BOY: SKIN, SOMETIMES MAHOGANY, OTHER TIMES TAN LIKE THE SAND OF AN ISLAND BEACH.

CURLS, SOMETIMES WAVY AND LOOSE, OTHER TIMES RICH WITH KINKS AND COILS, SATURATED WITH CANTU PRODUCTS AND JAMAICAN BLACK CASTOR OIL.

MY COMMUNITY IS DIVERSE.

OUR DIASPORA IS LIKE AN EXPANSIVE UNIVERSE OF DREAMS AND JOY, PAIN AND GRIEF, AND HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE.

LET ME TELL YOU, IT'S SO MUCH MORE THAN A STANCE THAT I TAKE.

THERE'S A BIT OF MY HOPE IN EVERY MOVEMENT THAT I MAKE.

IT'S IN THE SILENCE THAT I BREAK.

MY HOPE IS IN MY ART AND THE MUSIC I CREATE.

IT'S IN THE POEMS THAT I WRITE, IN THE FILMS I DIRECT THAT I ADDRESS THE PEOPLE THAT WE NEED TO PROTECT TO TELL THEM, HAVE HOPE.

AND I'MMA KEEP ON SAYING IT.

MY TONGUE WON'T REST.

I'M GOING TO KEEP RAISING MY VOICE WITH EVERY BREATH LEFT IN MY CHEST.

I'M GOING TO KEEP USING MY ART TO CREATE SOCIAL UNREST.

I AM A REVOLUTIONARY.

AND TO THAT I CONFESS, NONE OF THIS COUNTRY'S STRUCTURES COULD ARREST MY HOPE, MY DREAMS, MY PAIN, MY GRIEF, OR MY JOY.

THROUGH IT ALL I REMAIN A YOUNG, GIFTED BLACK BOY WITH SO MUCH MORE TO SAY AND SO MUCH MORE TO CREATE IN ORDER TO PAVE THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE I ENVISION.

RADICAL EMPATHY AND HEALIN' IS MY MISSION.

AND IT'S THROUGH MY ART THAT BOTH SHALL BE.

ANNOUNCER: "ARTBOUND: ARTS AND EDUCATION" IS A PROJECT OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY ARTS EDUCATION COLLECTIVE, DEVELOPED BY THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KCET.

FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT WAS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE STEWART FOUNDATION, THE MOSS FOUNDATION, AND THE ARTS ED COLLECTIVE FUNDERS COUNCIL.

[PLAYING JAZZ MUSIC] MAN: ART IS MAGIC.

WE KNOW THAT.

AND A NOTION OF ART ITSELF IS MORE VAST THAN JUST A PAINTING ON A CANVAS, RIGHT?

IT'S THEATER, IT'S DANCE, IT'S MUSIC, YOU KNOW, IT'S MEDIA ARTS, ANIMATION, VIDEO GAMES.

THEY'RE NEW ARTS INDUSTRIES POPPING UP ALL THE TIME.

THAT'S JUST THE NATURE OF CREATIVITY.

[CLICK] WOMAN: ARTS AND CULTURE IS UNIQUELY POISED TO HELP US BRIDGE COMMUNITIES, TO HELP US LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER, AND TO HELP US HAVE A GREATER SENSE OF INCLUSION AND BELONGING IN THE WORLD.

SO GIVEN ALL OF THAT, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE SEE THE ROLE OF ARTS AND CULTURE, AND THAT IT FULLY REFLECT ALL THE DIVERSE HUMANITY THAT WE HAVE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

[GIRL SINGING INDISTINCTLY] DIFFERENT WOMAN: EMPLOYEES WHO ARE CRITICAL THINKERS, WHO ARE PROBLEM SOLVERS, WHO ARE CREATIVE, WHO COME UP WITH THE IDEA NOBODY THOUGHT ABOUT, WHO ARE BRAVE, WHO PERSIST.

THUNBERG: THERE WILL BE A TIME WHEN WE WILL LOOK BACK AND ASK OURSELVES WHAT WE DID RIGHT NOW.

WOMAN: THE ARTISTIC PROCESS IS LIKE THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS OF INQUIRY.

YOU KNOW, IT'S YOU KIND OF TRY SOMETHING, YOU FAIL, YOU TRY AGAIN.

REPORTER: MORE THAN 30 BIOTECH AND PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE RACING TO DEVELOP A SAFE COVID-19 VACCINE.

WOMAN: AND THAT IS SUCH A NECESSARY SKILL SET FOR THE WORKFORCE.

REPORTER: THE FIRST MARS EXPLORATION ROVER WAS LAUNCHED.

IN 2012, NASA LAUNCHED A LARGER AND MORE TECHNOLOGICAL...

IN THE SUMMER 2020, THE ROVER PERSEVERANCE WILL JOIN ITS PREDECESSORS ON THE RED PLANET.

WOMAN ON RADIO: TOUCHDOWN CONFIRMED.

WE ARE THERE SAFELY.

WOMAN: I WORK HERE AT NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY AS A SOFTWARE SYSTEMS DESIGNER FOR THE GROUND SYSTEM FOR THE MARS 2020 MISSION.

AND I'M ALSO A PRACTICING ARTIST.

JPL AS AN AEROSPACE ORGANIZATION IS PARTICULARLY CREATIVE.

THE CULTURE THAT IS REALLY VALUED IS THAT PEOPLE WITH A DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUNDS, EXPERTISE, AND WAYS OF THINKING COME TOGETHER TO SOLVE A NEW AND NOVEL PROBLEM.

GROWING UP, I WAS A VERY SHY AND AWKWARD CHILD, AND PERFORMING AS WELL AS MAKING DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS, IT WAS A REALLY HELPFUL WAY FOR ME TO FEEL UNDERSTOOD.

ONE OF THE MAIN SKILLS THAT I LEARNED IN ART SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY, WAS THAT BEING AN ARTIST IS ABOUT HAVING A CONCEPT AND THEN FINDING WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH THAT CONCEPT, ACQUIRING NEW SKILL SETS, AND BEING EXTREMELY VERSATILE IN HOW I IMAGINE, DEVELOP, AND ACCOMPLISH A PARTICULAR IDEA.

AND I FOUND THAT THAT HAS BEEN INVALUABLE TO MY WORK HERE AT JPL.

[CHILDREN CHATTERING] [SCHOOL BELL RINGS] WOMAN: THE MORE CREATIVE EDUCATION IS A IN SCHOOL, THE MORE ROBUST, RESILIENT, HEALTHY THE SCHOOL CLIMATE IS.

WE CAN MEASURE HOW MANY STUDENTS DON'T DROP OUT, HOW MANY STUDENTS GO ON TO ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE OF HIGHER LEVEL CLASSES.

NEWS ANCHOR: WE HAD A RARE FEAT TONIGHT FOR SENIORS AT ONE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL.

THEY'RE CELEBRATING A 100% GRADUATION RATE.

AT SUCH A LARGE PUBLIC SCHOOL IS PRACTICALLY UNHEARD OF.

THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 82%.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] WOMAN: THE BENEFITS ARE IMMENSE.

YOU KNOW, LEARNING TEAMWORK, LEARNING COLLABORATION, LEARNING CREATIVITY.

THERE'S ALSO A WEALTH OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS, AND THE ABILITY TO ADAPT TO DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, THE ABILITY TO FIND YOUR OWN SENSE OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND IDENTITY.

AND SO THAT BENEFITS YOU FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, NO MATTER WHAT CAREER YOU GO INTO.

MAN: UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE A LOT OF BARRIERS TODAY TO STUDENTS HAVING ACCESS TO ARTS EDUCATION.

