Campus Conversations #51 - Part 1 of 4

In 1993 Cedric Jennings was a student at Ballou High School where he met reporter Ron Suskind. "A Hope in the Unseen" aptly subtitled "An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League" is one of the outcomes of that meeting and Suskind's effort to track Cedric's remarkable story from Southeast Washington D.C. to Brown University and beyond.

On this episode of Campus Conversations, Cedric shares his story of hope, courage and hard work. The biography was chosen by the Maryland Center for the Book as the first ever topic of the One Maryland One Book program, an effort to get residents from across the state to read and discuss the social issues represented in the book.

Andrea Lewis of the Maryland Humanities Council, the parent organization for the Maryland Center for the Book, explains the book was chosen because of its potential to generate discussion about race and race relations and where we are 40 years after the assignation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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"Campus Conversations" is a 30-minute series that explores a variety of issues, events, and topics of interest to the Montgomery College and Montgomery County community in Maryland.

If you have comments about this episode of Campus Conversations or ideas for future episodes please send an email to campus.conversations@montgomerycollege.edu

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[bfelic032]

Wow. I heard his voice wayyy differently in my head when I was reading his book lol

[straydog122]

@carolejbeaton Why would it be "offensive" to be gay?

[carolejbeaton]

hoyadude08's comments about Cedric's sexual orientation are inappropriate and unfounded. You can't judge a person's sexuality by watching a video clip. If Cedric had mentioned it, that would have been different. I'm sure this comment is very offensive to him and should be removed. He is an inspirational person who has worked hard and achieved a lot.

[hoyadude08]

Yo, this kid is gay, what was all that in the book about him wanting to have a girlfriend then?

[zeppelinfreak51]

I agree with the above posters. Suskind likely did the best he could, but there is a separation. I also read There are No Children Here--I forget the author at the moment--and did not mind the gap between author and subject in that book, probably because it was clearly addressed in the text.

[mizgabby9791]

this guy goes to my church. it truly is glossed over and made for sympathy from white people

[HotBaby1996]

the book is amazing, very real

[blindtommykiller]

I read the book as well and found it problematic. To me, there seemed to be a clear gap between the writer and the subject--- and a part of me thought Cedric Jennings was just a caricature of a person. I felt the book was was too glossed over and it was too much an outsider's perspective of life in a ghettoized community. Where was Cedric's voice in this? How much of the book is sensationalized garbage, designed to appeal and garner sympathy from a mostly white, middle class audience?

[BreNatural92]

Thanks for uploading this. I read the book, and it was very real (well obviously, it was Cedric's life).