‘Freedom Writers' Founder Erin Gruwell to Speak at King Hall

Erin Gruwell, whose experiences teaching at-risk high school students led to a book, feature film, and the foundation of the Freedom Writers Foundation, will speak at King Hall on January 28 at noon in Room 1001. The event is sponsored by the King Hall Legal Foundation.

Gruwell started her teaching career 20 years ago at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California.  The story of how she used The Diary of Anne Frank and lessons on the Holocaust to get her students to overcome racial divisions and write about their own experiences formed the basis of the 1999 book The Freedom Writers Diary and the 2007 film Freedom Writers.  She also founded the Freedom Writers Foundation, which works to empower educators and students through teacher training, student scholarships, and curriculum development.