High school was rough for almost everybody. There were countless classes to take, schools to apply for, tests to pass, and so on. But if these trivial issues were the only things that were bothering you at the time, consider yourself fortunate.
“To Be Heard” is a new documentary that exposes the rough lives of three high school peers. Karina Sanchez, Pearl Quick, and Anthony Pittman all live in the Bronx and have more on their minds than just next Monday’s math test: Sanchez is abused by her mother, Quick struggles with obesity and financial issues, and Pittman deals with his past gang affiliations and his imprisoned father. These dilemmas, on top of ordinary high school woes, stress these students beyond comprehension. How in the world were they to release such emotion in a healthy and controlled – and beautiful – manner?
An optional class at University Heights High School called “Power Writing” was the perfect solution. The instruction intended to educate the students about self-expression and how to do it effectively. This way, they students could resolve (or at least lighten) their prevalent issues themselves; no therapist or school can fix anything better than they can. The students are encouraged to be as honest and as real as possible, even if this involves explicit and informal vocabulary. The verbal art is usually recited in competitions afterward, which helps the students convey their passions more clearly; the way a text is read can be completely different from the way it is recited. Through performance, the students become aware of the beauty within their own words, and become inspired to polish the new-found skill.
The poetry helped Sanchez, Quick, and Pittman connect to who they truly are. Since they could better understand themselves, they gained an awareness of their fellow peers’ emotions. Unbreakable friendships developed in the process. Although much time has passed since the documentary was filmed, their lives have not gotten any easier (the students are now in their early twenties). However, they all continue to write. It was and will remain a huge part of their lives because it helped them cope with life. And as they gracefully age, their writing ability flourishes and becomes bolder and stronger. The three artists hope that their stories inspire students with similar troubles to find refuge in writing.
A preview of the documentary mentioned in the article is featured below:
Powerful story. Words are powerful.