The best way to combat these thoughts is to talk to your kids about race and racism. The classroom can be a place of salvation or a place of condemnation.. It was originally made for TV broadcast in 1986 as The George McKenna Story, and later released as the movie Hard Lessons. High School Principal. McKenna explained that the Watts Riots in 1965 scared many of the white families out of the area. How they've achieved and how they've overcome so that they understand that you are where you over the backs of a lot of hardships, misuse, abuse," explains Dr. McKenna. Washington High was built in 1926 in the Westmont section of unincorporated Los Angeles County. If they need help, they should go paint that proverbial fence across the street, McKenna insists. McKennas own voice is heard at the end of the movie, as he credits the changes to the group efforts ofparents, students, staff, community and teachers. "We've been collecting since we were newlyweds" says Beverly McKenna. These movies about race and racism can help with that. You can say it, but you cant draw it., McKenna insisted, The principal is the single most powerful position in public education. NEW ORLEANS The George and Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art on Carondelet street is an impressive showcase of black art. Though your kids may be familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, they're likely less familiar with Coretta Scott King and Dr. Betty Shabazz, the wives who formed a friendship following their husbands' tragic deaths. How Are Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson Related? See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover George's connections and jobs at similar companies. They all look to the principal., McKenna doesnt blame recent principals for failing to keep up some of the successes he achieved at Washington High. But only one actively tries to get McKenna fired, eventually finds another job. They said they were looking for something like a sequel of To Sir, With Love and tell a story of what would happen to the Sidney Poitier character in this situation, McKenna recalled. Analysis: Los Angeles pays a steep price for labor peace. Will all the sacrifices and hard work prove worthwhile in the end? Indeed, the tenure of urban school chiefs is increasingly brief. After 8 years at the coal face of Consumer Electronics Distribution and 23 years in Sales, I was approached by a number of contacts who proposed freelance/consultancy work to introduce, expand and develop their businesses in Scotland and Nationally. Together, the two widows carried on the civil rights movement, and this movie tells the true story of their powerful friendship. At Washington High School, Franklin said, a lot of teachers left because they couldnt deal with his dictatorial style., When McKenna arrived in Inglewood, Franklin said, he failed to consult with teacher leaders. Gangs formedand drugs were sold openly. He points out that high school principals have the second highest divorce rate, beaten only by undercover cops. At the time, this high school was one of the most notorious and violent in Los Angeles, replete with gangs, drug dealing and gun fights. In a district that strivesto have zero suspensions, 26 students were suspended last year. [8][9] In 1994, Compton Unified School District hired McKenna as deputy superintendent. Families can talk about how Hard Lessons portrays George McKenna. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. George McKenna Archives - The Human Life Review You dont have to be a gardener, but you cant just let the grass die. Biography, As well as being an uplifting and inspiring story, it's an important reminder that living free from poverty and political unrest should never be taken for granted. There are lots of positive messages about self-respect, working together as a community, the value of a good education, the need to try something rather than do nothing, and the rewards of working hard and doing your best. Posters for the movie based on George McKennas school success in South LA. McKenna is much lighter. Students are skeptical, and a parent activist,Margaret Wright, warns him, I got you hired, I can get you fired., Then a promising young athlete is shot just off campus in a gang fight and dies in the principals arms. He attended all the athletic events and held regular assemblies with male and female students separately where they could ask him any question that was concerning them about life, family, love, drugs, sex, homework, college, anything. He claims to have the largest collection of McKenna archives, including his ticket to the movie premiere as well as teaching guides that CBS sent out to instructors throughout the countrywhen the movie aired. My challenge, my struggle, has been to get the system to change, McKenna explained. McKenna made students feel safe to come back where some of the countrys most notorious gangs began, Kakassy said. 2) is based on the true story of McKenna`s vision. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The others become open and willing to try McKenna's methods. 