>> It's messy.
It's freedom and it's rules.
>> It's rights
and responsibilities.
>> It's conflict and resolution.
>> Both empowerment
and compromise.
>> It is justice.
>> It is individual.
>> And it's collective.
>> It is fairness.
>> Respect and values.
>> It is equality.
>> Equality.
>> It's truth.
>> It is government.
>> And it's choices.
>> It's passionate.
>> It's problem solving.
>> It's action.
And it's possible.
It's me.
>> My family.
>> And my community.
>> Democracy it is!
>> Hi, I'm Alli.
>> I'm John.
>> My name's Ashley
>> And I'm Ulysses.
As a citizen, you have a voice
in our democracy.
>> And if you're in
the majority, chances are
your voice will be heard.
>> But what if
you're in the minority?
Don't you have a voice, too?
>> Ashley Nelson does.
In high school, she wrote
this book, "The Combination."
>> It's a combination
of many different ideas
from many different people.
>> People who are citizens,
citizens with voices.
(New Orleans style jazz music)
>> This is a display of
The Neighborhood Story Project
books in Octavia Book Store
on Octavia Street.
The reason
that I wrote the book,
I want people to understand
my story.
I want people to understand,
you know, what I went through,
but not feel sorry for me
at the same time.
I grew up in a public housing
development.
It's open to people,
like low-income people with,
you know, not a lot of money.
Down here in New Orleans,
we still have $5.15
minimum wage, you know.
So, I mean, you can't
make a living off of that.
This is Orleans Avenue,
the street I grew up on.
This scene is actually
the cover for my book.
The cover of the book
is people sitting outside
waiting for
a second line to pass.
A second line is actually
a mini-parade,
where we have people
who dress up all nice.
They celebrate death.
They celebrate life.
You can have a birthday
second line.
You have a second line
thrown on your birthday.
They come out to Orleans Avenue
and we all just celebrate
together.
It's really like
a New Orleans thing.
>> The Neighborhood Story
Project is a community
documentary program.
It's a book making program.
Our tag line
is "Our Stories Told By Us."
>> So we decided to go in
and tell the stories
exactly how they are,
from the people,
directly from the people.
We went around
and sat on porches with
these little mini-recorders,
and recorded them.
You know, we sat down
and talked to them.
This is a picture of my mom,
who has passed away.
I dedicated my book
to my neighborhood,
the Lafitte Public Housing
Development
and my mother, Joanna Nelson.
This is the spot
that I interviewed Pat.
She was one of my mama's
best friends.
These people are normal,
hardworking, everyday people.
You know, they go to work,
send their children to school,
take care of families.
It was like a network, you know.
I have family, friends.
I don't want people
to be afraid of me
and my people.
Their voices are very
rarely heard in New Orleans.
So we tried to give voices
to the people
in our neighborhoods.
It's because people
very seldomly listen to us.
You know, they're afraid
to even talk to us, you know.
And that builds up racism
right there.
After Hurricane Katrina,
you know, a lot of people
had to evacuate from their area
with water still rising,
you know.
You can still see
the water lines,
where the water came in and sat.
Actually,
it was higher than that.
That's where the water
started to sit.
My brother, who don't
even know how to swim,
him and my uncle found a boat.
And they was getting
all like the elderly people.
After the storm,
people weren't allowed
to come back to their homes.
When I stand in the middle
and I don't see children
running around the green space,
it makes me real sad.
I don't feel like my book
was in vain,
because I feel blessed that
I was given that opportunity.
You know, somebody taught me,
you know, all these
special skills and stuff.
And I just want
to teach other people.
So even if y'all mess up,
don't worry about stopping
or starting it over, all right?
>> Ashley's an incredible
teacher.
>> My name is Ashley.
I work with
the Neighborhood Story Project.
And we're going to have
our class come up
and read poems.
>> Whatever she puts her mind
to, she'll be able to achieve.
>> Oh, to be in New Orleans
when the rebuilding is done...
>> I love hanging out
with kids, talking to 'em,
because most of 'em
have similar stories to me.
And they just need people
to tell them, you know,
you can do whatever you want.
You still got that.
Y'all cool.
Y'all got it.
"Whatever you want to do."
Somebody told it to me.
So I'm going to tell it to them
as much as I can.
