POV takes a look at the dynamic between parents, educators, and students embroiled in a battle over closing a top-ranked elementary school with a predominantly Black student population in a gentrified Chicago neighborhood in the inspiring documentary “Let The Little Light Shine.”
South Side Chicago’s National Teachers Academy (NTA), a high-performing elementary school, is considered a beacon for Black children. The school has served as a safe haven for children and a community bedrock in “The South Loop,” Chicago’s fastest-growing neighborhood. When NTA is threatened to be transformed into a high school favoring the needs of the community’s wealthier residents, African American parents-turned-organizers, alongside students and staff advocate to keep the school open. In “Let The Little Light Shine,” director and producer Kevin Shaw carefully considers race and other factors at play – class, which is intertwined with race, gentrification, power, privilege and politics – as they collide to create discord amongst a community that wants the best possible education for their children.
“I made this film to understand why there was a movement in a booming Chicago neighborhood to close a high-performing, top-ranked elementary school that serviced a majority Black student population and transform that institution into a high school, potentially causing more harm than good to neighborhood families,” said Shaw.
In the documentary, Shaw focuses on the individual stories of parents, students, community members and school faculty to showcase the different unique perspectives about the situation.
“Let The Little Light Shine” premieres at 9:00 p.m. on Monday, December 12 on Panhandle PBS. The documentary will also be available to stream for free at pbs.org and on the PBS Video app until February 10, 2023.
