. The neighborhood is rough, the teachers and administrators are invested though and continue to support students and their families. The main character in the documentary is…show more content…
They stated that suburban schools in the area have budgets of 100’s of thousands of dollars. The budget for Weequahic High School has been zero dollars. The alumni have banded together to present scholarships for continuing their education but have also invested in the students culturally. Students have been able to go on ski trips, to Paris, and many other places to experience the world outside of their Newark neighborhood. The alumni group is made up of primarily Jewish members. They feel it is their faith that guides them to serve others. The group said they related to the African-American students and how they can be discriminated against as their population has also endured this treatment and worse. The movie shows the alumni group sitting around dining room tables planning to make the high school great again, but beyond that, giving students a wonderful experience they may also extend past high school. The alumni attend sporting events, work with student groups, and meet with Principal Stone for guidance. It was very much a partnership between the alumni and Principal…show more content…
The gang leader of the Bloods is show in the movie pep talking other students on the value of school and how important it is that they show up. This is quite the win for the Principal and the school. There is also a student, Rayvon, part of a gang. He’s worked hard in school but joined the gang because he didn’t have family left. His family had all been taken away (killed) somehow. He worked towards grades that got him accepted into Seton Hall University. Principal Stone coached him on calling the school, accepting his place there, and reminded him that all expenses were paid. Rayvon never called Seton Hall. The perplexing reason Rayvon did not call, was that heading off to a University, a new and different place to work hard, was scarier than the life he had on the streets with his gang

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