I remember watching a
documentary with my mom in 1991. It was
called Age 7 in America. At least I
think that’s what it was called.
I don’t know who’s
responsible for making it. It looks like
it may have been created by Christopher Quinn patterned after an idea done in
Britain? I don’t even recall which
network sponsored the program. Quinn
(who also narrated the film) told us that the plan was to follow a number of
children from different backgrounds and upbringings and interview them every
seven years.
I remember looking for “Age
14 in America” but not finding it. I
don’t know what prompted me to look it up on YouTube this year – but I did find
it. Age 7, age 14 and age 21 (thank you Orletta
Crichlow) and watched Up 21and was really quite impressed.
Years ago, when my mom and I
had been watching, there were three girls wearing school uniforms. As they were being interviewed, the one in
the middle (Kate) seemed a bit naïve and perhaps a little slower than the other
two. I remember the three talking about
babies and that one did not have to be married in order to have a baby. Kate’s comment implied that a man would still
have to be involved. When the other two
said (in unison) “No, you don’t.” Mom
looked at me and said something along the lines of, “I thought the one in the
middle didn’t seem as smart as the other two, but now she sounds smarter.”
I thought the other two were
too young to know about artificial insemination, but perhaps that was what was
meant by their comment. But a man is
still involved – just not in the natural sense.
Kate was my favorite among
all of the children that were interviewed.
After 24 years I had forgotten how many children had been
interviewed as I could only remember five.
The three from upper class New York and the two from the poverty
stricken housing project in what sounded like a seedy side of Chicago.
The focus was on 14 different
children – some grouped and some individually.
There were five girls and nine boys interviewed. This post is my
review. You may wish to watch this without reading my review to form your own
opinions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCe8a-BwHwc
The background and situation
from which you come (or are in) doesn’t define you, but rather your attitude
toward how you deal with the given situation.
I find it interesting how some were faced with similar situations took
their lives in different directions.
I thought it was interesting,
how at 21, Kate said she had watched “7 in America” for the first time when she
was eight. She said she felt ashamed I
think of being in her situation when it was obvious that there were others who
did not have it so well.
I hadn’t remembered Luis at
all, but was touched by his story. His dad had recently skipped out on
them. Mom was into drugs. Lewis – at age seven – took upon himself the responsibilities
of caring for his younger siblings.
SEVEN! I can’t even imagine.
I have been so impressed with
the choices that Luis made for himself and for his family – always trying to do
right by them and sacrificing education and friendships in order to tend to his
siblings. At age 21, Luis was serving in
the army. Grateful for the independence
of being away from his family – but still assisting with taking care of
them. He seemed to have such a great
attitude despite the challenges that life had dealt.
The other two I remember were
Leroy and Kennisha. They lived in what
was known as the Robert Taylor housing project.
It sounded like an area with high crime and poverty. Leroy had been riding his bike upstairs on
the walkway – going back and forth. The
interviewer had asked why he didn’t take it downstairs and explore the
outdoors. His answer was that if he had
taken it outside, that someone would just push him off the bike and take it
from him. The two had witnessed many crimes with either eyes or ears. I honestly wondered if they would both be
living by age 14. Happy to see that they
are.
Kennisha seemed to have
amazing faith as she would pray for things to get better. At age 7 she was a strong believer in God and
that continues. And life did get better. By age 7 she had moved to section eight
housing. By 21 an actual house with a
lot of family members. Her goal was to
move her daughter to Texas where they will have their own place and Kennisha
can actually enjoy some time experiencing solitude.
I highly recommend watching
21. I’ll end with what I thought were memorable
quotes:
“It’s going to get
better.” - Luis
“Hard working people are
overlooked.” - Doug
“We control our own destiny
as best as we can” - Eric
“Predetermined background
doesn’t define who I am or how I’ve gotten here.” - Michael
“There is no emotional
diploma.” - Alexis
“Everything coming in
place.” - Kennisha
“Everybody needs love.” - Leroy
“Step up to the plate.” - Luis
"Things don't always work out like they're suppose to." - Kate
"Things don't always work out like they're suppose to." - Kate
“As long as my family love
me, I’m okay with that.” - Leroy
