The Detroit Graduates | The New York Times 

“Tuck your shirt in baby”.... Aww, the principal sounded so adorable when she said that.

Wow my heart broke when I saw Demetrius in that blue clothes :(

Children aren't to blame for the circumstances they are born in. Some are wise beyond their years.

I love the way the teachers talk about the kids.

this school is filled with the love of staff that lifts up the kids

"If there are many people trying to make changes to the city, so why can't I?" - If only every citizen in Detroit could have the same mind set.

Journalism at its finest.more of this kind of stuff should be churned out.Hope detroit improves in the future so that more kids in that city can have a brighter future.never give up guys

United States, a county where a killer gets to walk free and a boy who got caught with drugs goes to prison while he tries to put his life together

I hope these kid are ok in the end

May Demetrius Smith prosper, restore his pain, and heal his heartbreak. May God continue to bless him abundantly.

Glad to see that NY Times decided to approach inner city youth in a positive light. Wish all these young men the best of luck.

Hakeem was meant to be successful from the beginning. Look at all the things he was involved in and he had a strong father figure in his life

I wish I could 'like' this video more than once.

This breaks my heart but also gives me hope- a very good documentary

"Landscape is a son of gun up here" HAHAHA that made my day

that was really powerful

I graduated from DPS 11 yrs ago. Graduated with a 3.5 gpa. With honors and two scholarships going into University. DPS schools need help but it's possible to overcome.

I was so sad for Tazya when they showed her two years later with a toddler although that could just push her even more to succeed.

I respect these kids so much.

"Education is so important to me, it's like food, air, water." I so very wished that everyone my age had that mindset or at least cared about education. Just becoming slightly more knowledgable each day is such a rewarding and satisfying feeling. I understand not wanting to do the work, especially if it's not interesting to you, but just the idea of literally "the more you know" to me is so satisfying. I don't understand the thought of not wanting to be or working towards being more in this world. Knowledge is key.

Good, keep my brothers. Do not give up. i just got back from Haiti where people struggles to survive. Education is very important. I stayed in school broke just to get my doctorate. I would come and help there.

"before I walk in, ima smoke a blunt" 😂😂😂😂

1:04 Hahahaha my fav part. Tuck your shirt in baby ;) How sweet.

These young people are incredible. Kudos to them!

Tear jerker man, geesh. These kids are amazing.

This was filmed in 2013 and 2015. Its 2017 now. It has barely changed. But i hope these very kids will change it.

I'm training to be a high school teacher just now. I'll keep these wonderful students and teachers in my thoughts moving forward. They are an inspiration!

'before I clock in, ima smoke the rest of my blunt' looool me in every situation ever

Great everything. A super piece.

I get chills every time I see a person take someone from a bad environment and give them guidance and structure. Kids only need people to believe in them.

These kids there truly something to go threw what they have been threw and I’m glad there achieving there goals

Wow, I grew up 15 min from Detroit in Bloomfield and my high school had a 98% college attendance rate, the wealth inequality in Michigan is crazy

It's been three years now, you need to revisit this and give us all an update on these kids lives. Brilliant piece of journalism.

Really an amazing video

Thank you New York Times for the hard work and the documentaries.

WTF WHO IMPREGNATED THAT GIRL? AND WHERE IS HE? I CAN'T FORGIVE HIM

wow this video broke my heart.

got me emotional.

DETROIT:Where socks cost more than a house

This was a rollercoaster. I was nothing but the best for all the young adults presented! Thank you for the video

Live is hard. Live here in Cambodia can be difficult. Live in the US of A can be difficult too. Mind set. It's all in your attitude. never give up etc. Ambition is critical.

This is inspiring. I hope more effort can be put into helping the kids of Detroit. They are so strong and amazing. I really look up to them. It makes me sit and appreciate what I got going on in life with my education. My school has a high poverty rate two and I'm held back but people like them make me want to move forward to graduate too. Nothing but love and respect for Detroit.

God bless Detroit, MI.

Detroit is like the freaking Great Depression of the 2000s

It seems a larger emphasis on trade skills, for all races but especially in places like Detroit, would really help. From Heating/ac/steamfitters to welders to electricians and plumbers, these are all jobs where you can not only earn a good living, your skills are portable! So if you want to get out of Detroit, move somewhere with better weather and lower crime, better housing, etc., you can move anywhere and get a job--even overseas if you want. The days of being dependent on a company to employ you for decades and then pay you a pension are long gone, you have to be like an independent contractor. Doesn't mean you can't work for a good company, but then you're not screwed when they close or downsize. And I've seen companies like Caterpillar complaining how they have so many jobs they can't fill. A good machinery mechanic could probably about name his price. Four year universities aren't for everyone, and it's not about intelligence, you have to be smart to have most trade jobs, it's about aptitudes and the demand for skills.

They should do a follow up in a few years

Omg, why did that guy go back to Ohio. He was already out and doing well, could have stayed outside the state border :(

This is the most realistic video about current problems of the world and not just Detroit.

If you think American high school students are not worth the time, then you need to watch this video. I loved when the principal at the beginning told the student to tuck his shirt in. These kids have my vote.

I wish i could take all these strong black men to my country Ghana , for them to see how valuable and worthy they are :(

I totally commend him for being real.... "Before I clock in Ima finish the rest of my blunt "

The creators have really outdone themselves. two thumbs up!

