IFF and TFA present “American Promise”

On March 9th, 2016, Ivy Film Festival collaborated with Teach for America to bring a free screening of the award-winning documentary “American Promise” to Brown’s campus.

Filmed over the course of 13 years, “American Promise” follows two middle-class African-American boys from Brooklyn, N.Y. as make their way through The Dalton School, one of the most prestigious private schools in the country. Chronicling the boys’ divergent paths from kindergarten through high school graduation, this provocative, intimate documentary presents complicated truths about America’s struggle to come of age on issues of race, class and opportunity.

The film was introduced by Melitzi Torres ’15, a Brown alumna currently teaching 2nd grade Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary School. Torres spoke on her experiences as both a student and a teacher, and how she sees the issues presented in this film reflected even her own classroom.

TFA Campus Rep Charlotte Bilski ’16 commented on the film, saying “American Promise sheds light on many of the realities and inequities present in the American education system depending on one’s intersectional identity. The messages in this film are important to understand, as they convey the realities of many minority students who are treated differently within the United States educational system and are forced to confront racial bias by their teachers, peers, and school administrators. Teach For America is committed to helping close these achievement gaps perpetuated by systemic educational inequity by building a network of individuals in education who understand the importance of reaffirming all student identities and empowering all students to succeed.”