Special to the Peachite
Fort Valley State University will feature an award-winning Hollywood filmmaker, author and director who will speak about the inequities in the American public school system and standardized testing during an upcoming lecture series.
Curtis Chin, who produced the documentary "Tested" will be the next keynote speaker at the upcoming John W. Davison Lecture Series at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 in the C.W. Pettigrew Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Chin has written for shows on several major networks including ABC, the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, NBC and Fox. Chin's work has won awards from several organizations that include the National Endowment from the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the San Diego Asian American Film Foundation. He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN and NPR. He was also featured in Newsweek, and is currently a visiting scholar at New York University.
The director's first documentary, "Vincent Who?" was screened at 400 colleges in four countries and captured awards from the National Association for Multicultural Education and the Asian American Justice Center.
Chin's current documentary, "Tested" is a movie that examines the gaps in opportunities for different races in America, which remain extreme. According to Chin, this is particularly evident in the nation's top public schools. In New York City, African Americans and Hispanics make up 70 percent of the city's school-aged population, however they represent less than five percent of the city's elite public high schools. Asian Americans, however, make up as much as 73 percent.
The documentary follows a dozen eighth grade students from different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds as the fight for a seat at one of these elite schools. Their only way into the school is a standardized test. The movie includes interviews with education experts such as Pedro Noguera and Diane Ravitch. It also explores the high-quality publication, affirmative action and "model-minority" myth.
In addition to his film work, Chin also serves as a community activist. He co-founded the Asian-American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.
The day preceding the lecture series, Chin will speak to students and faculty within FVSU's College of Arts and Science.
For details, contact Dr. Edward Hill, dean of FVSU's College of Education.
