BERKELEY—Screening of THE PUSHOUTS

OAKLAND—Join a screening of THE PUSHOUTS, a documentary film which focuses on the alarming rate of high school dropouts and the critical state of public education through the story of Victor Rios. ‘I was in prison before I was even born.’ So begins the story of Dr. Victor Rios who, by 15, was a high school “dropout,” heroin dealer, and Oakland gang member with multiple felony convictions and a death wish. But when a teacher’s quiet persistence, a mentor’s moral conviction, and his best friend’s murder converge, Rios’s path takes an unexpected turn. Through Rios’ personal lens and its interplay with the stories of the young people of Yo!Watts, THE PUSHOUTS interrogates crucial questions of race, class, and power—and the promise and perils of education—at a particularly urgent time. Now a professor at UC Santa Barbara, Rios and his mentor dedicate their lives to motivating young Mexican and African-American teens to realize their potential. Afterward, we will have a Q&A with Co-Director Dawn Valadez. This program is part of the Tarea Hall Pittman Social Justice Series. This program honors the legacy of Ms. Pittman’s social justice activism that positively affected the lives of people in California. Programming topics and formats are diverse but the goal of each event is to bring awareness and promote discussions related to human rights, social privilege, and equal opportunity. This program is funded through the generous support of the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library. Saturday, November 9, 2019, 2–3:30 pm Berkeley Public Library—South Branch 1901 Russell Street Berkeley, CA 94703 Watch the trailer here. THE PUSHOUTS is supported by California Humanities through a California Documentary Project grant.