DIFFERENT MAN: ONLY 39% OF STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA WERE ENROLLED IN AN ARTS COURSE, COMPARED TO EVEN NEXT DOOR IN ARIZONA, OVER 68%, OR YOU GO INTO THE SOUTH, NORTH CAROLINA AND OTHER STATES IS OVER 70% OF STUDENTS.

EVERY STATE HAS HIGHER, WHETHER IT'S MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA, AND OTHER STATES IN THE SOUTH WHERE OUR INCOME IS ALMOST TWICE AS MUCH.

WE'RE IN THE LAND OF HOLLYWOOD, RIGHT, OF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY, AND WE'RE FAR BEHIND.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] MAN: CONSISTENTLY WE SEE AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINO, AND NATIVE AMERICAN BOYS HAVING THE LOWEST GRADUATION RATES, HIGHEST DROPOUT RATES, HIGH SUSPENSION RATES, AND OUR TENDENCY HAS BEEN TO SORT OF BLAME THEM AS BEING THE PROBLEM.

REPORTER: RACIAL DISPARITY AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT REMAINS ONE OF THE LEADING PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN EDUCATION.

MAN: SAYING THAT THEY DON'T VALUE EDUCATION ENOUGH, SAYING THEY DON'T WORK HARD ENOUGH, AND ESSENTIALLY PATHOLOGIZING THESE YOUNG MEN.

WHAT WE ARE MISSING OUT ON IS THAT OFTENTIMES MANY OF THESE YOUNG BOYS ARE COMING TO US SAYING THAT, "I HAVE WAYS OF EXPRESSING MYSELF.

I HAVE WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT THE WORLD.

I HAVE WAYS OF USING SPOKEN WORD, CREATIVE EXPRESSION THAT TELLS YOU THAT I CAN DO SCHOOL, BUT YOU HAVE TO LET ME DO SCHOOL IN A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT AND DYNAMIC WAY."

CHILDREN: ♪ ONE DAY WHEN THE GLORY COMES IT'LL BE YOURS IT'LL BE YOURS OH BOY: HANDS TO THE HEAVENS NO, MAN, NO WEAPONS FORMED AGAINST YES, GLORIOUS DESTINY EVERY DAY WOMEN AND MEN BECOME LEGENDS ALL GOD'S SKIN BECOME BLESSINGS ♪ MAN: I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HOW YOU DID THAT.

I WENT TO SCHOOL.

I CAN ANALYZE A BUDGET.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU GOT TO 500 MILLION.

DID YOU JUST PULL THAT OUT OF THE AIR?

WOMAN: FOLKS WHO ARE MAKING DECISIONS AROUND BUDGETS OR SCHOOL SYSTEMS HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE ARTS WERE JUST A NICE TO HAVE OR THAT THE ARTS WERE JUST SOMETHING FOR THE ELITE OR FOR THOSE WHO COULD AFFORD IT.

BUT WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING AND WHAT WE ACTUALLY KNOW IS THAT ARTS, CULTURE, AND CREATIVITY ARE INTEGRAL PARTS OF CIVIC LIFE AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE SUPPORTED RIGHT ALONGSIDE EDUCATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH, THE IMPORTANCE OF WELL-BEING, BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO THEIR OWN INTRINSIC VALUE, THE ARTS ALSO SUPPORT ALL OF THOSE IN OUR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AND OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

GIRL: I CAN ONLY WRITE THIS POEM ONCE, MAKE NO EDITS.

IF MY WRITING GETS LOST IN TRANSLATIONS, I'LL MAKE NO EDITS.

IF MY TONGUE ROLLS ITS Rs, FORGETS TO HIDE THE THICK ACCENT OF MINE, I'LL MAKE NO EDITS.

I CAN ONLY TEACH THIS TONGUE TO NEVER SEPARATE THE ROOTS FROM THE EARTH AND [SPEAKING SPANISH] I'M STARTING TO FEEL FOREIGN TO A LANGUAGE SPOKEN IN A SMALL VILLAGE DOWN THE HILLS OF TOTONICAPAN, GUATEMALA, WHERE ON SATURDAYS THE CENTER FERNANDEZ WAS OUR SAVIOR AND INGLES SIN BARRERAS WASN'T IN THE PICTURE.

THE COMBINATION OF SPANISH AND K'ICHE WAS A HARMONY NEVER QUESTIONED WHEN SPOKEN.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] I TOO WANT TO TEACH OTHERS THE WAY MY GRANDFATHER TAUGHT ME TO CLAIM THIS SPACE AS OUR OWN AND NEVER FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, TO REMEMBER AND PAINT EVERY WHITE WALL WITH THE HISTORY OF OUR ANCESTORS, TO KEEP WATERING OUR ROOTS, NEVER LET MANKIND BREAK OUR BRANCHES AND STILL LET THEM BLOOM.

I TOO WANT TO LET MYSELF BE STRONG ENOUGH SO MY FUTURE CHILDREN WON'T HAVE TO BITE THEIR TONGUE AND REALIZE THAT THEY TOO CAN JOIN IN HARMONY TO THE LANGUAGE NEVER QUESTIONED WHEN SPOKEN IN A SMALL VILLAGE DOWN THE HILLS OF TOTONICAPAN, GUATEMALA.

BOSEMAN: IT IS THE REASON YOU ARE ON THE PLANET AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME IN HISTORY.

YOUR VERY EXISTENCE IS WRAPPED UP IN THE THINGS YOU ARE HERE TO FULFILL.

WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE FOR A CAREER PATH, REMEMBER THE STRUGGLES ALONG THE WAY ARE ONLY MEANT TO SHAPE YOU FOR YOUR PURPOSE.

WOMAN: IF WE THINK ABOUT ARTS EDUCATION OR EVEN THE ARTS NOT AS A THING THAT IS PRODUCED BUT AS A METHOD, AS A METHOD OF ACCESSING CREATIVITY AND OF BUILDING SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, WE'RE LEAVING SO MANY STUDENTS-- WE'RE LEAVING THEM DRY.

MAN: BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS WITH THE WAY ONE FEELS-- OBAMA: I STILL BELIEVE IN THAT VISION WHERE WE ALL COME TOGETHER.

MAN: BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS WHAT A DIFFERENCE IS, BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS OPINIONS AND IDEAS AND EMOTIONS.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: 'CAUSE HISTORY HAPPENS WHEN WE ANSWER THE GREAT CALL OF DR. KING.

WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR OTHERS?

MAN: IN THE END, THE ARTS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY THAT PIECE OF COMMUNICATION.

THEY'RE TOOLS THAT COULD BE SUPER USEFUL IN TERMS OF ENGAGING PEOPLE TOGETHER.

WE SEE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING CURRICULUM USE A LOT OF THINGS FROM THEATER, USE A LOT OF THINGS FROM PERFORMANCE, YOU KNOW, AND MOVEMENT AND DANCE TO ENGAGE THAT.

ARNOLD: I KNOW THAT ARTS EDUCATION SAVED MY LIFE.

WHEN YOU'RE GROWING UP IN THE INNER CITY AND YOU'RE IN THE HOOD, THERE'S TRAUMA ON A DAILY BASIS.

EVEN IF IT'S NOT IN YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY, IT'S DOWN THE STREET FROM YOU.

BY THE TIME I WAS 14 YEARS OLD IN WASHINGTON D.C., TWO OF MY FRIENDS WHO WERE AFRICAN DRUMMERS IN THE STUDIO NEXT TO ME WERE MURDERED JUST BECAUSE SOME OTHER KID DIDN'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY THEY HAD TO GO RELEASE.

AND THAT'S WHY FOR ME I NEEDED DANCE.

BECAUSE NOW I HAD A WAY TO RELEASE.

YOU KNOW, YOU CRY ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO JUST CRY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME VEHICLE TO SAY SOMETHING.

