Hill Harper Produces Educational Special
Hill Harper not only plays Sheldon Hawkes on CSI: NY, but he’s also working to make a positive change for young people of color in our country. He’s seen the value of education in his own life, having a a master of public administration and a law degree from Harvard. He’s looking at the state of education in America with the special Lessons from Little Rock: A National Report Card, airing Feb. 10 at 10 pm/ET on TV One, which he produced and hosts. He sat down to talk to TVGuide.com about the special and his other projects. Here’s an excerpt:
TVGuide.com: Tell me a little about what you learned and what you were surprised to discover while making this program.
Hill Harper: I wanted to see where we were 50 years later, because part of the whole idea of desegregation of schools was to improve the quality of education for African-Americans. There was one thing that surprised me: tracking. Even within a school such as Central High, which now is predominantly African-American, the AP classes are predominantly still Caucasian. So I actually got hit with a double whammy. Not only are we finding that graduation rates and literacy rates are tumbling, but even within the school there are problems with the education of African-American students. It’s a little disheartening in certain aspects.
(lots more after the jump!)
TVGuide.com: One of the most compelling elements of the special was the reflections by the members of the Little Rock Nine and their perspective on education in America today. Did you come away from this project feeling hopeful or discouraged?
Harper: I feel extremely hopeful because I feel like we’ve gotten to a point where we have to make a change. We have to make a difference right now.
TVGuide.com: You were classmates at Harvard with Barack Obama and you are a strong supporter of his presidential campaign. In light of this special, were Obama to win the White House, what would you most like to see him do for young people?
Harper: Obviously, this whole “no child left behind” idea is more rhetoric than actual practice. [Barack] was born into relatively meager wealth but he utilized education to excel and to go to greater and greater levels of success in this country. Education works. It works. It’s just a positive investment and I know Barack knows that. He talks about it all the time. I want to get away from the rhetoric and get to what actually works: spending money on education; finding the best and the brightest teachers; making it more competitive to become a teacher; compensating the teachers more. Those are things that are absolutely necessary, and I know that Senator Obama’s onboard with that.
TVGuide.com: You were motivated to write your best-selling book, Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny, by the numerous e-mails you received from young men who were looking to you for advice. You have a follow-up book due out in June geared to young women.
Harper: Yes, June 3. I’m really excited about it. It’s called Letters to a Young Sister: Define Your Destiny.
TVGuide.com: Let’s change course for a moment. You’ve been quoted as saying that the writers are the real stars of CSI:NY. What’s your take on the current writers’ strike?
Harper: I hope it ends soon for everybody’s sake. It’s not good for anybody, but I will say this: Without writers none of the entertainment would exist. It starts with writers. Writers are the most important piece of the entire puzzle. They need to be respected by the studios for what they deliver, and that’s why I support the writers wholeheartedly. In this world where new media exists, they deserve to be compensated if their work is going to play on the Web. That’s all there is to it. So I completely support the writers and their strike.
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1 opinion for Hill Harper Produces Educational Special
Erika Jones
Mar 5, 2008 at 6:48 am
I really love and respect what Mr. Hill Harper is doing for young people. His words are comfort to a single mother’s ears: my 15 year old son stumbled across his book, “A Letter to a Young Brother…” and shared it with me. It’s awesome and has empowered my son to encourage others to read it and to strive for excellence. Thank you Mr. Harper for not keeping silent and taking action! Also, you are absolutely correct is saying, the ‘no child left behind’ idea is rhetoric than actual practice. I am an educator and all too often we are bombarded with challenges that prevent us from teaching. However, education must start in the homes and spread abroad…if we are to support the educational system and put into practice the ‘no child left behind’ concept.
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