We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest
Karin McKie, MFA
Chicago Freelance Content Writer | Feature Articles in Education, Building Trades, Culture, PR, Marketing + more | Building Safety Journal, Daily Beast, AAM + more | [email protected]
Need hope? Wanna weep? Watch "We are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest," director, producer and Emmy award winner Amy Schatz's inspirational and engaging hour-long documentary, executive produced by Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali.
Over 120 schools in the Oakland, California, Unified School District provide an opportunity for kids in primary and middle schools, solo or groups, to share original poems and monologues, or recite famous works by Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and the main man, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The educator judges look for spirit and originality, delivery and carriage, in addition to "activism and uplift" from the thousand annual participants. Schatz tracks a few contestants with an accessible, light touch, focusing on the children and the adults in their lives who coach and cheer the speechmakers.
A group of immigrant students recites how their immigrant families shouldn't be called criminals and animals. A Sri Lankan boy shares the treatment of Tamil minorities in his homeland. Muslim sisters explain their choice to wear headscarves, and why people shouldn't think their mom is a terrorist. A tiny Latina girl shares a bilingual poem. A black girl explains "black girl magic." A group of youngsters embodies the stance and cadence of the Black Panthers, a group that began in Oakland, a "black, brown and immigrant city" known for social justice.
The competition, the participants and the lessons are heart-warming and remarkable. Even the educators are moved by the diminutive speakers' focus and passion. A woman praises the linguistic tradition as "a gift from the ancestors, the cadence of the diaspora."
She notes that we have much to learn from these kids.
A man remembers that "no revolution is complete without its poets."
"All we need is pencil, paper and a circle to share it," he adds.
Schatz provides that space in this Black History Month must-see.
"We are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest" premieres on HBO on February 18, and will available on-demand the following day. For more information, visit https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/we-are-the-dream
https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/entertainment/television//288240/we_are_the_dream:_the_kids_of_the_oakland_mlk_oratorical_fest