Now today
we want to celebrate...
And help them write books
and help them write stories.
>> Coming back to New Orleans
wasn't what I expected...
>> And help them
tell their stories
and give them a voice, also.
(applause)
>> What's your
neighborhood like?
What are your neighbors like?
Ashley Nelson found out
with a little tape recorder.
>> But hopefully, your
neighborhood's never wiped out.
Some of Ashley's neighbors
still can't come home.
>> And what about simpler needs?
People need foods like these
every day.
>> But it's pretty tough
if they're not easy to buy.
>> That's what it's like
when grocery stores close.
Nick Graham was 17
when it happened in his town.
It's pretty amazing
what he did next.
>> Good morning!
Well, you missed most of the bad
weather here, didn't you?
Okay, you got lucky.
>> My boss is Nick Graham,
and he's 18 years old.
>> Okay, $10.44.
>> My boss is Nicholas Graham.
He just turned 18.
>> I think he's got
a lot of initiative.
>> He wrote a check for $10,000
at 17 years old.
>> Oh, lordy!
>> I told him he was crazy
right away.
>> It was his own idea.
>> It's kind of crazy
for being 17, and opening
his own grocery store in town.
>> Main Street Market.
>> I know at 17,
I wouldn't want to open
a grocery store.
(laughs)
>> Against conventional
wisdom, I'm doing it.
>> I mean, he's just always got
something in the fire.
>> This is just my retail.
I'm trying to get into the
distribution business as well.
>> He's definitely
a great entrepreneur.
>> A kid that's in a hurry
all the time.
>> Yeah, Barb?
Yeah.
Amy, you want to come up here
and check out?
Hello?
Oh, yeah, definitely.
Um, I'm on the phone a lot
getting things set up
and coordinated.
Yeah, that's the one I want.
Yep.
Okay, yep.
Yeah.
I'll just order that anyway.
And I deal with,
on a weekly basis,
probably ten to 15 suppliers.
Okay.
I was born in Truman.
I live on a turkey farm
just a mile outside of Truman.
Actually, half the field
is in the city limits.
Truman is a small
Minnesota farming community.
>> Yeah, we're just a good
example of what rural Minnesota
looks like.
>> Downtown Truman
has really become
sort of like a ghost town.
>> The drug store
closed a year ago.
>> There used to be
three hardware stores,
three grocery stores.
>> When I was a young child,
we had the largest
furniture store in the county.
That's all gone by the wayside.
>> They've put a real burden
on our population,
especially the elderly.
>> The owner of this building,
he had to get out of it
by the end of the year.
This thing went under.
And he'd have been stuck with it
and stood to lose several
hundred thousand dollars.
And I got this down to $22,000.
It was a buyer's market.
And I saved money from,
you know, various odd jobs,
farm work, turkey work,
just never
really spent anything.
I had the money
to purchase the inventories.
>> You know, we needed somewhere
for people to get groceries.
>> I'm just shopping
for groceries.
>> There's an aging population
in this town.
They definitely need it.
>> Otherwise, there isn't
any grocery stores around.
>> I've got over 2,000 items
in stock.
I've got access to over 50,000.
>> I think it's great
for our town.
A lot of kids go out and
they've got to buy a new car
with a great new stereo in it,
and all this stuff.
And Nick saved his money.
>> I go to two classes.
I'm in English class
and an Economics class.
>> We usually have kids
sprinting out the door
to go to college somewhere else
and then never wanting
to come back.
>> He's going to stay in town
and continue
to run the grocery store.
>> "Youthful energy
leads to Main Street Market."
We wrote the story
because it's a very good thing
for the city, the town.
You know, I think it's given
some other people,
you know, some ideas.
I mean, it looks like we're
starting an archery place here.
I think some young men
are putting that together.
>> I think when people see
somebody young like that
try his best to do something
for the community,
it encourages other people
to do the same thing.
>> You have to do that in life.
You have to take chances,
you know.
>> Any small business
in a small town, you know,
gives the community
a sense of identity
and a certain, I think,
responsibility
towards one another.
>> I guess you could call him
a rebel, fighting the system,
trying to beat the system
and keep small town America
alive.
>> Yeah, yeah.
Thank you.
(laughs)
Okay, thanks.
Have a good day.
