STEP: The Inspiring Story of Grit, Advocacy & Community Impact

Last weekend my family and I watched STEP, a powerful documentary featuring a group of high school seniors from a public charter school for girls in Baltimore City. Directed by Amanda Lipitz, Step follows the real life story of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women's step team and the graduating seniors from the team. The poignant portrayal led to an award at the Sundance Film Festival, and after watching it, I concur.

Disclaimer: Of course I'm a little partial to this story since Baltimore (pronounced Bal-de-more by natives - LOL) is my hometown. However, anyone with a heart for young people, for education and for witnessing others receive a "hand-up" in life would be inspired by this story.

Now before I list the reasons YOU should find this movie and watch it too**, I'll answer a question some of you might have right now...

What is a step team anyway???

I'm so glad you asked!

A step team is similar to a dance or jump rope team. Popularized by historically black fraternities and sororities, "stepping" is an athletic and artistic form of movement that includes dance moves, clapping, stomping, etc. The key to stepping is that the steppers moves are coordinated, as they step in sync. There is no music - the steppers create the rhythm and musical accompaniment through stomping, clapping and sometimes rapping or chanting.

Okay, I hope that clears that up. Now on to why Step moved me so deeply...

The thing that stirred me and moved me to tears about Step was the commitment of this school to its students. The administrators and teachers were willing to walk with every single student - up treacherous mountains, through thickets of scary forests and down into dark valleys.

One student in particular, Blessin Giraldo, had a fascinating story. Blessin is a student we've all seen - extremely bright, talented and totally possessing the "X factor". You know what I mean... When you meet someone and know immediately that he or she just has "it". The "it" is difficult to name or even describe, but most strong leaders, world-changers and culture-shifters have this quality. And dear Lord, does Blessin have it.

And yet, in spite of all the "it" Miss Blessin has, she also has a lot of unfavorable things wrapped up in that package. She lives in a broken and dysfunctional home. She has a hot temper. She misses a bunch of school. And she doesn't study hard nor apply herself in class. This girl is drowning in a self-fulfilling prophesy of failure and on her way to nowhere.

There's so much talent and potential in that girl, you watch her story and want to scream. But just when you think you might scream your head off, the teachers, administrators and counselors wrap around this young woman who's drowning in a cycle of despair and poverty. They pull her out of the raging sea she's resigned herself to, and the passion with which they grab her from the waters touched me in a deep place.

This school fought for this girl, and it's obvious that they've fought for others before and others after her. Somehow the folks at this school understood that THIS IS WAR - a war for the souls of our children and teenagers. A war that begins with experimentation and ends in drug addiction. A war that begins in curiosity and ends in sexual addiction and a string of unplanned pregnancies. A war that begins with despair and hopelessness and ends in suicide.

A war that begins with generational poverty and ends in generational poverty.

Yes, this is war y'all. And our mantra must be, has to be, "No one left behind."

This was the mantra I heard in my spirit while watching Step. No girl left behind. No family left behind. No community left behind. 

The leaders of this school were not satisfied that the majority of their students attended school every day. They weren't celebrating that most of their girls were earning good grades. They didn't hang their hats on nearly every girl graduating and planning to attend college.

This school ran after the ONE. 

The one wounded and bleeding. 

The one fallen on the battlefield.

This is the story of Step. The story that models how we too must run to care for the ONE. The story of why we must give, and assist and cry with the one who's hurting. This is why we must carry the one in risk of getting left behind.

This is why we must reach into the deep sea of despair in our own communities and cities, and grab the hand of someone - maybe a child or teen - that's drowning right this very moment.

Because it is unacceptable for even one to to fall.

For even one to drown.

For even one to be counted a casualty.

THIS is why our schools exist. 

THIS is why our churches exist. 

THIS is why the Body of Christ exists.

So what does this mean for you and for me? For the average folks that don't make laws or run the court system or hold a leadership position in the public school district?

So glad you asked...

Do you know a child in your neighborhood, child's class or church children's ministry that needs a "hand-up"? Do you know a family that needs one? Do you support a school, ministry or nonprofit reaching the kids and families in your community that are drowning in despair and poverty? Do you volunteer for any organizations committed to leaving no child, teen or family behind?

If you open your eyes, the opportunities right in your own community are endless.

Come on y'all. 

No kid left behind. 

No teen left behind. 

No family left behind. 

No community left behind.

Let's do this.






** FYI - We found Step on Redbox