Step

Baltimore is a city fighting to save its youth. In the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, the inaugural class of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women began their senior year. Established in 2009, the charter school had a simple mandate: send every girl to college, regardless of any barriers their home lives and communities might present. Step, the 2017 Sundance Special Jury Award winner for Inspirational Filmmaking by director Amanda Lipitz, chronicles this pressure-filled year and the girls' dedication to a source of empowerment: the school step team. We follow the trials and triumphs – on and off the stage – of three tenacious seniors and the women who champion and challenge them, as their commitment to step becomes more than just a hobby, but a new approach to life. Join New America NYC for a screening of Step followed by a talkback with the featured students, mentors, filmmakers, and policy experts to discuss what resilience in the face of stacked-odds can look like. PARTICIPANTS Amanda Lipitz @stepthemovie Director, Step Abigail Swisher @Abigail_Swisher Program Associate, Education Policy Program, New America Paula Dofat @pauladofat Director of College Counseling, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women Unique Brathwaite @LIFTcommunities Executive Director, LIFT – New York Blessin Giraldo @BlessinGiraldo1 Alumna, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women Cori Grainger @JustCoriG Alumna, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women Tayla Solomon @notmyfor_tay Alumna, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women