The Freedom Writers Diary

This student quotes a line from one of poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s works: “I know why the caged bird sings.” He explains that he, like this bird, “sings” because he is not free, writing poems and journal entries to escape reality. In his violent, gang-filled neighborhood, he is a minority because he is white, and has always had to run home from school to avoid being beaten up for looking different. For that same reason, he hasn’t been able to make any friends.

There are no such tensions in his classroom and his class has been celebrated for their diversity, appearing on television and even receiving financial help from an airline company. He explains that he hopes to become a pilot to escape his suffocating environment. Ironically, though, he is afraid of heights and didn’t attend the Freedom Writers’ past field trips. He hopes to attend their next trip to Texas in the fall.