WHEN SOMEONE FEELS THAT THEY CAN EXPRESS THEMSELVES, LIKE THEY MATTER, LIKE THEY'RE PART OF THE SOCIETY, THEN THEY'RE MOTIVATED TO CONTRIBUTE, TO BE ACTIVE, TO TREAT SOMEONE ELSE KINDLY, AND SO YOU CREATE THE GLOBAL CITIZEN WHEN YOU GIVE SOMEONE EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES FREELY WITHOUT JUDGMENT.

BECAUSE WHAT'S BEAUTIFUL ABOUT ART IS IT'S ABOUT FINDING SOMEONE'S VOICE AND THEN LETTING THEM FIND THEIR WAY.

WOMAN: THERE'S A LOT OF NEUROSCIENCE ON EMOTIONS AND LEARNING.

STUDENTS AREN'T EVEN LEARNING UNLESS THEY'RE EMOTIONALLY ENGAGED IN THE CONTENT.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE CONTENT IS.

AND ARTS EDUCATION HAS BEEN PROVEN TO HAVE AN EMOTIONAL POWER.

IF YOU INTEGRATE THE ARTS INTO MATH AND SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HISTORY...

GIRL: THIS IS THE APOLLO.

BOY: IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE A LASTING CHANGE, IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF WORK.

ARE YOU REALLY UP FOR ALL THAT?

STUDENTS: YES!

BOY: ALL RIGHT, THEN, APOLLOS, IF THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT AND YOU TRULY BELIEVE WE CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN, THEN WE NEED TO GET TO WORK.

WOMAN: IT MAKES THE CONTENT MORE ENGAGING, STUDENTS MAKE THINGS, THEY PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES, THEY ACT OUT SCENES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY.

THAT'S LEARNING.

SINGER: ♪ WEIGH THOSE SHOULDERS, PUT THEM IN MY GIRL OH, I GOT EYES IN THE BACK... ♪ WOMAN: PUTTING YOURSELF INTO A CHARACTER'S, YOU KNOW, POINT OF VIEW AND FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS, I'VE NOW ADAPTED THOSE EMOTIONS.

MY BRAIN NOW UNDERSTANDS THESE EMOTIONS.

IF THAT CHARACTER IS THE HERO AND PROBLEM SOLVING FOR A COMMUNITY, HOW DO YOU PROBLEM SOLVE THAT?

IF THAT CHARACTER, YOU KNOW, IS SOLVING THOSE DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING DYNAMICS, THEN THE BRAIN STORES THAT EMOTION AND THAT FEELING.

MAN: ESPECIALLY AT A YOUNG AGE, WHAT ARE THOSE DIFFICULTIES THAT YOU HAVE AND HOW DO YOU EXPRESS THEM?

THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT VOICE, THAT LENS THROUGH WHICH EACH PERSON SEES THE WORLD.

BOY: I USED TO TREMBLE EVERY TIME I HEAR YOU SAY MY NAME, EVERY TIME I HEAR FOOTSTEPS IN THE HOUSE, WONDERING, I WONDER WHAT POPS IS GONNA SAY IF I DO THIS.

MAN: AND SAYING THAT LENS IS UNIQUE, IT'S IMPORTANT, IT'S YOU, IT'S YOURS AS A MEMBER OF SOCIETY, AS A CITIZEN.

AND HOPEFULLY THAT ENCOURAGES YOU TO ENGAGE.

[CLICK] OPIE: I APPROACH EACH PROJECT AS AN ARTIST IN TERMS OF MAYBE QUESTIONS THAT I'M ASKING MYSELF AT THIS POINT.

BACK TO THAT EARLY 9-YEAR-OLD CATHY, I WAS HAVING TO WRITE A REPORT ON CHILD LABOR LAWS.

I REMEMBER LOOKING AT THAT PICTURE, AND IT WAS THE YOUNG GIRL AT THE CAROLINA MILL.

AND THE PHOTOGRAPH MADE A REALLY LARGE IMPACT ON ME.

AND I WENT HOME AND I SAID, "I WANT TO BE A DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER."

ALL RIGHT, NOW A REGULAR PORTRAIT, OK?

JUST STANDING THERE.

I THINK THAT THE WORK FROM 9 TO THE CURRENT TIME, THERE'S A THROUGH LINE.

AND THAT IS FULFILLING THE CURIOSITY OF WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY CAN DO AS A LANGUAGE.

[CAMERA CLICKS] WOMAN: THROUGH ALL OF THE ARTS I THINK THAT ARE TAUGHT-- WRITING, THEATER, DANCE-- YOU HAVE A SENSE OF STRUGGLE IN SOME WAY.

YOU FACE A BARRIER THAT YOU HAVE TO USE THIS, YOU KNOW, SKILL SET TO OVERCOME.

HARRIS: I, KAMALA DAVI HARRIS, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES... WOMAN: WHEN YOU SKIP A LINE OR YOU, YOU KNOW, STUMBLE THROUGH A DANCE MOVE, YOU ARE IN A SAFE SPACE TO CORRECT THAT AND PRACTICE AT HOME.

MAN: WE REALLY HAVE TO CREATE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.

WE HAVE TO VALUE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES JUST AS MUCH AS CORE SUBJECTS, THE ENGLISH AND THE MATHS AND THE SCIENCES.

WOMAN: A CREATIVE EDUCATION HELPS THEM STEP OUT INTO WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO.

IT HELPS THEM BE DECISION-MAKERS THAT ARE FLEXIBLE, THAT ARE WILLING TO MAKE WELL-INFORMED DECISIONS BASED ON BEING OBSERVANT, BUT THEN ALSO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE MISSED SOMETHING AND BE WILLING TO GO BACK AND MAKE A CHANGE.

FAUCI: WEAR A MASK.

OK?

AS THE INFORMATION CHANGES, THEN YOU HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH AND HUMBLE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE HOW YOU THINK ABOUT THINGS.

WOMAN: IT HELPS THEM BE MORE DELIGHTED BY THE WORLD AROUND THEM THAN IF THEY'D STAYED BOXED IN.

MAN: ONE OF THE THINGS WE SEE IN SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS THEY USE THE POWER OF THE CANVAS TO SHARE THEIR EMOTIONS WHEN THEY'RE ANGRY, WHEN THEY'RE SAD, WHEN THEY'RE MELANCHOLY, OR WHEN THEY'RE EXCITED.

TO SEE THAT IN A REGULAR CLASSROOM ON A DAY IN, DAY OUT BASIS SHOULD BE OUR ULTIMATE GOAL BECAUSE THEN WE ALLOW KIDS TO BE THEMSELVES, SHARE THEIR EMOTIONS, WHICH THEN CAN ULTIMATELY HELP THEM WITH THEIR LEARNING.

[DRUMMING] KALANI: MY NAME IS KALANI.

I'M 15 YEARS OLD, AND I'M CURRENTLY LOCKED UP IN JUVENILE HALL.

I DIDN'T PLAN ON BECOMING A STATISTIC, BUT SOMEHOW I DID.

YOU SEE, BOTH OF MY PARENTS ARE FELONS, BUT BOTH HAVE BEEN--BOTH HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP, AND UNFORTUNATELY, ONE OF MY PARENTS ARE STILL INCARCERATED.

WOMAN: LET'S BE REAL.

SOMEONE DOESN'T JUST WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND SAY, "I WANT TO CAUSE DISORDER THEN.

I WANT TO MAKE A MESS OF THINGS."

BEHIND THAT IS SUFFERING.

SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE.

KALANI: I WAS, LIKE, ON THE STREETS, LIKE.

I WASN'T, LIKE, HOMELESS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT I WAS ON FEDORA EVERY DAY TRYING TO SURVIVE.

AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE A WALL I PUT UP, 'CAUSE I DON'T EVERYONE LIKE, "OH, SHE'S SOFT," YOU KNOW.

I AM SOFT, BUT I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW THAT.

I WAS SO NICE AND PEOPLE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THAT.

REPORTER: A TEACHER DECKS A STUDENT AND THE TWO GO... REPORTER 2: ALTERCATION BETWEEN A TEACHER AND STUDENT... REPORTER 3: SCUFFLE BETWEEN A SCHOOL COP AND A STUDENT GETS OUT OF HAND TODAY... WOMAN: WE NEED TO GET AHEAD OF THE DISCIPLINARY ISSUES BY ACTUALLY KNOWING WHAT KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH.

AND THAT MEANS HAVING AN EDUCATION WHERE THE CHILD CAN PRESENT IN SCHOOL IN A WAY WHERE WE GET TO KNOW THEM.

ONE OF THE WAYS WE CAN GET TO KNOW THEM IS THROUGH CREATIVE EXPRESSION.

IF I KNOW THIS ABOUT THIS STUDENT I CAN TEACH THEM BETTER.

DIFFERENT WOMAN: I'VE SEEN INCREDIBLE EXAMPLES OF YOUNG PEOPLE PROCESS AND DIGEST WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD AROUND THEM THROUGH ART.

MONE: INSIDE THIS OLD WAREHOUSE IN SOUTH TEXAS, THE U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL IS KEEPING HUNDREDS OF IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN CAGES CREATED BY METAL FENCING.

REPORTER: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DETAILED CONDITIONS INSIDE A CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL DETENTION CENTER IN CLINT, TEXAS, WHERE ALLEGEDLY 250 INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND TEENAGERS ARE BEING HELD.

ACCORDING TO THE AP, THERE'S NOT ADEQUATE FOOD, WATER, OR SANITATION INSIDE.

CUMMINGS: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN A CHILD IS SITTING IN THEIR OWN FECES, CAN'T TAKE A SHOWER?

NONE OF US WOULD HAVE OUR CHILDREN IN THAT POSITION.

WOMAN: AN EXAMPLE THAT WAS REALLY POWERFUL FOR ME WAS A PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN.

AND IT WAS ACTUALLY HER BACK.

AND SHE'S DRAWING A WHOLE UNIVERSE.

AND IN THE CORNER OF THAT PAPER WAS A LITTLE GIRL IN A CAGE.

SO SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE YOUNG KIDS AT THE BORDER WHO ARE HORRIFICALLY MISTREATED AND BEING PUT IN CAGES.

CUMMINGS: I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, IT'S NOT THE DEED THAT YOU DO TO A CHILD, IT'S THE MEMORY.

IT'S THE MEMORY.

WOMAN: I JUST THOUGHT, MY GOD, HERE'S THIS YOUNG PERSON WHO'S, YOU KNOW, SHE WAS SUPER UPBEAT AND SUPER HAPPY, AND SHE JUST REALLY LOVED HAVING THE EXPERIENCE OF CREATING THIS ARTWORK, BUT CLEARLY SHE'S DEALING WITH THESE MAJOR ISSUES.

THAT WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT REMINDER OF THE ROLE THAT WE PLAY IN JUST HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE PROCESS.

WOMAN: A LOT OF THE CHILDREN IN THAT SCHOOL ARE HAVING MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES DEPORTED, AND THERE HAVE BEEN ICE RAIDS IN THEIR SCHOOLS.

AND SO THE CHILDREN WERE HAVING A LOT OF FEAR ABOUT IT.

SO THE DANCE TEACHER AND THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST CAME TOGETHER, THEY JOURNALED THEIR EXPERIENCES, AND THEY CHOREOGRAPHED A BEAUTIFUL DANCE CALLED "THE WALL."

[SIREN BLARES] CHILD: MOM!

MOM!

[CHILD SCREAMING] WOMAN: WHEN YOU HEAR THEY'RE STUDYING A TOPIC, BUT THEY'RE ALSO EXPRESSING SOMETHING IN THEIR OWN LIVES, IT'S PERSONAL TO THEM, IT'S PERSONALIZED IN A CULTURALLY RESPECTFUL AND RELEVANT WAY TO THEM, THAT TO ME IS REALLY DEEP ARTS INTEGRATION.

DIFFERENT WOMAN: WHAT ARTS EDUCATION DOES IS IT HELPS TO CREATE SYSTEMS IN OUR BRAIN THAT HELP US TO INTERPRET THE WORLD, BUT IT ALSO GIVES US SOME CONTROL OVER HOW THAT STIMULI GETS FILTERED AND THEN PRESENTED BACK.

YOU WILL HAVE ARTS EDUCATION THAT CREATES ALMOST THE PATHWAYS FOR THAT IMAGINATION AND FOR THAT RESILIENCY TO KICK IT.

MAN: I'M NOT AFFECTING YOU.

I'M NOT TOUCHING YOU.

I'M NOT ENTERING YOUR SPACE.

YES, IT'S IN FRONT OF YOU FOR YOU TO SEE THE REALNESS, FOR YOU TO SEE THE PAIN THAT IS SO AUTHENTIC TO MYSELF THAT HOPEFULLY YOU WILL QUESTION, WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

GIRL: WHEN A TRUTH ECHOES OFF THE WALLS OF OUR TRACHEAS BUT GETS CAUGHT IN THE COBWEBS OF CORRIDORS STONE-COLD.

MY TRUTH REFLECTS ENDLESSLY WITHIN ITSELF LIKE A MIRROR BUT RARELY BREAKS THE GLASS TO SUFFER ITS WAY INTO MEDUSA'S EARS.

A CORRIDOR STONE-COLD.

MY IDENTITY MAKES STALEMATES WITHIN THE BROKENNESS OF THAT SAME GLASS, FRAGMENTED PIECES OF SHE, NEGRO, AND DON'T SPEAK, THEY WON'T LISTEN ANYWAY.

MYSELF IDENTIFIES MY REFLECTION AS MAGIC, MULTIPLICITIES OF EARTH AND FIRE AND MILES OF MOTHERS WITH THE SAME ROUND NOSE.

THE CHOCOLATE CONGLOMERATE, TOO CHEWY, OOEY GOOEY, LET THE YEAST SETTLE.

I SEE EACH BODY HAIR AND WOMAN, BLACKNESS AND CAREFREE, NONE OF WHICH COMFORTABLY FIT TO MAKE A PERFECT PICTURE.

I AM A BROKEN MIRROR.

THESE VOICES BE REFUGEES IN THE HANDS OF THE EMPATHY AND EBONY DEFICIENT.

AND OUR VULNERABILITY MAKES WEAPONS FORMED AGAINST US THAT DO PROSPER AND IS PAINFULLY EFFICIENT.

SO WHY WOULD WE KEEP SCREAMING INTO AN EMPTY ROOM JUST TO BREAK THE MIRRORS WITH THE PAIN?

EMBRACE THE PERSPECTIVE DISFIGUREMENT.

GLASS IS MADE WHEN SAND IS HEATED, ABRIDGED, DISMEMBERED EARTH TO THE OOEY GOOEY, AND THEN THE FULL FORM.

I AM THE EARTH.

I'M THE FIRE.

I'M THE BLACK, AND I'M THE WOMAN.

HEAR ME.

NOW SEE ME.

COMPLETE.

WOMAN: PART OF CREATING A SENSE OF BELONGING IS HAVING CREATIVELY AND CULTURALLY DIVERSIFIED CURRICULUM, HAVING A STUDENT BODY, HAVING A TEACHING CORE, HAVING EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP THAT GETS THESE THINGS.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] MAN: IF ART REFLECTS US AS SOCIETY AND REFLECTS OUR HISTORY OF KNOWLEDGE AS A CULTURE, WHEN THE MIRROR THAT'S SHOWN TO YOU DOESN'T ALLOW FOR YOUR REFLECTION...

