Created Equal: A Milestone Program For The Tuned-In Generation (& Interview With Jacob Burns’ Director Of Education)

In April of 2016, the Jacob Burns Film Center launched its innovative program, Created Equal, in conjunction with the Brooklyn Historical Society. The timing could not have been more perfect. With the presidential election in full swing, and then-candidates Trump, Sanders and Clinton sweeping the primaries, it became abundantly clear that civics—and education—would demand a major place in current day America.

Created Equal combines the technological innovation and need for social justice of today’s world with the passionate history of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. With the guidance of filmmaker Stanley Nelson, eighth grade students create original content, from music to documentary short films and images, all of which articulate the students’ views on social issues of today.

I had the opportunity to interview Emily Keating, the JBFC’s Director of Education, who graciously shared some insight into the program.

Sophia Cowley for Film Inquiry: Where did the idea for Created Equal initially come from? How did you connect with filmmaker, Stanley Nelson?

Emily Keating: Created Equal: Image, Sound, and Story as an education initiative grew from Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle, a collection of four films about the civil rights movement, produced by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Bridging Cultures initiative.

One of the four films is Freedom Riders, directed by Stanley Nelson. Community screenings and discussions were held in libraries and historical societies around the country. The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities saw an opportunity to bring this collection of films to students through the Turnaround Arts Initiative. The NEH provided funding for the JBFC and Brooklyn Historical Society to create a media arts and social studies integrated curriculum that would use Freedom Riders as a mentor text, and inspire young people to see their own role in the ongoing civil rights struggle.

What are one or two of the goals for students involved in the program?

EK: After completing all of the units, lessons, and projects in Created Equal, students will be able to develop a language and vocabulary to think and talk critically about visual media, past and present. [Students will also be able to] develop a language and vocabulary to decode, evaluate, interpret, and synthesize evidence from primary and secondary source texts.

Can you talk a bit about the multimedia aspect of this program? Does the program involve interaction with social media?

EK: The students create (3) media projects in the process of completing the curriculum: a photography project, a protest song, and a short documentary film. As the program provides comparison of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s with today’s Black Lives Matter movement, the students encounter some images from Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

What makes middle school the perfect age group for Created Equal?

EK: From a social studies and content perspective, in New York State, the civil rights movement is part of the 8^th grade scope and sequence. In addition, many 12 and 13 year-olds are beginning to use and access the power of the technology of the smart phones they carry in their pockets. The access to the ability to capture, edit, and share media is unprecedented, and young people need more opportunities to connect their formal learning environment in school to their social practice outside of school.

How have movements like Black Lives Matter helped provide momentum for Created Equal?

EK: Young people are too keenly aware that civil liberties and social justice are still a work in progress and that “equal protection under the law” requires constant vigilance. Black Lives Matter provided a contemporary model for community organizing and shared many of the goals, strategies, and tactics of the Brooklyn CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) that the students learn about in the Created Equal curriculum.

Thanks so much to Ms. Keating for the interview! For more information on Created Equal, visit the Jacob Burns website here or email [email protected] with any inquiries.

Have you seen Stanley Nelson’s film, Freedom Riders? What inspires you most about education initiatives like Created Equal?