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Raising Bertie
A Film by Margaret Byrne
Community Engagement & Education
DISCUSSION GUIDE
www.pbs.org/pov
POV
|2DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
LETTER FROM THE FILMMAKER
I originally came to Bertie County in 2009 to make a short film about the Hive House,
an alternative school for boys. I fell in love with the place and I saw value in a part
of the country that the rest of America seemed to ignore.
After visiting the Hive, I knew there was an important story to be told about African-
American boys growing up in Bertie. When talking to the students, I observed that
they had one thing in common: they all felt misunderstood. We planned to follow
three young men at the school for one year, but early into filming, the Hive was
closed down by the board of education because of budgetary shortfalls.
Instead of abandoning the project, we continued to film Junior, Bud and Dada as
they returned to public high school. I wasn’t sure where the story would lead, but I
did know that the perspective of the boys was worth sharing. People would ask me,
why are you filming them? First and foremost, I saw their value and I recognized
that they were often overlooked and pushed to the side. I also saw that the major-
ity of youth in the community were experiencing struggles similar to theirs, and I
knew I didn’t want to focus on stories of the exceptions.
Though our appearances and upbringings were different, their struggles felt famil-
iar to me. At the time, I was married to an African immigrant who faced many of the
same challenges that the boys did. Not only did he endure the negative stereotype
of being black and poor, but despite having a high school diploma, he could barely
read. None of this defined him. I knew what a strong man he was when he was in his
element. I recognized similar passion and potential in Junior, Bud and Dada.
This film has been a labor of love. As a single mother on public aid, I’m not a typical documentary director. My daughter
stayed with me in Bertie and came with us on shoots. She was 2 when I started this film and has grown up with these fami-
lies, who are now like family to us. Over the last seven years, we have maintained close, trusting relationships with each fam-
ily in the film. I love them and am honored that they trusted me, gave me an unfiltered window into their lives and believed
what we were doing was important.
In editing this story, there were competing pressures: to fight against stereotypes, to tell an exciting story, to tell a story of
unexpected success and to prove that a filmmaker can communicate an honest story about a culture that is not her own. The
truth is, I made a film about three kids I met and cared about. I knew their story needed telling. The individuals in this story
are representative of their community and they matter.
Margaret Byrne
Director, Raising Bertie
Filmmaker Margaret Byrne.
Photo courtesy of Jon Stuyvesant
|3DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
2 Letter from the Filmmaker
4 Introduction
5 Potential Partners
5 Key Issues
5 Using This Guide
6 Background Information
6 Bertie County
7 Economic Challenges
9 Transportation
10 Education
11 Technology
12 Health
13 Housing
15 What is Institutional Racism?
16 It’s Expensive to Be Poor
18 Selected People Featured
in Raising Bertie
19 General Discussion Questions
20 Discussion Prompts
27 Taking Action
28 Resources
29 How to Buy the Film
Writer
Faith Rogow, PhDInsighters Educational Consulting
Background Research and Reporting
Ione BarrowsAssociate, Community Engagement and Education, POV
Guide Producers, POV
Eliza LichtVice President, Content Strategy and Engagement, POV
Alice QuinlanManager, Community Engagement and Education, POV
Design:
Rafael Jiménez
Copy Editor:
Natalie Danford
Thanks to those who reviewed this guide:
Margaret ByrneFilmmaker, Raising Bertie
Ian KibbeProducer, Raising Bertie
Corianne Payton Scally, PhDSenior Research Associate, Urban Institute
Vivian SaundersCEO, The Hive House
TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDITS
Raising Bertie is an intimate portrait of three African-Amer-
ican boys as they face a precarious coming of age in rural
Bertie County, North Carolina. Like many rural areas, Bertie
County struggles with a dwindling economy, a declining
population and a high school graduation rate below the
state average. This powerful vérité film weaves the young
men's narratives together as they work to define their iden-
tities and grow into adulthood while navigating complex re-
lationships, institutional racism, violence, generational
poverty and educational inequity. Raising Bertie asks us to
see this world through their eyes, and to appreciate their
dreams and their substantial will to succeed in a world that
seemingly prefers to imprison or ignore them.
INTRODUCTION
|4DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Davonte "Dada" Harrell.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
Raising Bertie is well suited for use in a variety of settings
and is especially recommended for use with:
• Your local PBS station
• Groups that have discussed previous PBS and POV
films relating to coming of age, African-American
culture(s) or rural America, including American
Promise, Only the Young, All the Difference, 15 to
Life: Kenneth’s Story, Up Heartbreak Hill and
Where Soldiers Come From.
• Groups focused on any of the issues listed in the
“Key Issues” section
• Grassroots organizations like the Hive House that
provide resources
• High school students, youth groups and clubs
• Faith-based organizations and institutions
• Civic, fraternal and community groups
• Cultural, education, art and historical organi-
zations, institutions and museums
• Academic departments and student groups at
colleges, universities and high schools
• Community organizations with a mission to
promote education and learning, such as local
libraries
Raising Bertie is an excellent tool for outreach and will
be of special interest to people looking to explore the
following topics:
• achievement gap
• African-American boys/young men
• alternative schools
• coming of age/manhood
• education/education policy and reform
• graduation rates
• inequity (educational, economic)
• job skills/job training
• North Carolina
• poverty
• race
• racism
• resilience
• rural isolation
• rural youth
• school-to-prison pipeline
• unemployment
• workforce development
|5DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
USING THIS GUIDE
This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection, designed for people who
want to use Raising Bertie to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues and communities. In contrast to initiatives
that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversa-
tions undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by shar-
ing viewpoints and listening actively.
The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues
in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And
be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and
optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.
For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit www.pov.org/engage
POTENTIAL PARTNERS KEY ISSUES
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|6DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Bertie County
Bertie County is less than two hours’ drive from Raleigh, but
it could not feel more remote from North Carolina’s thriving
capital city. Rural and majority African-American, Bertie res-
idents are at the intersection of two demographic groups
that have been economically disadvantaged throughout
American history.
Although North Carolina has recovered from the nationwide
recession that began in 2008, the state’s economic gains
have been unevenly distributed. Unemployment and poverty
remain major challenges in Bertie County. Many of those
who are employed work in positions that are low-paid and
unstable. As in rural areas across the country, manufacturing
was once a pillar of Bertie’s economy, but these jobs have
been disappearing due to changes in industrial technology.
Bertie has also suffered population loss in recent years,
which has made it harder to sustain a vibrant local economy.
Bertie County’s struggling economy has a domino effect. A
school system dogged by budget problems lacks the re-
sources to prepare many students for higher educa-
tion or the workforce, especially those with special
needs. Even in a healthy economy, children born into
poverty face significant barriers in the transition from school
to career. In addition to job scarcity, Bertie residents are held
back by costly transportation, unaffordable housing, limited
access to loans and a lack of proper infrastructure, such as
well-maintained roads and high-speed internet.
Despite these obstacles, the Bertie community is tight-knit.
Strong leaders such as Vivian Saunders, CEO of the Hive
House—teachers, mothers and mother figures—have pooled
their resources to help Bertie’s young people make the most
of their challenging circumstances. To quote Saunders:
“Bertie County’s most valuable resource is its people.”
Source
North Carolina Justice Center. “Manufacturing Decline Explains North
Carolina's Lagging Job Creation.” Apr. 29, 2013.
www.ncjustice.org/?q=budget-and-tax%2Fmedia-release-new-report-
manufacturing-decline-explains-north-carolinas-lagging-job
Bertie County, North Carolina.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|7DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Economic Challenges
Over the past decade, the jobless rate in Bertie County has
been persistently higher than the state average. Bertie resi-
dents face disadvantages in the job market related to
changes in industry, regional economics and racial prejudice.
While unemployment among North Carolina whites is now
lower than it was before the 2008 recession, the rate for
African Americans is higher—and over twice the rate of
whites. A long history of labor exploitation has taken its toll
on the African-American community. From slavery to Jim
Crow-era agricultural practices to mass incarceration, insti-
tutional racism has contributed to Bertie residents’ economic
difficulties (see pop-out, “What is institutional racism?”).
Jobs that do not require specialized education or skills are
increasingly rare in Bertie County. Many of North Carolina’s
new jobs are in urban, highly skilled sectors, such as tech-
nology. Meanwhile, Bertie’s economy has depended more
heavily on industrial fields—farming and manufacturing. Per-
due, one of the largest poultry suppliers in the United States,
remains a major employer in Bertie. However, as compa-
nies turn to technology and overseas labor to cut
staffing costs, manufacturing employees are being
laid off and Bertie workers have struggled to find new jobs.
There are limited job training programs to help workers
make the transition from factory work to higher-skilled po-
sitions.
Bertie County’s unemployment rate does not tell the whole
story. During the recession, Bertie suffered population loss
as some residents moved to other counties. With fewer
workers and buyers, Bertie’s economy has suffered. The job-
less rate does not account for those who left Bertie, or “dis-
couraged workers” who have dropped out of the workforce
altogether. It also does not include residents who were seek-
ing full-time employment and settled for part-time positions
instead.
With the decline in industrial jobs, an increasing number of
rural Americans are working in the service industry: for ex-
ample, in food service, nursing and housekeeping. Bertie res-
idents such as Cheryl Askew (Reginald Junior’s mother)
have taken service positions, and many work multiple part-
time jobs. This work tends to be more precarious, lower paid
Junior going to work at a pork processing plant.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|8DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
and less likely to be unionized than work in other sectors. In
2015, the median household income in Bertie County was
$31,967, significantly lower than the statewide income of
$47,884.
Americans in rural communities tend to have lower incomes
and are more likely to be poor than urbanites. In addition to
this regional trend, rural African Americans are on average
more poor than their rural white counterparts. In Bertie, for
example, the poverty rate for African Americans is over
three times the poverty rate of whites (30.1 percent com-
pared to 9.6 percent); over one third of Bertie children live
in poverty. Across rural America, the poverty rate for mi-
norities is more than twice the rate of whites. Just like
wealth, deep poverty is often passed down through the gen-
erations.
Sources
Budget & Tax Center. “County Quick Facts: Economic Snapshot:
Bertie County.” Apr. 2017.
http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/BTC/County-Economic-
Snapshot/2017/BERTIE_%202017%20County%20Snapshots_Final.pdf
Doran, Will and David Raynor. “NC Economy a Mixed Bag.” The News
and Observer, Oct. 8, 2016.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-
politics/article107009877.html
Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. “Blueprint for
Bertie: A Community Economic Development Plan.”
http://www.ncgrowth.unc.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2014/08/2014_08_BertieReport.pdf
FRED Economic Data. “Unemployment Rate in Bertie County, NC.”
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NCBERT5URN
Knight, Sadaf. “Unemployment Disparities Persist in North Carolina.”
Carolina Small Business Development Fund, May 26, 2016.
Bud harvests cotton.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|9DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
https://carolinasmallbusiness.org/2017/05/unemployment-disparities-
persist-in-north-carolina/
Stanford, Jessica. “Examining Decline in North Carolina’s
Municipalities.” UNC Carolina Population Center, July 5, 2017.
http://demography.cpc.unc.edu/2017/07/05/examining-decline-in-
north-carolinas-municipalities/
United States Census Bureau. “Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates.: Bertie County, North Carolina. Under Age 18 in Poverty
(1997-2015).”
https://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/data/interactive/saipe.html?s
_appName=saipe&map_yearSelector=2015&map_geoSelector=mhi_c&s
_county=37015&s_state=37&s_measures=u18_snc&menu=trends
United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Local
Area Unemployment Statistics.”
https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LASST370000000000003
Transportation
Transportation is an additional challenge for rural communi-
ties such as Bertie County. Three quarters of employed
Bertie residents work outside the county. Public tran-
sit options are both limited and expensive: nation-
ally, only 11 percent of rural residents have access to public
transportation. Residents who own cars are saddled with the
high costs of fuel and vehicle maintenance. Rural areas often
lack the funds to maintain infrastructure, and experience
worse road conditions, on average, than urban residents.
Even when jobs are available in Bertie, many residents can-
not access them because of their locations.
Sources
American Public Transportation Association. “Rural Communities:
Expanding Horizons: The Benefits of Public Transportation.”
http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/R
ural-Communities-APTA-White-Paper.pdf
Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. “Blueprint for
Bertie: A Community Economic Development Plan.”
http://www.ncgrowth.unc.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2014/08/2014_08_BertieReport.pdf
Bertie County, North Carolina.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|10DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Education
Some Bertie residents are unable to find work due to the
“skills gap”—available jobs require specialized education or
training they do not possess. In 2014, over 26 percent of
Bertie County adults (25 years and older) lacked a high
school degree, and fewer than 10 percent had a bachelor’s
degree—compared to 28.4 percent statewide. A state com-
mission recently found the Bertie County school system in
“significant financial distress.” Rural school districts across
the country share these financial challenges. Since rural dis-
tricts spend more of their per-student expenditures on
transportation, they have less funding for instruction and
special needs services. This means that rural students may
be less likely to have access to quality teachers, supplies, and
extracurricular programs.
Sources
Budget & Tax Center. “County Quick Facts: Economic Snapshot: Bertie
County.” Apr. 2017.
http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/BTC/County-Economic-
Snapshot/2017/BERTIE_%202017%20County%20Snapshots_Final.pdf
Doran, Will and David Raynor. “NC Economy a Mixed Bag.” The News
and Observer, Oct. 8, 2016.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-
politics/article107009877.html
Hinchcliffe, Kelly. “Bertie County Schools in ‘Significant Financial
Distress,’ State Report Finds.” WRAL.com, May 3, 2017.
http://www.wral.com/bertie-county-schools-in-significant-financial-
distress-state-report-finds/16680686/
Davonte "Dada" Harrell.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|11DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Technology
Another barrier to employment, economic growth and qual-
ity of life in rural areas is limited access to broadband Inter-
net. Broadband is a faster wireless Internet connection that
the federal government defines as necessary to access
“high-quality voice, data, graphics and video” services. This
connection requires certain infrastructure that many rural
areas lack. In an era when job searches and other important
communications take place online, 39 percent of rural Amer-
icans lack access to high-speed Internet; by contrast, only 4
percent of urban Americans lack access. Rural areas tend to
only have one internet provider—with no competition, the
provider companies drive up prices and make Internet ac-
cess less affordable.
Sources
Federal Communications Commission. “2016 Broadband Progress
Report.” Jan. 29, 2016. https://www.fcc.gov/reports-
research/reports/broadband-progress-reports/2016-broadband-progre
ss-report
Hertz, Thomas, et al. “Rural Employment in Recession and Recovery.”
United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service,
Oct. 6, 2014. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-
waves/2014/october/rural-employment-in-recession-and-recovery/
Bertie Public High School.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|12DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Health
Rural residents often have limited access to healthy foods,
which has contributed to the obesity epidemic that dispro-
portionately affects low-income and rural Americans.
Processed foods are higher in sugar and saturated fat, which
are linked to obesity. However, these “junk foods” are also
cheaper and more accessible in rural areas. One reason for
this is that agricultural policies such as farming subsidies are
favorable to the agribusiness companies (that is, large agri-
cultural and food manufacturing businesses) that produce
processed food. In addition to obesity, rural communities
have a higher incidence of “preventable conditions,” such as
substance abuse, chronic illnesses and injury. Due to geo-
graphic isolation, rural families are less likely to have consis-
tent access to healthcare, especially preventative care that
may avert the development of more serious illnesses.
Sources
Matthews, K. A., et al. “Health-Related Behaviors by Urban-Rural
County Classification-United States, 2013.” Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, Feb. 3, 2017.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6605a1
The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services.
“The 2011 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services
Issues.” March 2011.
https://www.hrsa.gov/advisorycommittees/rural/2011secreport.pdf
Rural Health Information Hub. “Rural Health Disparities.”
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/rural-health-disparities#health-
status
Bud at home.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|13DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Housing
Housing is less expensive in rural areas, and rural residents
are more likely to own their homes than urban residents.
However, rural Americans were hit hard by the foreclosure
crisis that began in 2007 (see box below, “What was the
foreclosure crisis?”). Rural homeowners with mortgages paid
a heavy cost during the recession: between 2009 and 2015,
according to a report compiled by the Housing Assistance
Council, “at a minimum hundreds of thousands” of rural
homeowners lost the houses they had invested in for years.
Rental housing is limited in many rural communities, and
rural renters are much more likely than homeowners to live
in poor-quality housing. From 2011 to 2015, an average of
61.4 percent of renters in Bertie County had unaffordable
housing (that is, they spent more than 30 percent of their
income on rent). Even before the economic crisis, housing
affordability was a challenge in rural America. For years,
Bertie County residents have lacked sufficient finan-
cial services. Without access to affordable credit,
Bertie families and business-owners are less able to invest in
real estate.
Sources
Budget & Tax Center. “County Quick Facts: Economic Snapshot: Bertie
County.” Apr. 2017.
http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/BTC/County-Economic-
Snapshot/2017/BERTIE_%202017%20County%20Snapshots_Final.pdf
Housing Assistance Council. “Taking Stock: Rural People, Poverty and
Housing in the 21st Century.” Dec. 2012.
http://www.ruralhome.org/storage/documents/ts2010/ts_full_report.p
df
National Rural Housing Coalition. “Barriers to Affordable Rural
Housing.” http://ruralhousingcoalition.org/overcoming-barriers-to-
affordable-rural-housing
David "Bud" Perry.
Photo courtesy of Jon Stuyvesant
What was the foreclosure crisis?
Economists refer to the period leading up to the 2009 crisis as the
“housing bubble.” Home values were rising and millions of middle class
Americans were encouraged to buy real estate, which was seen as a re-
liable investment. Mortgages (large home-purchasing loans and home
equity loans) were widely available, but an increasing number of these
loans were “subprime.” Subprime loans were more flexible but imposed
higher risks; often they were structured with interest rates that increased
over time, and frequently multiple loans were issued using a single house
as collateral. Such loans were often allocated to lower-credit households.
Due to a complex investment structure involving the mortgage market,
many homeowners got stuck with unaffordable payments at the same
time that the values of their homes plummeted. This meant that families
owed more on their mortgages than the properties were worth, and they
could not sell or refinance. If homeowners started missing their pay-
ments, their homes were foreclosed—reclaimed by the lenders—with
some homeowners going bankrupt, as well. Ultimately, the foreclosure
crisis resulted in the loss of millions of homes and trillions of dollars
worth of home value and left the American economy devastated.
According to a report by the Housing Assistance Council, the foreclo-
sure rate in rural America is “difficult to determine” due to a lack of reli-
able data. Rural homeowners were more likely to own their homes
without mortgages than urban and suburban residents, but “hundreds of
thousands of rural households were, or continue to be, impacted by the
foreclosure crisis.” Further, the crisis had an outsized impact on com-
munities of color. Rural minorities received a larger proportion of high-
cost loans: 10.6 percent, compared to 8.6 percent for rural whites. This
trend reflects the disproportionate impact of the housing crisis on peo-
ple of color in both rural and metropolitan areas. One study found that over the course of the recession, African-
American borrowers were 76 percent more likely to have lost their homes to foreclosure than white borrowers.
Sources
Bocian, Debbie Gruenstein, et al. “Foreclosures by Race and Ethnicity: The Demographics of a Crisis.” Center for Responsible Lending, June
18, 2010. http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/foreclosures-by-race-and-ethnicity.pdf
Boesel, Molly. “Foreclosure Report Highlights: 10-Year Retrospect of the US Residential Foreclosure Crisis.” CoreLogic, March 14, 2017.
http://www.corelogic.com/blog/authors/molly-boesel/2017/03/foreclosure-report-highlights-10-year-retrospect-of-the-us-residential-
foreclosure-crisis.aspx#.WZxtpXeGPY1
Henry, Ben, et al. “Wasted Wealth: How the Wall Street Crash Continues to Stall Economic Recovery and Deepen Racial Inequality in
America.” Alliance for a Just Society, May 2013. http://allianceforajustsociety.org/wp-
content/uploads/2013/05/Wasted.Wealth_NATIONAL.pdf
Housing Assistance Council. “Taking Stock: Rural People, Poverty and Housing in the 21st Century.” Dec. 2012.
http://www.ruralhome.org/storage/documents/ts2010/ts_full_report.pdf
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|14DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Junior.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
What is Institutional Racism?
Institutional racism is different from racially biased in-
teractions between individuals. It takes place at the
level of institutions: systemic policies or practices that
disadvantage certain racial groups, usually in ways that
are not explicit or overt. The term was coined in 1967
by the racial justice activists Kwame Ture (formerly
known as Stokely Carmichael) and Charles Hamilton,
who wrote:
When white terrorists bomb a black church and
kill five black children, that is an act of individual
racism, widely deplored by most segments of the
society. But when in that same city—Birmingham,
Alabama—five hundred black babies die each year
because of the lack of proper food, shelter and
medical facilities, and thousands more are
destroyed and maimed physically, emotionally and
intellectually because of conditions of poverty and
discrimination in the black community, that is a
function of institutional racism. When a black
family moves into a home in a white neighborhood
and is stoned, burned or routed out, they are
victims of an overt act of individual racism which any people will condemn. But it is institutional racism that
keeps black people locked in dilapidated slum tenements, subject to the daily prey of exploitative slumlords,
merchants, loan sharks and discriminatory real estate agents. The society either pretends it does not know of
this latter situation, or is in fact incapable of doing anything meaningful about it.
One definition of institutional racism is “the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in our soci-
ety to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color." American history includes many ex-
amples of institutional racism that have deprived certain groups of resources: for example, slavery, uneven
enforcement of laws that overlooked white supremacist violence, discriminatory labor and lending practices that ex-
cluded or exploited African Americans and mandatory minimum sentences for different types of drug crimes. In the
¡words of one anti-racist group, “Institutional racism is a direct cause of poverty. To address poverty, we need to ad-
dress racism.”
Sources
Hamilton, Charles V., and Kwame Ture. Black Power: The Politics of Liberation. (New York: Vintage, 1967), 4.
Solid Ground. “Definition & Analysis of Institutional Racism.” http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/institutionalracism.pdf
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|15DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
During production.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
It’s Expensive to Be Poor
“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows
how extremely expensive it is to be poor,” wrote James
Baldwin in 1960. Almost sixty years later, this is still the
case. Poor people must pay more for the basic goods
and services needed for survival.
Food Insecurity
Low-income people are more likely to live in “food
deserts”—areas that lack grocery stores with affordable
fresh food. Large stretches of rural America are “food
insecure”: an estimated 98 percent of America’s food
deserts are in rural areas. With much of rural farming
dedicated to industrial cash crops, locally grown food is
scarce, and grocery stores have high prices due to
transportation costs and lack of competition. When
families have to drive 45 minutes to get to the grocery
store, they spend money on gas and are not able to buy
many perishable foods, such as fruits and vegetables. In
Bertie, for example, there is only one major grocery
store, and it is located twenty miles or more from many
parts of the county.
Health Care
Health care is a significant cost for low-income Ameri-
cans, but rural residents have the additional disadvan-
tage of living far from many healthcare providers. When
routine visits to the pediatrician, dentist and ophthal-
mologist require a long drive, the transit time and cost
of fuel are a burden for low-income families, and be-
cause of this they may miss out on preventative care.
Lack of regular health care often results in more serious
health problems, which require costly treatments.
Taxes
The poor pay a larger portion of their income in state
and local taxes than wealthier Americans. In 2015, the
poorest fifth of Americans paid on average 10.9 percent
of their incomes to state and local governments, in-
cluding sales tax on essentials and fees for tax prepar-
ers. Meanwhile, the top 1 percent paid on average 5.4
percent of their incomes.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|16DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
David "Bud" Perry.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
|17DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Access to Financial Services
Low-income and rural residents are more likely to lack
bank accounts—to be “unbanked”—which means that
they must pay exorbitant fees both to cash checks and
to purchase money orders to pay monthly expenses.
Unbanked consumers spend 4 to 5 percent of their pay-
roll checks just to cash them. According to one esti-
mate, such fees can amount to $40,000 over the career
of a full-time worker. It is also more difficult for low-in-
come people to build up credit and acquire loans, and
when they do take out loans they often pay higher fees
than wealthier borrowers and are more susceptible to
predatory lenders. Payday lenders, for example, carry
an average interest rate of 322 percent, while a typical
credit card charges 15 percent. Rural areas are espe-
cially impacted by lack of financial services: 85 percent
of the poorest counties in the United States are both
rural and “bank deserts.”
Sources:
Baldwin, James. "Fifth Avenue, Uptown: A Letter from Harlem.” Esquire, Oct. 16, 2007. http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a3638/fifth-
avenue-uptown/
Beard, Martha Perine. “In Depth: Reaching the Unbanked and Underbanked.” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Winter 2010.
https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/central-banker/winter-2010/reaching-the-unbanked-and-underbanked
Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, et al. “Household Food Security in the United States in 2015.” United States Department of Agriculture Economic
Research Service, Sept. 2016. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/79761/err-215.pdf?v=42636
Glinska, Gosia. “Fighting Financial Exclusion: How to Serve 88 Million Americans Who Have No Bank.” Forbes, June 5, 2014.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/darden/2014/06/05/fighting-financial-exclusion-how-to-serve-88-million-americans-who-have-no-
bank/#359b72052a5c
“It’s Expensive to Be Poor.” The Economist, Sept. 3, 2015. https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21663262-why-low-income-
americans-often-have-pay-more-its-expensive-be-poor
The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. “The 2011 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human
Services Issues.” March 2011. https://www.hrsa.gov/advisorycommittees/rural/2011secreport.pdf
The opening of the Bertie County Hive House.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
SELECT PEOPLE
|18DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Reginald “Junior” Askew – applies for jobs but no one will
hire him; works on his car (and when that fails, his bicycle);
visits his father in prison; drops out of high school but
eventually lands a job at a meat processing plant a couple of
hours away
Davonte “Dada” Harrell – interested in becoming a barber;
plays football; is a big brother/father figure to his nephew, Kiki
David “Bud” Perry – works with his father in a landscaping
business; is interested in dressing well and works to control his
quick temper.
Vivian Saunders – founder and CEO of the Hive Alternative
School and the Bertie County Hive House, and an advocate for
Bertie County youth
Selected People Featured in Raising Bertie
Immediately after the film, you may want to give people a
few quiet moments to reflect on what they have seen or
pose a general question (examples below) and give people
some time to themselves to jot down or think about their
answers before opening the discussion:
• If a friend asked you what this film was about, what
would you say?
• Describe a moment or scene in the film that you
found particularly disturbing or moving. What was it
about that scene that was especially compelling for
you?
• Did you see anything familiar? What do you have in
common with the people in the film?
• Were you surprised by anything in the film? Was
there a particular new insight you got from viewing?
• If you could ask anyone in the film a single question,
whom would you ask and what would you ask
them?
At the end of your discussion, to help people synthesize
what they’ve experienced and move the focus from dia-
logue to action steps, you may want to choose one of
these questions:
• What did you learn from this film that you wish
everyone knew? What would change if everyone
knew it?
• If you could require one person (or one group) to
view this film, who would it be? What would you
hope their main takeaway would be?
• Complete this sentence: I am inspired by this film
(or discussion) to __________.
GENERAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
|19DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Renovating the Hive House.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
|20DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Rural Life
What do the young men in the film have in common with:
- urban African-American young men?
- white rural teens?
- female peers?
What’s different?
Junior is ambivalent about life in Bertie: “I want to leave be-
cause it’s boring. But I don't like the idea of going out on my
own because, I think, I feel like I’m lost. Around here, people
know me. I know them. I feel safer. I go out on my own, I’ve
got to make all new friends.” What do you see as the posi-
tives and negatives of life in a place like Bertie?
What core values are being conveyed to these young men
by their:
- mothers?
- fathers?
- peers?
- school?
- community?
How do you know?
A school administrator says, “In a way, Bertie is unique. The
population’s 80 percent black. If it is our people that are in
the driver's seat, we have to be careful that we change the
story here.” Why do you think he says they have to “be care-
ful”? What’s the danger? In your view, what role do race and
racism play in the story of Bertie?
Peanut Farming, Bertie County.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
|21DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Vivian Saunders observes, “We are a quarter of a mile from
the jail. And I often tell the boys you got a choice: you can be
educated at 117 County Farm Road [the school] or you can
be educated at 230 Country Farm Road [the jail]. Take your
choice.” Who benefits from the large number of jails and
prisons in and around Bertie County? What did you learn
from the film about why disproportionate numbers of
African-American men end up in jail? What could communi-
ties like Bertie do to decrease the likelihood that their young
men end up in the justice system rather than the school sys-
tem?
School
Junior says he hated school. Dada says, “The teachers give
you the work and explain it one time and just expect you to
do it… but I don’t work that fast.” And Bud’s school experi-
ence is filled with frustration and posturing. Are any of their
reactions to school familiar to you? What was (or could have
been) done to improve the situation?
According to the school district, the Hive was not re-
funded because its services could be provided by
the traditional school “just as well if not better for the same
or a lesser cost.” Did the traditional public school fulfill this
promise?
In the film, students listen to President Obama as he exhorts
listeners not to be deterred by “challenges in your lives right
now that can make it hard to focus on your school work…
Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the
support that you need. Maybe you live in a neighborhood
where you don't feel safe… But at the end of the day, the cir-
cumstances of your life—what you look like, where you come
from, how much money you have… that’s no excuse for not
trying.” How do the family stories featured in the film influ-
ence your view of the president’s message? What do you
suppose the takeaways are for Junior, Dada and Bud?
Most students understand the relationship between aca-
demic performance and college success. What did you learn
from the boys’ college visit about the role that culture plays?
Bud at his high school graduation.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
|22DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
All the boys seem serious about eventually earning a good
living, but they don’t connect working hard at school to that
goal. In your view, what’s responsible for the disconnect?
The head of the traditional public school says, “The role of
teachers in an environment like this is to be dream makers.
They help you to go down paths that maybe even your par-
ents can't help you to go down.” Have you had any teachers
who were “dream makers” for you? What did they do that
made a difference?
Alternative School
What does the Hive provide to students that they didn’t find
at their traditional public school? What strategies does the
alternative school use to increase students’ chances to suc-
ceed? In what ways are those strategies especially well-
matched to the needs of African-American boys?
Why do you think the Hive calls everyone Mr. ____ instead
of using first names?
The Hive asks students to recite a Power Pledge:
I believe in myself and my ability to do my best.
I am intelligent.
I am capable of greatness.
I will think, I will feel, and I will reason.
I will read and I will write.
I will do all these things.
If you were writing a pledge, what would you include? What
commitments are most important for you or the young peo-
ple in your community?
When the Hive loses its funding, Vivian Saunders urges fam-
ilies to get active: “You cannot allow these folks to take our
program from us.” What could families do to save their al-
ternative school? Why would it be important for entire com-
munities to get involved rather than leaving the task to
leaders like Saunders?
Dada visits Grace College of Barbering.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
|23DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
The Hive’s curriculum includes anger management and re-
sponding to provocation (real or perceived). Do you think
all schools should require such courses? Why or why not?
Becoming a Man
What messages have you learned about what it takes to be
a “real” man? How did the messages you learned about man-
hood compare to the messages being conveyed to the
young men in the film?
Junior appreciates that his girlfriend, Tomekia, “don't let me
rule her, you know what I'm saying? But she let me feel like
I'm a man.” What do you think he means?
When Bud is caught with a shank, he explains why he carried
a weapon: “I don’t want to get jumped no more… I keep it
real with you, on my good side, but you f**k with me on my
bad side, it's hell to pay. [That’s] why I try to keep people on
my good side.” Later, Junior explains a neighborhood fight:
“Lil P owed Block money… He didn't have the money, had
to be done.” What was it that had to be done? Why do
these boys see violence as an inevitable response?
What are the sources of the idea that “real” men use violence
to defend their honor?
Vivian Saunders explains, “African-American males have had
the perception that they have to prove themselves... So we
had to de-brainwash them that you don't have to prove
yourself to anybody.” Where in the film do you see evidence
that the boys feel like they have to “prove themselves”?
What are the consequences of their efforts? How do people
like Saunders “de-brainwash” young men and is “de-brain-
washing” a good idea?
Junior complains, “It’s like you ain’t even here.” What makes
him feel invisible? What happens to young men, their fami-
lies and their communities when they feel invisible?
When Dada’s older brother is locked up again, Dada re-
sponds, “I already know I'm not going to see my brother for
the next seventeen years, so what's the need [to] keep talk-
ing about it? I'd rather forget about it. I see him when I see
Dada cuts his nephew's hair.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
him.” Based on what you see in the film, what’s the impact of
high incarceration rates of African-American men on the
boys they leave behind?
Junior moves out of his mother’s home because her new
boyfriend “got too much mouth. We don’t get along… I had
to move out my house because I ain't have no money and
move in my grandpa’s, like who wants to say that?... Billions
of people is going to look at this. And everybody is going to
have their opinions. And at the same time, well f**k them,
man. I don’t want to ever be looked down on.” As one of
those “billions” of viewers that Junior worries about, do you
see him as less than a man because he moved in with his
grandfather? What do you think Junior learned from his
mother’s boyfriend about what it means to be a man?
Fathers and Fatherhood
How would you describe the role of fathers in Bud’s, Dada’s
and Junior’s lives?
Junior’s mother describes his father: “He was my husband...
but I was afraid of him. He would throw cigarettes at me and
they burn me. He would smack me down in front of his fam-
ily. I left him right after Reginald was born. And I found out
that he had killed a girl and shot the sheriff's bailiff. He beat
the girl in the head with a butt of a shotgun. I often thought
that could happen to me.” In your experience, how are chil-
dren affected by witnessing domestic violence? What do
they learn about men and what to expect from husbands or
wives?
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
|24DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Junior visiting his father in prison.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
|25DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Bud tells the story of being kicked out of elementary school:
“People say something to me, I just flip on them. It got so
bad, my daddy come out there and beat me… all the time till
I would pee on myself. I be thinking like I see why he done it,
cause I just be wild.” What did Bud learn from his childhood
about parenting?
Dada believes his father prioritizes drinking over him. What
do you notice about the role of alcohol in the film’s families?
Dada says that the first time his father ever cried in front of
him was at his grandmother’s funeral. He wanted to ap-
proach his father but didn’t, because “he had his girlfriend
beside him.” What do you think Dada learned about father-
hood in that moment?
Kiki, Dada’s nephew, lives in their home because Dada’s
brother is in jail and the family doesn’t want Kiki to go into
foster care. In your experience, why is it important for men
like Dada to step up and build mentoring relationships with
younger boys?
Junior says that he knows he’ll be a “good daddy” be-
cause he won’t beat up his child. What does that tell
you about what he has learned about what it means to be a
father?
Like all the boys, Junior thinks about what sort of job he
wants: “I wanted to be like a policeman or work on cars, like
a, what do you call it, like a mechanic. Or I could be a secret
agent, yeah. That would be fun. Yeah, agent. I want to be
rich some day.” Ultimately, he decides that he just needs em-
ployment: “If I can get any type of job, I can make it. You
know what I’m saying?” And he does eventually land a job
earning several hundred dollars a week at a meat processing
plant. How does the ability to earn a living fit into his vision
of being a man? What happens to boys’ self-images when
they are taught that being a provider is an important part of
manhood but there are few jobs available?
Junior reads a letter he wrote to his father.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
|26DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Mothers
How would you describe the difference in roles of mothers
as compared to those of fathers in the film?
Junior seems to have trouble filling out job applications with-
out his mother’s help. He expects that someone will always
be there to guide him. His mother eventually refuses to help
saying, “You got to learn how to do some stuff on your own.”
What do the mothers (and mother-figures) in the film do to
encourage the boys to be independent?
Bud’s mother describes the challenge of parenting saying
that sometimes “you raising your children, and you did all
you could do and they still go the other way. You just still
got to pray for them. I would say to him, don’t give up. Be-
cause he can make it. I’m not going to put my hopes and
stuff down on him about him graduating. I told him, ‘Say, I
know you going to graduate.’” How do children benefit from
having someone in their life who believes in them, no matter
what?
Junior says, “I thought about selling drugs [to get rich], but
I never want to sell them because Mom says she'll break my
neck.” In your experience, what role do mothers play in in-
stilling morals or character? How does their role differ from
the role of fathers?
When Dada’s paternal grandmother dies of a heart attack,
Saunders escorts him to the funeral because his mother isn’t
invited. He says, “Ms. Saunders just like my momma so, I felt
all right going with her.” Have you ever had a woman in your
life whom you would describe as “just like my momma”?
How did that relationship benefit you? How does Dada’s re-
lationship with Saunders benefit him?
Saunders asks Dada about his father: “He ain’t called or any-
thing? You know your dad is doing what he's doing [be-
cause] he's angry at your mom. He's trying to take it out on
you. You know what I’ve taught you. You know what your
momma’s taught you. I don’t know about your momma, she
might’ve said punch him in the face… Don’t listen to what
momma wants. Say this is what momma two said today, you
know? Anytime you don’t feel comfortable, you say, ‘Ms.
Saunders, let’s ride.’ And we’ll get up and bounce.” What did
you think of her analysis and advice?
Junior's mother laments, “Sometimes he won't go to school
because he be sleeping. Or he goes to school and goes to
sleep in class. I am trying to do 100 percent to help him. I’ve
taught him manners. Taught him how to be responsi-
ble. Taught him that this is what life is all about. It
seem like to me, I failed as a mother.” Do you see her as a
failure? In your view, would it be reasonable for her to ex-
pect some support from others, or are parents on their own?
The Future
Notified that her program won’t be funded, the Hive’s direc-
tor, Vivian Saunders, wonders, “What in the world is going to
happen when I can’t put my hands on these boys. Have we
given them the tools to be able to survive without getting
into trouble?” How would you answer that question? Do you
think the young men are equipped to succeed in school and
in life? What strengths do they bring to the task? What tools
do you think they need that they haven’t yet acquired? What
else could be done to help them thrive?
At graduation, a speaker says, “Bertie will always be your
home. This community is prepared to make sure that there
are jobs here for you to come back to once you have gone
away to school and become skilled.” Does this ring true to
you? What would it take for communities like Bertie to pros-
per?
“I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me,
certainly, but I am, also, much more than that. So are we all.”
This quote from James Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son
opens the film. Why do you think the filmmaker chose to
open the film with this quote? What, if anything, about this
quote resonates with you and your experience?
Additional media literacy questions are available at:
www.pbs.org/pov/educators/media-literacy.php
Taking Action
• Convene a study group to examine the impact of proposed national and state education reforms (e.g.,
school choice, vouchers, property tax funding) on rural youth. Share your findings and your opinions with
legislators and policy makers.
• Create a teen exchange or partner program with a rural community. Visit them and invite them to visit
you. Talk about the unique joys and frustrations of life in each community.
• Raise funds to support alternative schools in your community. If your community already has a well-
established alternative school, consider adopting a rural community and helping them establish the
educational opportunities needed by their youth.
• Identify organizations working to end the school-to-prison pipeline and work with them to provide
alternatives to incarceration for young people. Include in your work a comparison of incarceration rates
for African-American young men and others. Consider what needs to be done in your state to eliminate the
inequity.
• Create a college or university program that works with nearby rural students every year, beginning in
elementary or middle school, to help kids along the pathway to higher education.
• Consider establishing or contributing to a scholarship fund specifically for rural youth of color who need
tuition assistance for college or for apprenticeships, trade schools or internships.
• Identify community leaders and organizations in your community or nearby rural communities that are
working to support and mentor young people. Learn about the unique challenges they are facing. Consider
volunteering, mentoring a young person or supporting them in their efforts.
|27DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Dada graduates from high school.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne
ADVANCING THE SUCCESS OF BOYS AND MEN OF
COLOR IN EDUCATION
http://diversity.utexas.edu/projectmales/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/POLICY-REPORT-8-29-141-copy.pdf
A joint project of seven research centers, this report
summarizes issues and makes policy recommendations.
AMERICAN GRADUATE
www.americangraduate.org/about/about-dropout-crisis/
This PBS initiative to increase high school graduation rates
does not exclusively focus on rural issues, but includes
research on dropout rates and links to local stories.
CAMPAIGN FOR BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT
www.blackmaleachievement.org
Focused on leadership and mentorship to address
disparities, mostly in urban areas, this organization also
provides resources relevant to all young black men,
including issues related to fatherhood, education, and
criminal justice.
DIGNITY IN SCHOOLS
www.dignityinschools.org
The site of a national coalition of parents, youth,
organizers, advocates and educators dedicated to
dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline provides fact
sheets, event listings, news and other resources
(searchable by state) to support the transformation of
public policy, schools and communities.
NC CHILD
www.ncchild.org
This is the website of an advocacy group for issues faced
by North Carolina’s children. Of special interest are
statistics about Bertie: http://www.ncchild.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/05/bertie.pdf.
RESOURCES
|28DISCUSSION GUIDE
Raising Bertie
Original Online Content on POV To further enhance the broadcast, POV has produced an interactive website to enable viewers to explore the film in
greater depth. The Raising Bertie website—www.pbs.org/pov/raisingbertie—offers a streaming video trailer for the
film; an interview with the filmmaker; a list of related websites, articles and books; a downloadable discussion guide;
and special features.
FILM-RELATED WEB SITES
RAISING BERTIE
www.raisingbertie.com
For additional information on the film, including a film synopsis, filmmaker and producer
bios and press coverage, visit the film’s website. www.facebook.com/RaisingBertieFilm
HOW TO BUY THE FILM
To order Raising Bertie for home use, go to http://raisingbertie.com.To order Raising Bertie for educational use, go to http://store.cinemaguild.com/nontheatrical/product/2543.html.
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Front cover: Junior and his car. Photo courtesy of Margaret Byrne