I was delighted to be invited to share A Lot Like You with Lake Washington Girls Middle School today.  Their 8th grade class is about to launch into a memoir writing unit–which is just the context I needed for this screening/discussion, given that the seeds of this film were planted in my 12th grade memoir writing class (at an all-girls school, no less).

Immediately following the screening, the girls took a moment share their stories/feelings/reflections.  To help them get started, I suggested they reflect on the meaning behind our title or our tagline (“The truth has no borders.”)  

The 45-minute conversation that followed covered so much ground, including:

• my surprising, and unlikely, film journey
• the power of personal storytelling, and how it can change the world
• how oppression compromises the humanity in us all
• the concept of Ubuntu
• the emergent tension between cultural relativism and global human rights
• the story of what happened when my Tanzanian family saw the film
• realizing that while Mom, Dad and I all skirt the line of cultural insider/outsider, it manifests differently for each of us
• reflecting on whether I ultimately achieved my goal of understanding who I am and what I’m passing down…

The girls were so engaged and compassionate in their consideration of my story.  What an honor to get to be a part of their journey as they prepare to do some serious soul-searching and deep introspection of their own…