Kinder High School students create PSA in time for Black History Month

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - It was Martin Luther King Jr. who hoped his children would one day be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Nearly 60 years later, a group of Kinder High School students created a video embodying Dr. King’s message for a school assignment.

When Kinder High School teacher Grechen Lacour assigned a public service announcement to her students, junior Zaylin Johnson says he knew exactly what he wanted to tackle.

“I mean everything that was on there, kind of, was already in my head whenever it was assigned. So, I took what was in my head and put it all together.”

The video, which is just over a minute long, features several black students being bullied throughout the halls. But along the way, their friends uplift and stand up for them.

Team member, Lucas Spears says they drew from their own experiences.

“I felt the same pain I felt when I helped a bully in 8th grade.”

The entire video shot on an iPhone, is in black and white, until the very end.

“I wanted people to look at the video and like see that is how we should look at the world,” Johnson says. “Skin color doesn’t matter, we’re just all people.”

Lacour says she couldn’t be proud of her students, especially given everything that has happened in the past year.

“Why not? Why not just face it head-on and talk about it? I think that’s what we need to do, is talk about, and get the message out and embrace all colors. And come together in peace.”

This is the first video Johnson and his teammates have made. The entire video took them three days to complete.

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