Our Story
Oakland’s Castle is a documentary about adolescents in East Oakland attending Freshman Prep Academy at Castlemont (FPA), a new program for the freshman of Castlemont High School. The film features the stories of students and their experiences at FPA.
FPA is a comprehensive program where the approach to discipline, the physical design of the space, the curriculum, and the staff are all components that work together to create a targeted climate. FPA is the first school in the Bay Area to institutionalize Ethnic Studies as a requirement for all its students. Ethnic Studies provides a counter-narrative to the dominant narratives of history, and a critical lens through which to view society’s issues of inequality. The curriculum of Ethnic Studies for FPA was written for the youth of Oakland with the goal of empowering students by teaching narratives that are culturally relevant.
The students will narrate the film with stories of their struggles growing up in Oakland, but the focus will be their resilience and unquenchable motivation to achieve. The film follows the students’ political awakening as they learn a narrative of history in which they can position themselves and their ancestors, while providing them with a critical lens through which they view the world and understand why their reality exists the way it does.
The Impact
Out of 1,558 9th graders in East Oakland, only 23% (352) graduate, and only 5% (87) are eligible for college.
In Tucson, Arizona, it was found that over a six-year time span Latino/a students who participated in Mexican American Studies (MAS) classes graduated at a ten percent higher rate than those who didn’t. And, these students had ten percent higher passing grades. Students enrolled in MAS classes were graduating at a rate of 93%. Clearly, Ethnic Studies works.
However, in spite of these amazing statistics, MAS was outlawed in Arizona’s K-12 public schools when HB 2281 took effect this year. Precious Knowledge, a documentary directed by Ari Palos and produced by Eren McGinnis, followed the youth struggle against lawmakers attempting to eliminate their Mexican American Studies programs. Oakland's Castle would compliment the arguments presented in Precious Knowledge by providing first-hand perspectives of the Ethnic Studies curriculum through the eyes of students in Oakland. Now is the most vital time for educators and community members to see the transformational impact that a culturally relevant curriculum has on youth of color.
FPA is serving as a pilot for programs that may be institutionalized across the Oakland Unified School District. This film will provide positive evidence to support the expansion of Ethnic Studies district wide. The film will serve as a tool to open up conversations among educators in Oakland as to how to best serve their youth, and an asset of organizers around the battle for Ethnic Studies. This film will further the movement of Ethnic Studies as a method to empower youth.
The struggle around Ethnic Studies in Oakland and in Tucson speaks to a much struggle around multiculturalism that reaches across the nation.
Our Team
Natalie Teter is a student at San Francisco State University studying Cinema and Ethnic Studies. She is a board member of the All Power to the People Archive Project, which documents social and political movements of the Bay Area through conducting oral histories. She is a part of a collective named the Eyes On Arizona Collective, and served on their first delegation to the US Mexico border, where she and nine other people from the College of Ethnic Studies spent ten days giving humanitarian assistance to migrants crossing the border in the Tucson sector. Natalie is the director and co-producer of the documentary. She is also responsible for the idea and genesis of the project.
Auriyana Jackson is a student at New York University studying Film and Television at Tisch. She recently transferred from San Francisco State University, where she spent her first two years of college studying Cinema. During her time in San Francisco, Auriyana worked as an Assistant Video Editor for Common Sense Media in the video department. Auriyana also interned at KQED on the program, “This Week in Northern California,” and was an intern at the ATA Experimental Film Festival. Auriyana is a co-producer and editor of the documentary.
A San Francisco native, Alan Chang has a tremendous amount of creativity and technical skills in dealing with audio. His desire in painting a picture with sound has led films into festivals across the nation from the Bay Area and L.A. all the way to NYC. From 30-second spots through 90-minute feature length films to Off-Broadway musicals, one would be surprised at the capabilities that Alan brings to the game. His love for the recording arts has led him to the opportunity of recording some amazing orchestras and modern classical music in the Bay Area. Most importantly, his creativity in the Arts and his critical problem-solving skills in the Science has led him to become a great sound engineer. Alan will be the sound designer for the documentary.
Nissa Poulsen is a student at San Francisco State University studying Cinema with an emphasis in production. She primarily works as an Art Director, and has been involved in the art department for multiple films shot in the San Francisco Bay Area. She recently completed a short film, Inheritance: a Portrait of the Artist J. Mitsu, which explores the effects of the Japanese Internment on a third-generation Japanese American Artist. In addition to her film work, she has interned with the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival and Frameline LGBTQ film festival. Nissa will be the production assistant on this project.
What We Need & What You Get
Any funds you are able to give will make you a crucial contributer to getting this story out to the public. All of our crew is working for free, so all of the money contributed will go directly towards making this film the best it can possible be.
We are interested in keeping any contributors up to date with the project so that they feel involved in the struggle around Ethnic Studies as well as the filmmaking project.
If any potentials investors would like a detailed budget breakdown on an excel sheet please feel free to email aurijackson@gmail.com.
If we don't reach our entire goal, we will still be making the documentary no matter what because this story needs to be told. In addition to our indiegogo campaign we have applied for fiscal sponsorship from the San Francisco Film Society and are working to meet with private investors.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you believe in this campaign and the future of the youth of Oakland please donate, or TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT US! Even if you can only donate $10, anything would be appreciated.
If you want to get involved, please email us. If you have a certain expertise that you think would be beneficial to the project, please don't hesitate to email us. At this juncture in the struggle, solidarity is our most potent weapon against oppression.
