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Living in Richmond
 In this commentary, Bianca Butler talks about how her life changed when she moved from a suburb of Sacramento to Richmond, California when she was 15. The move meant leaving behind the freedom to take long walks and ride her bike. Now, she’s home by sunset, because of her dad’s fears and her own:
When I see my neighbors through those barred windows, I wonder if they feel trapped and isolated like I do.
Bianca’s dad wants to relocate with his family to a more peaceful place, but she worries about what will happen to her neighborhood if the “old timers” like her dad move away, in what she calls “black flight,” taking their memories of Richmond with them.
Click here to find the full script and audio for this story.
Teach Youth Radio
For this month's feature, you will be able to view these strategies and resources:
1. How teachers can align this Youth Radio story to National Standards in the classroom.
2. Suggestions for lesson plans that link the story's content to your classroom's themes and subject areas.
3. Suggestions for lesson plans that explore media literacy, using the story to re-read mainstream media.
4. Bios of the Youth Radio reporters who produced the story.
5. A list of resources and further research related to the story's themes.
6. Links to Youth Radio’s media production techniques as guides and inspiration for your students’ creative media-making projects.
1. NATIONAL STANDARDS: Standards Alignment
Subject: LANGUAGE ARTS
NL-ENG.K-12.1 READING FOR PERSPECTIVE
NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
NL-ENG.K-12.3 EVALUATION STRATEGIES
NL-ENG.K-12.6 APPLYING KNOWLEDGE
NL-ENG.K-12.9 MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Subject: GEOGRAPHY
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
NSS-G.K-12.4 HUMAN SYSTEMS
NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
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2. NEWS YOU CAN USE: Story content in your classroom, Suggestions for lesson plans
Language Arts:
Sense of Place:
Bianca opens her commentary with a picture of home, including details that give a sense of what it’s like to live where she does. With her line, “Don’t get the wrong idea…” she implies, quite rightly, that people often make all sorts of assumptions based on where and how you live. Have your students do a free-write off Biana’s line, “I live in ___________, and this is my reality.” Make sure somewhere in their writing, they include the line, “Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Oral History: Bianca’s dad’s memories of Richmond help shape her view of the city and the way it’s changed. Have students identify an elder in their neighborhoods to interview. They might select a member of their own families, a local leader, or maybe someone they’ve seen around but never thought to talk to—like a store owner, or the guy who waits at the bus stop or hangs out on a park bench. Have them work in teams to develop questions that probe the individual’s personal history and explore how the community has changed. Ask them to write up profiles of their interviewees that also serve as portraits of their neighborhoods.
Endings and Beginnings: Bianca’s story ends at a crossroads—with her father weighing the decision of whether to stay in Richmond or move to a different community. Split your class into two groups. Ask your students to take on the voices and characters Bianca introduces here, and write two different endings to her commentary. In one, her family decides to stay in Richmond. In the other, they leave. What happens next? What are the ripple effects of each decision? Bring the groups back together to share their stories.
Geography and Environmental Health:
Picturing History: Bianca describes a photo of Richmond from the 1950s, when the streets bustled with residents and businesses. Have students do some research to find a picture of their town or city—even their own street—from back in the day. Notice what has changed—everything from local businesses, to the demographics, to vehicles on the road. What do these changes represent, in terms of economic, political, cultural, and environmental shifts? Do students see these changes as improvements, signs of things getting worse, or some combination? How do young people see themselves and their own families as playing a role in these changes?
Urban Environments: Something Bianca doesn’t mention here that marks the city of Richmond is that it contains a federally designated Superfund site. Ask your students to research the federal Superfund program. What are the debates surrounding environmental contaminants in Richmond? How have young people served as key organizers working for a healthier environment, using the framework of environmental justice (see research and resource list below)? Consider how this framework relates to the issues Bianca explores in her personal story.
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3. CRITICAL MEDIA LITERACY: Putting This Story in Context
Black Flight: Bianca’s dad is considering moving his family out of Richmond, but Bianca worries that he might, in doing that, contribute to “black flight.” What does “black flight” mean? What is “white flight?” In a 2004 article for blackamericaweb.com, a reporter found 2,500 articles addressing the effect of white flight on public schools, but fewer than 100 dealing with the phenomenon of black flight. What does that tell you? How can “flight” be associated with the privilege of having options? What special issues and challenges does black flight raise for families like Bianca’s, and for urban America more broadly?
Richmond in the News: Around the time that Bianca wrote this commentary, Richmond, California was in the news because of escalating rates of violence, including homicides. Officials considered declaring a state of emergency in some neighborhoods. Have students find a newspaper article covering the situation in Richmond in 2005. Compare the insights and portrayals in Bianca’s piece and the print report they find. Where do things stand now? What community resources were activated to address the growing violence? How did young people play a role?
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4. MEET THE COMMENTATOR
Bianca Butler is a 2004 Youth Radio graduate and was a newsroom intern when she wrote this commentary, while finishing her senior year at El Cerrito High School. She is now in her first year at Sarah Lawrence College. Her plan is to concentrate on history and intern for print publications in New York City. She enjoys listening to techno and alternative rock, and reading nonfiction regarding race, class, and gender. Plus, she’s a total foody!
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5. RESOURCES AND RESEARCH
• Article about “black flight” from public schools:
• Youth Radio public affairs show on Richmond:
• San Francisco Chronicle article on Richmond:
• Oakland Tribune article on environmental justice in Richmond
• Environmental health and justice organization for youth
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6. MEDIA PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES FOR LEARNING: Making Audio Narratives
Click here to link to Youth Radio's guidelines for conducting interviews, writing commentaries, and producing features.
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