1986 television film directed by Eric Laneuville, George Washington Preparatory High School, "The George McKenna Story (1986) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie", America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_George_McKenna_Story&oldid=1148837662, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 April 2023, at 16:36. [1] I dont ask principals to change the world, just change that part of the world whereyou have some control and some responsibility.. George McKenna doesnt talk about it much, but Denzel Washington played him in a TV movie called The George McKenna Story., Fellow LA Unified school board members may occasionally rib him about it, and on a recent tour of an elementary school, Superintendent Michelle King pointed it out to impress the students. George McKenna: Well then you come to me. Life is full of hard lessons for McKenna, who risks it all by going head-to-head with the gang-run war zone known as George . in mathematics from Xavier University and was awarded a teaching fellowship to Loyola University, where he earned an M.A. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. What happens to you if you get involved in community problems is not as important as what happens to the community if you don't. In the first three years under McKenna, 122 of the 142 teachers transferred to another school or resigned. Principled yet pragmatic, Lincoln's stand on slavery offers a basis for a new politics of civility that is at once anti-abortion and pro-choice. Its not your fault that they came this way, but now theyre in front of you. What other biographical movies have you seen? Celtic Park, Glasgow. According the American Academy of Pediatrics, a 6-month-old's.css-dv4kb7{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:brandColorSecondary;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-dv4kb7:hover{color:#683d85;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;} brain can notice race-based differences; a 2- to 4-year-old can internalize racial biases. Former union President Kenneth Franklin, a teacher at Monroe Junior High School, accuses McKenna of wanting to bust the union. 70+ "George Mckenna" profiles | LinkedIn Black Cinema, George McKenna, III's Biography - The HistoryMakers George McKenna: Yes you are. . See our. He is expecting a high level of behavior of the staff and the community for the best of the children!, Kakassy added: And how many high school principals are invited by the president to the White House?, McKenna downplays the fanfare surrounding him, like when high-profile black politicians Maxine Waters and Jesse Jackson came to his school board inauguration ceremony. Directed by Eric Laneuville (who plays orderly Luther Hawkins on ''St. Their son is Orleans Parish coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna, and his wife is Beverly Stanton McKenna, the editor of the New Orleans Tribune, a minority-focused newspaper. Dr. Above, Denzel Washington walking into Washington High for the first time, and below, the actual logo at the school. The real George McKenna, and Denzel Washington portraying him. George McKenna (Denzel Washington) confronts a career-defining moment when he accepts a job as principal of a robust, inner-city Los Angeles, high school. Most of the students are good kids who want to learn and go to college, but have to overcome difficult personal circumstances. movie, that starred Denzil Washington as the title role of George McKenna. in mathematics from Xavier University and was awarded a . (The actual school couldnt accommodate such a large film shoot, so the production moved out of state.) Washington plays a school principal in a tough inner city Los Angeles high school out to rid it of drugs, gangs, low moral of teachers, and restore educational values. McKenna, whose days as crusader principal of Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles were celebrated in a 1986 television movie, is trying to save his career as superintendent of the Inglewood schools. [10], In August 2014, McKenna announced that he was running for the LAUSD Board of Education District 1 seat to finish Marguerite LaMotte's term as LaMotte had died in December 2013. What`s more, resentful of all those hours not devoted to her, the woman in his life (Lynn Whitfield of ''Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI'') takes a hike. There are 70+ professionals named "George Mckenna", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. But it was rewritten to become a more traditional story of a heroic principal fighting gang violence. George McKenna talks about Black Males and helping Crenshaw High. A few scenes sh, Parents need to know that Hard Lessons (The George McKenna Story) is a biographical drama about a man's first year as principal of a tough Los Angeles high school. And when one of the dynamite teachers he has personally hired (Barbara Townsend) organizes a city-wide Shakespeare-reading contest, he coolly disarms one of the combatants in a fight brewing outside in the yard. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Hemeets resistance, particularly from a teacher who reports himto the districtontrumped-up charges. [1] It involves the events at George Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles.