CodeSwitching

Streaming video - 2020

CODESWITCHING is a mash-up of personal stories from three generations of African American students who participated in a landmark voluntary desegregation program. Shuttling between their inner-city Boston neighborhoods and predominantly white suburban schools in pursuit of a better education, they find themselves swapping elements of culture, language, and behavior to fit in with their suburban counterparts – Often acting or speaking differently based on their surroundings, called code-switching. For some students, “code-switching” has brought social and professional mobility. For others, the nature of code-switching has been harder to handle, causing anxiety and depression. The shuttling between Boston’s ethnic neighborhoods and pr...edominantly white suburban schools has not been seamless, especially for girls. Too often, girls face a heightened burden of ostracization back home and feelings of isolation in their adopted schools. – Leading to anxiety and depression and in extreme cases even attempted suicide. Employing documentary footage, theatrical sets, animation, and original music, the film asks if -- the advent of social media, shifting urban and suburban demographics, and evolving perceptions of race and gender prepares Boston’s next generation of “Code Switchers” for what lies ahead? more