In an increasingly interconnected and hyper-competitive world, how will future students continue to navigate such intense social contracts while remaining connected to their authentic selves?
Enter "CodeSwitching: Race and Identity in the Suburban Schoolhouse," a new documentary airing on GBH 2. This film poses this question while offering a glimpse into the personal stories of African-American participants in a landmark voluntary school desegregation program, METCO. While in noble pursuit of educational opportunity, shuttling between inner-city neighborhoods and predominantly white suburban schools can be traumatic. Students often find themselves swapping elements of culture, language, and behavior to fit in with their suburban counterparts – acting or speaking differently based on their surroundings, known as code-switching.
GBH Contributor Sue O'Connell sits down with "Codeswitching" director Jonathan Schwartz and producer Mike Mascoll to better understand the challenges of the METCO system and it's impact on students of color.
