Behind the Scenes of Freedom Writers

Author, songwriter, motivational speaker and freedom writer Darrius Garrett transitioned from the ’hood to humanitarian, reaching heights he once could only imagine. As an inner-city youth of Long Beach, Calif., Garrett could easily have become a product of his environment but rose instead to become a pillar of his community. He became a New York Times bestselling author at a young age when he co-wrote The Freedom Writers Diary, which inspired the 2007 movie The Freedom Writers starring Hilary Swank. In the film, Garrett was portrayed as the heart-wrenching character Marcus. He also wrote the song “Change” for the movie’s soundtrack.