>> Nick was able
to take on running the market
because he only needed
two more classes to graduate.
>> So he didn't have to be
at school the whole day.
>> Still, you can imagine
how hectic his life is.
>> Running your own theater
would keep you pretty busy, too.
>> Yeah, you have to pick
the play, hire the actors,
hold rehearsals
and run the theater.
>> That makes you the producer.
And that's just the job Jordan
Schwartz decided to do.
>> This is a poster
from her latest production,
a play in both English
and Spanish.
(singing in Spanish)
♪ It can turn ♪
♪ your story around. ♪
>> You know, lots of our
students are actually
liking Cinderella.
>> My name is Jordan Schwartz.
I'm 13 years old.
And I'm founder and
artistic producer of the
Children's Bilingual Theater.
A bilingual theater is
a theater that performs plays
that involve two languages.
>> Girls...
están listas...
This is the moment
you've been waiting for.
>> Marietta, Georgia,
is a very diverse community
socioeconomically
and culturally.
>> Our Hispanic population
is rising rapidly.
>> By about 300%.
This used to be pretty much
the only Hispanic area.
And now there's
a lot more Hispanic areas.
And it's really,
really branched out.
The purpose of the bilingual
theater is to bring
two communities together.
(applause)
As a producer, I deal
with local business owners
and executives.
That's how I get my funding.
>> We got the dollars to do it.
And it was a great success
for the community.
>> Last year, in total,
we were able to raise
over $30,000.
The big thing
is signing contracts,
because I'm only 13.
So, legally I cannot sign
a contract.
One of the main things
is advertising.
Maria and Seth have been
printing our posters
ever since the beginning.
>> Jordan!
>> Hey, how are you?!
I go over it,
tell them what's good,
what should be different.
>> It's funny that
you brought that up.
We worked up a concept I think
you'll really like.
>> When we come up with
something, she's excited
and we get excited.
>> To get the word out
about our shows,
I put posters up around town.
Hola, como estás?
Pues, tengo una obra mañana
y puedo poner esto en la puerta?
Claro que sí.
Gracias.
I also have to deal with
my production staff,
also the cast, the actors,
as well as the people
up in the tech booths.
The reason I picked
"Cinderella
Eats Rice and Beans."
>> Who is this Cinderella
girl anyway?
>> Because of the message.
The message is mainly about
not judging someone,
about finding out
who they really are.
>> I'm Neja.
I play Cinderella.
>> And I'm Emily,
and I play Rosa.
>> Cinderella comes to America.
>> You two
could be like sisters!
>> I don't want a sister.
>> Rosa hates Cinderella.
Um, they become friends.
(applause)
>> It was nice.
I liked it.
>> It was in several languages,
which is very interesting.
>> No matter how much
you're different, like,
you can still be friends.
>> They would say it in Spanish
and then they would
translate it in English.
>> Y la otra no quería...
Like rice and beans.
>> Y yo ya me ha visto
muchos teatros antes.
Ninguno con dos linguas,
en español.
>> A lot of people don't
understand Hispanic culture.
>> We had some people there...
(speaking Spanish)
>> It went really, really well.
Everything looked so awesome.
That's really
what it's all about for me,
just seeing the kids change.
I have a personal challenge,
called Turner's Syndrome.
It's a birth defect.
And because of that,
I'm taking Human Growth Hormone
injections.
There's some
health implications.
I will not be able
to have my own children.
As I get older,
I hopefully will still be able
to be involved with the
Children's Bilingual Theater,
so I can keep them
as my family and take care
of them like my family,
and help them
as if they're my family.
Working with Jordan is great,
because she's so inspiring.
>> You need to be aware.
>> She's a remarkable
young lady.
>> People speak
different languages.
>> I respect her a lot
for what she's done.
>> There are different customs
that think of things
differently.
>> She never thinks of herself.
She always thinks
of others first.
>> You need to know
about what else is out there.
(applause)
>> The Children's
Bilingual Theater,
the Main Street Market,
"The Combination."
>> In different ways,
they're each standing up
for people in their communities.
>> Majority or minority.
One voice or many.
You have the right to be heard.
>> That's how
it's supposed to be.
>> Democracy it is!
For more information about our program visit our Web site at: democracyitis.ecb.org