Recently, "Humans of New York" blogger, Brandon Stanton, interviewed a young African American boy living in an impoverished area of Brooklyn, NY, Vidal Chastanet. The acclaimed blog, "Humans of New York," was created solely for the purpose of documenting the lives of average New Yorkers; however, it has recently been acknowledged that this blog does much, much more. After a brief interview with Vidal, Stanton learned that the person who inspired Vidal the most was his principal, Ms. Lopez, and that she instilled hope in each of her students. After Vidal's photo was posted (along with a caption quoting Vidal's testament about his beloved principal) on the "Humans of New York" page, millions of people were inspired to support this school. Within weeks, a fund raised $1 million dollars which will send each class of students at Vidal's school to Harvard each year as well as fund a summer program. In addition, President Barack Obama invited both Vidal and his principal to the White House last week to reward them for their contributions to their community.
This is a testament to how the media drives the public to discuss social issues, which often yields positive effects. Similarly to propaganda in the 1920's, social media provides a means to influence others and allows for people across the globe to voice their personal opinions. In this scenario, a brief comment moved millions of people universally and brought thousands of people to give to people in need.
Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/06/living/feat-humans-of-new-york-vidal-meets-obama/index.html
I'm not surprised these photos have gotten such great feedback, America has always been interested with stories and who makes up this diverse nation. What an awesome outcome for this kid who was willing to tell his story.
ReplyDeleteLauren Kuehmeier, period 2