Freedom Writers Podcast

#8 Tony Danza: "I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had"

May 21, 2018 10:00 - 42 minutes - 77.4 MB

Freedom Writer Tanisha Knight talks about her family's humble beginnings, her collegiate basketball career, and how education inspired her to become a teacher. Then in our featured discussion, actor Tony Danza joins Erin on the show to take us from a boxing ring in Brooklyn to his big break on the classic sitcom "Taxi." He then takes us to the moment where he chose a different stage and became a 10th grade English teacher at Northeast High in Philly. Tony discusses what motivates a person to ...

#7 Richard LaGravenese: On Making "Freedom Writers"

May 14, 2018 11:00 - 37 minutes - 69.5 MB

This episode pulls back the curtain on the making of the feature film Freedom Writers, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank. First, original Freedom Writer Tanya Payne reflects on what it was like to see her experience, her words, represented onscreen in the movie. Then Erin shares her conversation with writer/director Richard LaGravenese, recorded in New York City. Erin and Richard discuss the process of adapting The Freedom Writers Diary into a feature film;...

#6 Little Rock Nine: Integrating the First High School in America with Dr. Terrence Roberts

May 07, 2018 17:58 - 50 minutes - 91.6 MB

Freedom Writer Teacher Henry Wright tells his story of walking to the bus stop on the morning he integrated his high school in South Carolina. Then Erin shares her stirring conversation with civil rights icon Dr. Terrence Roberts of the Little Rock Nine, who was among the first group of African-American teenagers to integrate a U.S. high school in 1957. Dr. Roberts recounts facing a vicious mob outside the school, being escorted by soldiers through the hallways to each class, and the manner i...

#5 Zlata Filipovic: The Bosnian Genocide and How Labels Can Lead to Destruction

April 30, 2018 11:00 - 50 minutes - 91.7 MB

Erin's brother Chris Gruwell brings us back to Bosnia in the early 1990s, where he visited as an American soldier at the time of a brutal civil war (a conflict which was later classified as a genocide). Chris recalls the chaos and violence in Sarajevo, painfully punctuated by an overwhelming sense of helplessness to stop the slaughter, and then recounts his experience chaperoning the Freedom Writers' trip to Europe in 1999. Next, Erin introduces her featured guest -- author, activist, and doc...

#4 Andrew Carroll: Discovering the Humanity in History

April 23, 2018 10:55 - 54 minutes - 99.3 MB

Shanate Jones, a Freedom Writer and Tech Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, shares her story about serving in the military and how she used writing to cope during combat. Then Erin presents her riveting conversation with author, historian, and world traveler Andrew Carroll. Andy admits he hated history as a kid, but the turning point in his life occurred when his family's home was burned to the ground along with all of their photos, letters, and heirlooms. This tragedy, together with a World War...

#3 Freedom Rides: How to Get Into "Good Trouble" (w/ Jim Zwerg and Congressman John Lewis)

April 16, 2018 09:53 - 49 minutes - 90.1 MB

John Lewis, original 1960's Freedom Rider and now Congressman, tells his story about growing up as an African-American boy in the south and how he became a civil rights activist under the tutelage of Dr. Martin Luther King. He encourages us to stand up for justice and get into "the good kind of trouble" when necessary. Then Erin shares her humbling conversation with the courageous Jim Zwerg, a white male Freedom Rider who protested segregation in the south alongside his friend John Lewis and ...

#3 Freedom Rides: How to Get Into "Good Trouble"

April 16, 2018 09:53 - 49 minutes - 90.1 MB

John Lewis, original 1960's Freedom Rider and now Congressman, tells his story about growing up as an African-American boy in the south and how he became a civil rights activist under the tutelage of Dr. Martin Luther King. He encourages us to stand up for justice and get into "the good kind of trouble" when necessary. Then Erin shares her humbling conversation with the courageous Jim Zwerg, a white male Freedom Rider who protested segregation in the south alongside his friend John Lewis and ...

#2 Patrick Kennedy: Reframing Mental Health and Addiction

April 04, 2018 17:35 - 43 minutes - 79.6 MB

Freedom Writer Michael Bongiorno tells his story about falling into alcoholism as a teenager and how writing helped him overcome his addiction. Then Erin shares her inspiring conversation with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Patrick opens up about what it was like growing up in the Kennedy family and how he discovered his calling in politics; he shares personal experiences from his childhood, including how his mother and grandmother suffered from alcoholism and depression; then, Patrick t...

#1 The Holocaust: How to Learn from the Past to Improve the Future with Renee and Klaire Firestone

April 04, 2018 17:34 - 44 minutes - 81.4 MB

On the inaugural episode of the Freedom Writers Podcast, one of Ms. G's first students tells a story about a moment in class that changed his life forever. It all started with a drawing, an embarrassed classmate, and a question that surprised everyone: "What is the Holocaust?" Next, Erin shares a harrowing discussion she had with Holocaust survivor Renee Firestone and her daughter Klaire about what it was like in the concentration camps, how Klaire learned about the Holocaust from her paren...