IT KILLS A PART OF YOU.

WOMAN: PAULO FREIRE WAS A BRAZILIAN EDUCATIONAL THEORIST.

HE TALKS ABOUT THE BANKING SYSTEM, WHERE YOU'RE JUST PUTTING KNOWLEDGE INTO A CHILD'S HEAD LIKE A LITTLE COIN IN A PIGGY BANK VS.

HONORING THE KNOWLEDGE THEY BRING WITH THEM TO SCHOOL AND GROWING THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND LITERACY FROM THERE.

MAN: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DECIDED TO DO IN MY CLASSROOM IS HAVE STUDENTS CHALLENGE THE NEGATIVE PORTRAYALS OF THEIR COMMUNITY IN THE MEDIA.

OFFICER: OH, THIS IS TREY RIGHT HERE.

WHAT'S UP, TREY?

TREY: WHAT'S UP BACK.

OFFICER 2: WHAT YOU DOING?

TREY: DOING WHAT I DO, YOU KNOW.

WHAT'S UP?

OFFICER: SLOW MOTION.

MAN: WHEN THE MOVIE "END OF WATCH" CAME OUT, RIGHT, IT LITERALLY WAS FILMED ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE SCHOOL.

AND SO IN THIS MOVIE THAT'S DIRECTED BY A WHITE DIRECTOR, HE'S REFLECTING IT AS THIS GANG RIDDEN AREA WHERE THE POLICE AND LOCAL GANG MEMBERS ARE SHOOTING IT OUT.

[GUNFIRE] OFFICER: DUDE'S, IT'S GOT MORE BLING THAN THE OLD LADY'S WEDDING RING.

MAN: AND THERE'S HIGH-SPEED CHASES.

WHEN HAVE YOU SEEN A HIGH-SPEED CHASE LIKE GOING THROUGH ALLEYS, THROUGH THE FRONT OF YOUR HOMES?

DIFFERENT MAN: OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IS PREDICATED ON BEING ABLE TO ASSESS TRUTH FROM FICTION WHEN IT COMES TO LANGUAGE.

BUT WHAT ABOUT VISUAL LITERACY, ORAL LITERACY?

WHAT ABOUT LITERACY ABOUT MOVEMENT?

WE ARE BOMBARDING EACH OTHER WITH THIS MEDIA, BUT WE AREN'T REALLY TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO DECODE WHAT MIGHT BE TRUTH WITHIN AN IMAGE.

MAN: WE STARTED THINKING IN THAT CRITICAL MANNER, HOW DO THEY EXPERIENCE SOUTH CENTRAL?

RIGHT.

AND WHAT'S THE STORY THAT THEY WANT TO TELL ABOUT SOUTH CENTRAL THAT'S GOING TO COUNTER THIS NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL?

AND SO WHEN STUDENTS CREATED THEIR OWN TORTILLA PROJECTS, THEY WERE TELLING STORIES OF HOW THEY EXPERIENCE SOUTH CENTRAL.

THAT, I THINK, WAS A VERY TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECT WHERE STUDENTS UNDERSTOOD WHAT A NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL WAS.

AND AGAIN, THEY TOOK THE AGENCY TO PUSH BACK BY CREATING THEIR OWN COUNTER-NARRATIVES.

RATHER THAN TEACHING STUDENTS TO KIND OF DUPLICATE WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT, I WANTED THEM TO USE ARTS TO DEVELOP A SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND TO DEVELOP CREATIVE WAYS OF MAKING CHANGES TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY BENEFITING THEM IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY.

MAN: WE'VE ALL HEARD THE AFRICAN PROVERB IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD.

THE SCHOOL IS ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL PARTS OF THAT VILLAGE.

DIFFERENT MAN: I BELIEVE THAT MANY STUDENTS OF COLOR DON'T DO AS WELL IN SCHOOL BECAUSE OFTENTIMES THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE KINDS OF WAYS THAT THEY KNOW, UNDERSTAND, AND MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD AND WITH THOSE TYPES OF KNOWLEDGES THAT THEY'RE EXPECTED TO UNDERSTAND IN SCHOOL.

DIFFERENT MAN: CULTURE IS REALLY OUR OWN EXPERIENCES.

IT'S THE PRACTICES, IT'S THE ABILITIES, IT'S THE SKILLS THAT THEIR PARENTS PASSED DOWN TO THEM FROM HOME, RIGHT?

SO IT'S THE HOME KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY HAVE THAT GETS PASSED DOWN TO THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS.

THAT'S WHAT CULTURE IS, RIGHT?

IT'S NOT WHAT ETHNIC GROUP YOU ARE, RIGHT.

IT'S WHAT KNOWLEDGE IS BEING TAUGHT AT HOME AND WHAT KNOWLEDGE IS PASSED DOWN TO YOU AND HOW DO YOU USE THAT KNOWLEDGE TO NAVIGATE, RIGHT, YOUR SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES BEING AT SCHOOL, IN THE COMMUNITY, OR IN YOUR CAREERS.

GUPTA: I FIRST STARTED PLAYING A FAKE VIOLIN THAT MY DAD MADE FOR ME OUT OF A CRACKER JACK BOX AND A RULER WHEN I WAS 3.

I GREW UP IN A BENGALI FAMILY.

BOTH OF MY PARENTS WERE IMMIGRANTS FROM THE STATE OF BENGALI IN INDIA, SPECIFICALLY THE CITY OF KOLKATA.

AND THEY WERE THE ONES WHO KIND OF PUT A VIOLIN IN MY HANDS.

BUT THEN WHEN I TURNED 13 OR 14, MY PARENTS SAID, "WELL, OK, THAT'S GREAT, BUT NOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE A DOCTOR."

I DON'T THINK MY PARENTS SAW THEIR CREATIVE EXPRESSIVE LIFE BASED IN THEIR CULTURE AS PART OF SOMETHING THAT THEIR CHILDREN COULD PURSUE IN ORDER TO HAVE MEANING IN THE AMERICAN WORLD.

AND SO I REMEMBER MY PARENTS DRIVING ME TO MUSIC LESSONS AND PLAYING BIZET OPERAS, BUT THEN PLAYING BENGALI FOLK SONGS ON MY WAY HOME.

AND SO SOME PART OF WHAT I HAVE IN MY LIFE IS LIKE THERE'S THE SOUND OF THEIR VOICES.

WOMAN: I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THEIR CONNECTION TO NOT ONLY THEIR OWN HUMANITY, BUT THE HUMANNESS OF THEIR CLASSMATE OR THEIR TEACHER OR THEIR FRIENDS OR THEIR FRIENDS' FAMILIES OR EVEN STRANGERS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.

I CERTAINLY HAVE SPENT, YOU KNOW, 30 YEARS OF MY LIFE FACILITATING CROSS-CULTURAL DIALOGUE, TRYING TO ELIMINATE BIAS AND BIGOTRY AND OPPRESSION.

BUT I'VE ALSO NOTICED THAT THAT WORK IS ENHANCED WHEN WE CAN ENGAGE FOLKS AT AN ARTISTIC LEVEL.

SO RATHER THAN JUST HAVE A CONVERSATION, IT'S, WHAT IF WE HAVE A CONVERSATION WHILE WE ARE MAKING SOMETHING TOGETHER, WHILE WE ARE USING THE MAKING OF AN ART OBJECT OR A PLAY OR A COMPOSITION OR A POEM.

