Cooley High In Cabrini Green

  I was about 5 years old when the movie Cooley High premiered at the movie theaters. My parents hadn't gotten around to taking me to see it. Some folks say jokingly that we were living it. I think the first time I saw Cooley High it was an after school special. Cooley High is one of the funniest, sweetest, heart wrenching, uplifting yet tragic movies I have ever seen. 'Til this day it remains one of my favorites. Eddie Murphy's 'Life',' Robert Townsend's, 'The Five Heartbeats,' A Soldier's Story, Lady Sings The Blues and Quick Change are my all time favorites too.
An excellent movie like Cooley High is made when the writer knows the intricacies of the characters that he is writing about. A Candy Man, and Candy Man II: Farewell To The Flesh is made when a writer doesn't know his element or subjects. But I give them credit at least they showed some interest in Cabrini Green. It's all good. I didn't see "Hard Ball' or 'There Are No Children Here' so I can't speak on them. But as you can see, long after Cabrini is dead and gone Bollywood and Hollywood will continue to show some interest in it.
The recent murder of honor student Derrion Albert of Fenger High school in September of '09 makes me think of Cooley High. Personally, I think that kids from the 'burbs and beyond should be required to watch 'Cooley High' as a teaching tool. I think it would show them that when you have ambitions and goals and people who care about you that you can do anything with your life. And that you have to have respect for everyone's life. But by the same token, a life can be taken in a fleeting moment when someone has lost their way. Who knows, the massacre at Columbine may not have occurred if the perpetrators would have looked past their realm of depression and hopelessness and saw that other people less fortunate or more fortunate then them had plans for their lives and had people who loved them. That message is universal. From Africa to Attica, a life is precious. You've got folks putting in 11th hour appeals for their lives even when they hear the Executioner's song. Here we are as free as birds creating mayhem and murder in the streets for our children to walk through.
My favorite scene in Cooley High is when the teacher, Mr. Mason played by Garrett Morris walks into the men's room and spots Preach played by Glynn Turman and asks him what he wants to do with his life. Preach replies, 'I want to live forever.' Then Mr. Mason is through with Preach because we all know that no one can be 12 forever and no can live forever. But we know Preach is just like any other red blooded American teen he just wanted to get back to his friends.
     Though there are many poignant scenes in Cooley High there is one scene that took me years to watch and even some 30 odd years later I still leave the room when Cochise meets his untimely demise. Friends have told me that it is just a movie but I say to them that too many times art has imitated life and though mothers like Derrion Albert's and Ben Wilson's family can't leave the room and have to go through life feeling like their heart has been ripped out of their chest but they have to keep on living. I applaud city officials, clergy, students, etc. for rallying and coming together to stop the violence. When I saw the footage of what happened to Derrion Albert my heart broke. I was once a Chicago Publc School student now I am the mother of 3 of those that attend Chicago Public Schools. I don't have an answer to stopping the violence all I can control are the bodies in my household and I can pray. But I also know that when people don't know their history they are doomed to repeat it. People may say that watching movies like Cooley High may not open up a dialogue but it may incite violence I say, thus far no one has come up with a solution and like I always tell my children when they are looking for something that they have lost, 'stop looking in the same place because what you are looking for obviously isn't there, you need to broaden your horizons.'  In closing, I will say everyone can't do "Midnight Basketball' to stop the violence (although it is a great detterant) we need to teach the kids to become more verbal because as they get older they are going to have to. We can't stay 12 forever.