The Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit will perform a play this weekend to commemorate the anniversary of a student walkout at Detroit Public Schools.
The walkout took place 45 years ago, when students at Northern High School in Detroit were so fed up with the poor quality of education they were getting they walked out and formed their own student-run school at a church nearby. The called it the Freedom School. The students stayed there until the school board met their demands for a better education.
Fast forward to today, and many Detroit public schools are still in trouble. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is quoted in 2009 as having called the district "ground zero" when it comes to education.
Courtney Burkett directed the show. She says the message of the play still rings true for many students:
"I think the takeaway for the students is that they can make a change in their environment; thaat they need to be having these conversations and asking questions about why things are the way they are, and understanding that they have the power to make changes if changes need to be made."
The play is called Northern Lights 1966, and it runs this weekend and next at the Detroit Film Theatre inside the Detroit Institute of Arts. Ticket information is here.