WE CAN USE THAT AS A TOOL TO CONNECT TO NOT ONLY WHAT IS MY TRUTH AND MY EXPERIENCES AS AN INDIVIDUAL, BUT HOW CAN I START TO BUILD EMPATHY AND COMPASSION FOR THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO I'M WRITING WITH?

DIFFERENT WOMAN: ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS OF SELF HELP GRAPHICS IS CALLED THE BARRIO MOBILE ARTS STUDIO, AND ONE OF THE FIRST PROGRAMS WITHIN THE BARRIO MOBILE ARTS STUDIO WAS ACTUALLY TEACHING ABOUT DAY OF THE DEAD AND TEACHING A COMMUNITY THAT HAD A CULTURAL CONNECTION BUT WHERE THIS WASN'T A TRADITION.

AND SO OVER TIME, OVER THE PAST 47 YEARS, DAY OF THE DEAD OR DIA DE LOS MUERTOS HAS BECOME AN L.A.

TRADITION.

AND BEYOND THAT, IT'S REALLY BECOME A NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON.

AND SO YOU SEE THIS THING THAT HAS GROWN OUT OF, REALLY OUT OF THE COMMUNITY AND OVER TIME BECOME MUCH MORE POPULAR AND MAINSTREAM, AND YOU'RE NOW SEEING IT IN SCHOOL SPACES.

YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN ALTARS, OR THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SORT OF VERSION OF A CELEBRATION.

AND FOR US, IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING EXAMPLE OF, I THINK, SOMETHING THAT'S VERY CULTURALLY AFFIRMING, THAT'S VERY HEALING, AND THAT HAS A HOME IN THE COMMUNITY SPACE BUT THAT HAS NOW FOUND ITS OWN SPACE WITHIN SCHOOLS AND WITHIN CLASSROOM SETTINGS.

DIFFERENT WOMAN: I THINK THAT EVERY COMMUNITY HAS NO SHORTAGE OF CREATIVITY.

BUT WHAT THERE IS SOMETIMES A SHORTAGE OF ARE PLATFORMS AND PROGRAMS, SYSTEMS OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, AND THESE ARE THE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN BE SEEN AND WITNESSED.

AND I THINK A REALLY IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF CREATING A HEALTHY SCHOOL COMMUNITY IS BY MAKING SURE YOUR STUDENT POPULATION IS VISIBLE AND SEEN.

ALLEN: I CAN'T REMEMBER NOT DANCING.

I CAN SEE MYSELF AT 3 YEARS OLD.

I CHALLENGED MY MOM ABOUT DANCE CLASSES.

I SAID, "MOMMY, HOW AM I GOING TO BE A GREAT DANCER IF I DON'T HAVE CLASS?"

SO I REALLY WANTED TO STUDY BALLET.

AND THINGS WERE VERY SEGREGATED IN HOUSTON WHERE I WAS GROWING UP IN THE SIXTIES.

FINALLY, THE MAIN AND THE BEST BALLET SCHOOL OPENED TO BLACK PEOPLE.

WELL, THEY HAD ONE STUDENT.

IT WAS ME.

I THINK IT'S VITAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE ACCESSIBILITY TO THE ARTS IN THEIR EDUCATION DAILY.

IT'S WHY I OPENED THE DEBBIE ALLEN DANCE ACADEMY, TO FILL A VOID, TO HAVE A SCHOOL THAT WAS COMPREHENSIVE, DO BALLET AND MODERN AND TAP AND FLAMINGO AND CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TECHNIQUE, AND A PLACE WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE'S IMAGINATIONS CAN REALLY THRIVE.

THE ARTS IS THE INCUBATION FOR INNOVATION AND WITHOUT IT, THERE'S NO NEW TECHNOLOGY, THERE'S NO NEW CURE TO DISEASE.

ALL OF THIS TAKES CREATIVITY.

WOMAN: MY SON ENVISIONED A PLACE LIKE THE UNDERGROUND WHERE PEOPLE COME TO CREATE COMMUNITY AND TO SHARE IN THIS IDEA OF BEING GENEROUS OF SPIRIT AND BEING GENEROUS WITH OUR CREATIVITY AND BEING GENEROUS WITH THEIR IDEAS.

WE ALL HAVE TO LEAN ON EACH OTHER TO GET THINGS DONE.

AND SO SCHOOLS HAVE TO LEAN ON COMMUNITY SPACES, COMMUNITY SPACES LEAN ON SCHOOLS.

SO THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE MOST VIBRANT AND MOST SUCCESSFUL HAVE VIBRANT ARTS EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL AND THE SCHOOL ALMOST ALWAYS HAS VIBRANT COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.

DIFFERENT WOMAN: WE GET TO CONTINUE THE LEARNING THAT HAS STARTED IN SCHOOL.

WE GET TO BE THAT OUTSIDE LABORATORY THAT I THINK--THAT EXTERNAL INTERNSHIP FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO TAKE WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN SCHOOL AND THEN COME BE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE IT'S LIKE, YEAH, WE CAN CRITIQUE SOMETHING BASED ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PARTICULAR ART FORM AND ALL OF ITS STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE.

WHAT'S FASCINATING TO PEOPLE ARE THESE MOMENTS WHERE WE CAN CONNECT AND SAY, HEY, SOMETHING FROM YOUR CULTURE CONNECTS TO MY CULTURE.

MAN: KOGI COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED I DON'T THINK IN ANY OTHER CITY.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] WHEN KOGI HAPPENED IS WHEN I WAS ABLE TO BECOME AN ARTIST.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, LIKE MY FRIENDS WERE ABLE TO DRAW MURALS OR BE ABLE TO FREESTYLE OR MAKE A SONG.

I WAS NEVER ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT THEN WHEN KOGI HAPPENED, I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD IT BECAUSE ALL OF THE THINGS IN MY LIFE CAME INTO THIS ONE FLAVOR, RIDING THE BUS, WALKING ON THE STREETS, PEOPLE PERFORMING, GROWING UP IN A RESTAURANT.

EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER INTO THIS EXPRESSION, WHICH BECAME THE TACO, WHICH BECAME THE ART OF KOGI.

>> BYE.

MAN: HAVE A GOOD DAY.

DIFFERENT MAN: THE STORY OF HUMANITY IS THE STORY OF CULTURES COMING TOGETHER TO SURVIVE.

AND THE BEAUTY OF ARTS IS CULTURES COME TOGETHER AND CREATE BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

WOMAN: PEOPLE BRING THEIR CULTURE WITH THEM WHEREVER THEY GO.

CHAVEZ: MY NAME IS EDNA LIZBETH CHAVEZ, AND I AM FROM SOUTH LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, EL SUR DE LOS ANGELES.

WOMAN: AND, YOU KNOW, WHILE CODE-SWITCHING MIGHT MAKE YOU MORE SUCCESSFUL IN CERTAIN FIELDS, WHEN YOU GO HOME, YOU STILL ARE THAT PERSON AND YOU STILL HAVE THOSE THINGS THAT BRING YOU JOY THAT ARE PART OF YOUR CULTURE AND YOUR LINEAGE.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYBODY THAT THEY SHARE IN WHAT MAKES THEM WHO THEY ARE.

[BIRDS CHIRPING] GIRL: WHO BELIEVES IN METAPHORS?

WHO EVEN DESERVES THEM?

AREN'T METAPHORS A LUXURY, EXPENSIVE?

CAN A METAPHOR MAKE A HOME OUT OF A FEELING, A MUSEUM OF WORD BUILT AROUND A PERSON?

CAN I HANG A NEW ONE ON EVERY WALL, SEE MYSELF IN THE ART, AND CALL IT THE GREATEST CREATION?

WHAT EVEN IS ART?

CAN IT BE FOUND IN A FREESTYLE VERSE WITH FRIENDS, AN EMPTY CAN OF SPRAY PAINT?

IS IT TAUGHT IN A CLASS THAT INNER CITY SCHOOLS WITH A SPAN?

OR IS IT THE HISTORY JOURNAL FILLED WITH HAIKUS AND DOODLES LEFT BEHIND WHEN THEY DO?

WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS DESERVE A METAPHOR?

WHERE IS THE LINE BETWEEN MURAL AND GRAFFITI?

AND WHO DESERVES TO BE IN FRONT OF THE ART THEY CREATE ANYWAYS?

CAN THEY LOOK LIKE ME, HAVE KENTE RUGS ON THEIR ENTRANCE DOOR, CARRY A GRIOT STANCE?

COULD OUR METAPHORS BE SHAPED BY THE FABLES OUR AUNTIES TAUGHT US?

CAN WE ECHO IN EVERY CHAMBER?

MY METAPHORS BELONG HERE.

ALL OF OUR METAPHORS DESERVE TO BE HERE.

SO LET US CREATE LIKE EVERY UNWRITTEN PIECE IS WAITING TO BE OURS, LIKE ALL THE WORLD STORIES WANT US TO COMPLETE THEM.

AFTER ALL, OUR ART IS OUR MOST PERMANENT MARK.

WITH IT, WE WILL NEVER FADE.

MAN: EDUCATION IS PART OF THAT BOOTSTRAP THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN OUR AMERICAN DREAM THAT ALLOWS YOU TO UPLIFT YOURSELF.

STUDENTS FROM LOWER-INCOME BACKGROUNDS, STUDENTS OF COLOR ARE FACING THE SAME BARRIERS WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESS TO IT.

WOMAN: A LOT OF MY LIFE, I THINK, AS A MIXED-RACE PERSON, AS A QUEER PERSON, AS A LEADER, I THINK I'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO PROCESS THINGS, AND THE ARTS COULD HAVE BEEN THAT EVEN MORE FOR ME, BUT I REALIZED THAT WASN'T THE PATH I WAS ON, THAT WASN'T THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS I WAS IN.

AND EVEN WHEN I GOT TO A PLACE WHERE I COULD FINALLY TAKE A THEATER CLASS, I DIDN'T SEE THAT AS A POSSIBILITY.

TOBAR: DID I EVER SEE MY CENTRAL AMERICAN HERITAGE OR CENTRAL AMERICAN ART REFLECTED IN MY EDUCATION GROWING UP?

NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I NEVER DID.

I WRITE BECAUSE WHEN IT'S OVER AND DONE WITH AND IT'S PUBLISHED, I FEEL LIKE I'VE MADE MYSELF INTO A STRONGER PERSON.

I'VE PROCESSED WHATEVER I'M WRITING ABOUT.

I TEACH ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF CLASSES, BUT ALL OF THEM HAVE A CREATIVE WRITING COMPONENT.

WHEN YOU GIVE A YOUNG PERSON AN ASSIGNMENT TO CREATE A WORK OF NARRATIVE PROSE, WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IS THEY'RE GOING TO TAP INTO THEIR OWN EMOTIONALITY, AND THEY'LL CREATE SOMETHING THAT IS A MORE TEXTURED VERSION OF THEIR OWN MEMORIES.

AND IN FACT, I SEE THIS INCREDIBLE COMPLEXITY IN THEIR WORK THAT I DON'T SEE YET REFLECTED IN AMERICAN LITERATURE.

GORMAN: IF WE'RE TO LIVE UP TO OUR OWN TIME, THEN VICTORY WON'T LIE IN THE BLADE, BUT IN ALL THE BRIDGES WE'VE MADE.

THAT IS THE PROMISE TO GLADE, THE HILL WE CLIMB, IF ONLY WE'D DARE IT, BECAUSE BEING AMERICAN IS MORE THAN A PRIDE WE INHERIT.

IT'S THE PAST WE STEP IN TO AND HOW WE REPAIR IT.

MAN: WE KNOW OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, OUR ENTIRE SOCIAL SYSTEM WAS BUILT ON INEQUALITY.

FAUBUS: I WILL NOT FORCE MY PEOPLE TO INTEGRATE AGAINST THEIR WILL.

MAN ON FILM: I KNOW THAT I WAS PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT SITUATION.

MAN: AND IN 1940s IN CALIFORNIA, IF YOU ARE OF MEXICAN DESCENT, YOU WERE FORCED INTO A SCHOOL WITH A SEPARATE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

INSTEAD OF BEING PREPARED TO MAYBE BECOME A DOCTOR, LAWYER, OR SOMETHING ELSE, THE CURRICULUM IN THE SCHOOL FOCUSED ON SEWING AND JUST OTHER TRADES.

AND YOU WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE THE SAME CURRICULUM, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE SAME TEXTBOOK, THE SAME QUALITY OF TEACHERS, BECAUSE IT WAS THOUGHT THAT MEXICAN AMERICANS OR PEOPLE OF MEXICAN DESCENT HAD A WHOLE DIFFERENT LIFE TRAJECTORY IN AMERICA.

WOMAN: I HAVE NO MEMORY OF ANYONE EVER SITTING ME DOWN AND TELLING ME WHAT COLLEGE WAS OR WHAT I NEEDED TO DO OR GIVING ME AN APPLICATION.

MAN: I WAS FOUND TO BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

I WAS FOUND TO BE SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL.

AND IT LAID THE PRECEDENT FOR BROWN VS. BOARD.

THAT WAS 1954.

REPORTER: MORE THAN 20,000 STUDENTS IN 5 EAST L.A. SCHOOLS, LINCOLN, WILSON, GARFIELD, BELMONT, AND ROOSEVELT WALKED OUT.

IT WAS THE FIRST MAJOR MASS PROTEST AGAINST RACISM BY MEXICAN AMERICANS IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

MAN: RIGHT, OVER 60 YEARS AGO.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

REPORTER: BY THE TIME THE STUDENTS REACHED THE SPRING STREET STEPS OF CITY HALL, THEY NUMBERED CLOSE TO 1,200 PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO THE LAPD.

[STUDENTS CHANTING] WOMAN: AS FEDERAL POLICY CHANGED AND GOT VERY FOCUSED ON STANDARDIZED TESTS, THE CURRICULUMS BECAME VERY STANDARDIZED.

BUSH: THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT SETS A CLEAR OBJECTIVE FOR AMERICAN EDUCATION.

EVERY CHILD IN EVERY SCHOOL MUST BE PERFORMING AT GRADE LEVEL IN THE BASIC SUBJECTS THAT ARE KEY TO ALL LEARNING--READING AND MATH.

WOMAN: EACH SCHOOL SITE HAS SO MANY CULTURES AND OFTENTIMES, THE STANDARDIZING IS MAKING SO MANY PEOPLE INVISIBLE.

MAN: THE APPARATUS OF EDUCATION IS FAILING US RIGHT NOW.

THE SCHOOLS ARE STRUGGLING.

AND I THINK THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE KIND OF INDUSTRIALIZED CONCEPT THAT THEY HAVE OF MOVING KIDS THROUGH ALMOST LIKE A FACTORY.

WOMAN: THERE'S A SAYING IN EDUCATION, WHICH IS WHAT'S BEING TESTED IS WHAT'S BEING TAUGHT.

AND SO TEACHERS ARE TEACHING WHAT THEY'RE BEING EVALUATED ON, WHICH IS TEST SCORES.

AND SO THE THINGS THAT REALLY BRING THEM JOY MAYBE AND BRING THE KIDS JOY IS NOT BEING TESTED.

SO IT GETS SHORT SHRIFT.

MAN: WE WANT TO PUT KIDS IN THESE PROVERBIAL BOXES.

