We were honored 
to welcome Harlem Children’s Zone CEO and author Geoffrey Canada to PlayhouseSquare for “A Conversation with Geoffrey Canada: Improving the Lives of Children, One Poor Child at a Time” on Monday, August 23.
Mr. Canada captivated the audience of early childhood educators, community leaders and other citizens concerned about the welfare of our children with his wit, humor and startling statistics. Did you know that:
- 69% of African-American males who don’t graduate from high school are unemployed
- Single African-American mothers are just $30 away from bankruptcy at any given time
- 75% of America’s children are not qualified to enter the military
- Per capita, America imprisons more people than anywhere else in the world
Therefore, “we must do something radically different for our children or we will destroy our nation,” said Mr. Canada. “Our children are the educational equivalent of [Hurricane] Katrina.”
He noted that this is a nationwide problem and explained how the Harlem Children’s Zone has worked to change things in the community. Some notable pieces of advice:
- “If you keep excusing failure, you never fix it.”
- “Don’t be a hostage of the past.”
- “Put the children first and don’t compromise.”
We at PlayhouseSquare were particularly interested to hear his take on the value of arts in education. He stated, “There is no denying that poetry saved me,” and went on to explain that it is important to offer a range of supports and activities because you never know what will save a child.
Before taking questions from the audience, Mr. Canada shared his original poem “Don’t Blame Me.”
You can see Mr. Canada in the documentary film “Waiting for ‘Superman,‘” to be released in select theaters on September 24.
More than 2000 free tickets were distributed for this event. The free admission and Mr. Canada’s visit were made possible by the PNC Grow Up Great program.
Cindi
