Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½

Step taught me that when you come together with a group of powerful women, the impact will be immense. Ìý– Blessin Giraldo

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.

Ìýthe 2017 Sundance Special Jury Award winner for Inspirational FilmmakingÌýby directorÌýAmanda 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.Ìý

On August 1,ÌýÂ鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ NYCÌýpresented a screening ofÌýStepÌýfollowed 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.Ìý

PARTICIPANTSÌý

Amanda LipitzÌý
Director,ÌýStep

Abigail SwisherÌý
Program Associate, Education Policy Program, Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½

Paula DofatÌý
Director of College Counseling, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women

Unique BrathwaiteÌý
Executive Director, LIFT – New York

Blessin GiraldoÌý
Alumna, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women

Cori GraingerÌý
Alumna, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women

Tayla SolomonÌý
Alumna, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women