WE WANT KIDS TO THINK A CERTAIN WAY, TALK A CERTAIN WAY, PROCESS A CERTAIN WAY, COMMUNICATE IN THE WORLD A CERTAIN WAY, SEE THE WORLD IN A CERTAIN WAY.

AND I THINK WHAT WE HAVE HAD FOR YEARS, AND I THINK IT'S BECOMING MORE APPARENT NOW, IS THAT THERE ARE MORE STUDENTS WHO ARE SAYING, "I DON'T FIT IN THAT BOX.

I THINK DIFFERENTLY.

I PROCESS DIFFERENTLY.

I SEE THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY.

I UNDERSTAND CONTENT DIFFERENTLY.

I SEE MY NEIGHBORHOOD IN WAYS THAT'S NOT QUITE CONSISTENT WITH HOW SCHOOL WANTS ME TO SEE THEM."

AND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE A DECISION AS SCHOOLS, ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO PUT STUDENTS IN THESE PROVERBIAL BOXES, DESPITE THE RICH DIVERSITY THAT THEY BRING ACROSS THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY THINK, PROCESS, COMMUNICATE, AND UNDERSTAND, OR ARE WE GOING TO ALLOW SCHOOLS TO BECOME WHAT I CALL CULTURAL DEMOCRACIES, WHERE WE BEGIN TO BREAK THAT BOX OPEN, SHATTER THE BOX, AND SAY WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW A WHOLE HOST OF WAYS OF HOW YOUNG PEOPLE EXPRESS THEMSELVES, HOW THEY COMMUNICATE, HOW THEY UNDERSTAND, HOW THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS, HOW THEY PROCESS, HOW THEY PROBLEM SOLVE.

THAT ENCOMPASSES THE ENTIRE RANGE OF DIVERSITIES.

AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE ARTS-BASED EDUCATION SHOULD BE, COULD BE, NEEDS TO BE AN ESSENTIAL THROUGH LINE THROUGH ALL THE ASPECTS OF WHAT WE TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE IN SCHOOLS.

DIFFERENT MAN: FOR SOME STUDENTS, THEIR ZIP CODE DETERMINES THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION, THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION THEY GET.

WOMAN: THEY KNOW WHAT CHILDREN IN A BETTER ZIP CODE ARE GETTING.

THEY KNOW WHAT THEIR SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE.

THEY KNOW, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO SPORTS TEAMS AND THEATER CLASSES, AND THEY DON'T HAVE KILNS TO FIRE THEIR CLAY OBJECTS.

THEY KNOW, AND THEY WILL BE MAD, AND THEY SHOULD BE MAD.

GIRL: WE WANT OUR DEMANDS MET.

SO ARE YOU GONNA MEET THEM OR NOT?

I'M HEARING YOU SAY THAT OUR VOICES ARE LIKE OXYGEN TO YOU, MR. AUSTIN BEUTNER, SO HERE'S YOUR OXYGEN FOR TODAY.

WOMAN: WE NEED TO HAVE MORE FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA, PERIOD.

MAN: FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE A CREATIVE SPACE IS FOR THEM TO HAVE A SPACE TO DREAM AND IMAGINE AND ENVISION.

DIFFERENT MAN: JUST LIKE IT'S BEEN SAID THAT IF YOU HAVE TWO PEOPLE IN A SPACE, YOU HAVE POLITICS, I THINK IF YOU HAVE TWO PEOPLE IN A SPACE, YOU HAVE ART, YOU HAVE EXPRESSION.

IT'S A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEED.

WOMAN: IF YOU'RE NOT INVESTING IN YOUR PEOPLE, YOU'RE NOT INVESTING IN YOUR FUTURE.

IF THERE'S A WHOLE POPULATION OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE FACED DISINVESTMENT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO ACCESS JOBS, IT'S NOT ONLY A LOSS FOR THEM, THAT'S ACTUALLY MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ECONOMIC OUTPUT WE'RE LEAVING ON THE TABLE.

WHETHER YOU'RE THINKING OF IT FROM AN ECONOMIC LENS OR THINKING OF IT ABOUT THE WHOLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD AND HAVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELLNESS AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION OR WHETHER YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT AS SUPPORTING GREATER DIVERSITY AND BELONGING AT A SOCIETAL LEVEL.

ALL OF THOSE ARE RELEVANT, ALL OF THEM ARE IMPORTANT AS PART OF JUST THE HEALTH OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY.

BOY: ART IS TIMELESS.

FROM SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS TO PICASSO'S PAINTINGS.

ART GIVES VOICES TO THE SILENT, TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CHOSEN LAST WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GET PICKED FOR TEAMS FOR DODGEBALL, LIKE ME, LIKE YOU.

THERE'S NO CHOSEN ONE, NOT JUST A SINGLE SUPERMAN IN OUR UNIVERSE.

WE CAN ALL BE HEROES, EVEN FOR ONE DAY, LIKE DAVID BOWIE TO RUDY FRANCISCO, BECAUSE WE ALL ARE FREEDOM FIGHTERS, FREEDOM RIDERS, FREEDOM SEEKERS, BURSTING WITH DREAMS, SHOOTING SPIDEY'S WED TO THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, HARNESSING SCARLET WITCH'S MAGIC TO CRAFT HOPE.

AND IN ORDER TO SAVE THE WORLD, WE MUST POSSESS THE POWER OF ART AND LEARN FROM THE GREATS OF FUTURES PAST LIKE STEVEN SPIELBERG BRINGING DINOSAURS BACK TO LIFE TO PRINCE'S ABILITY TO SING, MAKING THE SKY CRY PURPLE RAIN.

YOU COULD BE THE ONE STRUMMING THAT GUITAR.

YOUR FRIEND CAN PLAY THE DRUMS LIKE RINGO.

AND I CAN WRITE THE MUSIC.

BECAUSE ART IS COLLABORATIVE.

WE CIPHER AFFECT OUR WAY TO A BETTER DESTINY, BOUNCING IDEAS, SHARING OUR SCARS.

AND WE FEEDBACK TILL WE CAN'T EAT NO MORE.

SO BE CURIOUS LIKE GEORGE AND ALWAYS QUESTION WHAT IS END OF THE READING RAINBOW.

THROUGH THE TRUSTED EYES OF THE METER, OUR CRAFT DOES NOT HAVE ANSWERS.

IN FACT, IT DOES NOT HAVE BOUNDARIES.

IN FACT, ART IS AN UNFADING PERPETUAL SUPERPOWER THAT LIVE ON WITHIN ME, WITH YOU, WITHIN ALL OF US.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES ON ARTS EDUCATION GO TO KCET.ORG/ARTBOUND PRODUCER: DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

UMM, I WANT TO BE AN ANETHESIOLOGIST.

[LAUGHS] I KINDA WANT TO BE AN ARCHITECT.

I WANT TO BE A PEDIATRICIAN WHEN I GROW UP.

IN MY MIND, IT'S EITHER ONE OF TWO THINGS.

PHOTOGRAPHY OR JOURNALISM.

I ALSO KINDA WANT TO BE A CHEF AS WELL.

I WANT TO BE A VIDEOGAME DESIGNER.

I HAVEN'T, LIKE, CHOSEN MY FINAL ANSWER YET.

I KNOW THAT I WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP MY COMMUNITY OR WILL HELP OTHER PEOPLE LIKE PEOPLE HAVE HELPED ME.

ANNOUNCER: "ARTBOUND: ARTS AND EDUCATION" IS A PROJECT OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY ARTS EDUCATION COLLECTIVE, DEVELOPED BY THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KCET.

FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT WAS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE STEWART FOUNDATION, THE MOSS FOUNDATION, AND THE ARTS ED COLLECTIVE FUNDERS COUNCIL.