Rosie Perez, Won't Back Down, UrbanWorld

Moms and teachers go together like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

We need each other and the only way to kick the bureaucracy to the curb is to become partners and #Occupy our schools for excellence.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure to attend the UrbanWorld Film Festival and screened Won’t Back Down starring Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rosie Perez, Lance Reddick, and Holly Hunter along with a strong supporting class.

Won’t Back Down is about how the school system has become cancerous with bureaucracy – so much so that performance is no longer important, passing kids through and keeping a teacher’s job is paramount. When Rosie Perez took center stage to introduce the movie, she said it best, “This movie is a passion piece for all and we do it as actors to make the place better for all. We must understand how the system works.” #GetInvolved

There is a line in the movie, that is so deep and cuts to the core – “The performance of the school determines the socio-economic, diversity and pulse of the neighborhood. If your school is good then your neighborhood is good. That simple.

As parents and concerned citizens, the call to get involved and be vocal is NOW.

If you are tired of the state of our children, then get involved as soon as your child enters school. Don’t wait for the problems to start; make certain you establish a relationship with the teachers, PTA, superintendent, and, chaperone trips, at the very least.

We must also work with our children and communicate to them that we expect excellence; after all, this is a partnership.

See Won’t Back Down, on September 28 and start your own #Occupy Schools campaign in your district.

I am proud to be a Mocha Mom blogger. Thank you Ellene Miles (Liquid Soul Media), Saptosa Foster (135th St) for the opportunity.