Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Chain Reaction Day is coming on January 22nd, and we have many wonderful workshops lined up for students. For a link to the full line up, please click here: Chain Reaction Day Workshops The purpose of this letter is to let you know that we will be showing a documentary called It's Criminal as a part of our Chain Reaction program. All of our students from both the middle and high school will watch this movie together. After the movie, we will hold a discussion with some of the people involved in the film. We ask you to please read this entire letter to be informed about the topics this documentary covers. Here is a summary of the movie from the It's Criminal website: 

It's Criminal highlights the economic and social inequities that divide the United States and offers a vision of how separated communities can learn to speak to each other. Poignant and personal, the 80-minute feature documentary shares the life-changing journeys of incarcerated women and Dartmouth College students working together to write and perform an original play that explores the often painful and troubled paths that landed the women behind bars and also shares some of their fragile visions for the future.  

It's a transformational movie that delves into privilege, poverty and injustice and asks viewers to think about who is in prison and why. In addition to exploring disparities, It's Criminal also captures how the students and prisoners struggle and ultimately succeed in overcoming their fears and prejudices to form hard won bonds of friendship, showing that empathy is a powerful force that can help bridge the divide. 

For more information and to view the trailer of the film, visit: https://www.itiscriminal.com/ 

This powerful movie fits in perfectly with our Chain Reactions goals: 
  • To explore the unspoken assumptions we make on a daily basis 
  • Increase our awareness of how our differences can enhance our relationships with each other or divide us 
  • Begin to engage in conversations about difficult topics. 
Some of the inmates in the movie share their stories, including distrust of the legal and criminal system, experience with physical and sexual abuse, and drug use. To be clear, we feel that this movie is very appropriate and important for our students to experience and we expect that everyone will participate. There is no graphic portrayal of the issues discussed above. 

For TSA students who have experience with the criminal justice system and/or physical/sexual abuse, this movie could spark some more intense thoughts and feelings. A room will be set aside at the high school for students who feel that they are not able to watch the movie. Students may also elect to watch the movie and go to the room for the discussion. Likewise, students can leave part-way through.  

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Kara Toms: ktoms@sharonacademy.net.