God bless these teens...I grew IPO on the Eastside of Detroit and walked many of of those streets near this school many times. This is a war zone and it is very dangerous. The fact that any one of these kids even shows up at school it's a miracle believe me I know first hand. That kid that was going to the job Corp is brilliant I really hope he is making it. Changing your environment is the best way to get out of your situation. I had to move to w.v. to get out of the city element.

I’m from Houston, Texas Third Ward but this made me thankful for my home. They got it bad.

The young girls get pregnant and the boys get into crime. Maybe it's b/c of their parents, but that's the common theme. Also, not having a support system

love this. my goal in life is to help kids like this. please my black children wake UP!

God Bless everyone. Everyone deserves a great future, and I pray for all to achieve that goal. I always pray for that one day to happen. Amen. 🙏🏼❤️

Hopefully people will see the potential in those people that are poor and selling drugs because most of them only do that because they NEED the money but this video shows that if you give them something nice they will be happy and show their strengths that they may not have ever knew they had.

My mom is from Detroit. She moved out of there 20 years ago. Her family still lives there and nothing has changed. But i hope these kids can make a difference

I'm a graduate from denby class of 97,I loved this short film of kids on Detroit. No faking that

I’m so incredibly proud of all of them. Life happens but they all have good heads on their shoulders.

only one made it to college. :(

11:52 my heart sank so fast.

10:41 Crap I need to get me some jolly rancher soda

It's good to see most of these kids make it! :) I have a big heart for the city of Detroit and the people who live there!

That grandma, that kind of love, so beautiful.

I could see Hakeem being a great friend at university lol. Has a great attitude and is funny.

Thank you so much for helping him it's really are angel and thank you sir for being a good role model and for going to school infer trusting somebody to help you wish you all the best in life continue to do well and strive you are the man peace God bless

It looks like this high school principal genuinely cares about her students. She believes in them which inspires them to believe in themselves. I have VERY little patience for high school principals who consider themselves prisons wardens and treat the students accordingly.

Tomandre,Hakeem, and Shakkur made me proud!

I want to succeed so one day, I could help those who live in bad conditions like Detroit or Bangladesh, where children can't go to school because they have to work so they could help their family. But the truth is, one person couldn't make a big difference. The world needs a lot of people to make a difference. The world is a awful, but it was because we humans made it that way. Only us could fix it. But first, we have to help and support each other. I want to make a difference, do you?

👑🌸These kids are so adorable, especially the second boy whrn this video started to begin. I'm so glad these kids are making a difference with their lives and than make a difference with the world🌸👑

I wanna hug them all💛

How can so many kids not see the traps, that their friends, even their parents fall into? Teen mothers with no man in the home, drugs using and selling, burglary, and then prison. Horribly sad, they have fine goals but too easily lose track thinking the goals will come true on their own

these are the type of docs we need bringing awareness to places that need them

The principals so nice💝🌸💝🌸💝

if only all the kids of our generation were this motivated and involved and smart

I didn't know a city could declare bankruptcy

I respect the last dude a lot man

May Gob bless these children and all the others who are trying to do better.

I became homeless at 16, I left my broken home and never went back. At the time I was really depressed and hadn't gone past year 7 (when I was 12 everything got worse). I'm 20 now and I'm living in an apartment with others and studying at university (3rd year). This doesn't surprise me and often it's the same from where I'm from. Most girls stay in the system when they get pregnant and boys stay in the system when they get with the wrong crowd. If you're in that position my advice would be to stay away from alcohol and drugs and start saving money to stay away from loans (this often causes serious issues). Also know who you're real friends are cause sadly some people will just drag you down. Most importantly no situation is too far gone to fix, but it's you that needs to take that first step.

Please pray for Detroit ❤️

best doc ive seen so far this year . needed this

wonderful documentary ..thank you so much

It seems like the common thread is accountability or at the very least mentorship outside of high school for these kids. Like, graduation is cool and all that (and a great accomplishment by the way) but it's not a magic wand. Adulthood is hard enough, let alone being a young adult in Detroit. A black young adult, especially. So perhaps more needs to be done AFTER graduation to support their continued growth and life goals.

Before I clock in ima smoke the rest of my blunt😂 my dude

Take those CHILDREN out of that environment and watch them GROW. I STILL BELIEVE THAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE DESTINED FOR GREATNESS. But we can't do it without our fathers 🤔

hakeem is good at talkin. he got the motivational speaker game downpacked. BUT BARBERSHOP AINT JUST A MOVIE GOTDAMNIT!!!

Inspiring stories -thank-you! The human spirit is amazing.

'I needed to be out of my element to elevate myself to another platform' In a nutshell

“Tuck your shirt in baby” ssss’cute!!

my people are struggling n its breaking my heart

I’m literally the woman in the red coat every time I go downtown. I’ve never seen so much evolving in any other area in my life. But in the blink of an eye it can change. Weirdest city ever. But it’s home! Gotta love it

I hope that this is not just a feel good piece just about select individuals, but that there is actual positive change in general.

This little documentary was bitter sweet

“Landscaping is a son of a gun up here they take this serious”🤣🤣🤣lmaoooo

Thank you for this ❤️

"What'chu need baby?" "-Another tattoo." Shaking my head. Hahaha!

As they say, every child deserves a parent but not every parent deserves a child.

such wise an grateful humble kids