Walk the Walk, a New PBS Documentary on a College Service-learning, Social Action Course

Posted by PBS on September 10, 2019

Walk the Walk is a new PBS documentary that focuses on a Social Action course taught at San Jose State University by Scott Myers-Lipton, Ph.D., Professor, Sociology. What is unique about this service-learning class is that it focuses on changing policy, whether it be on campus or in the community, and it is a model that is easily accessible to teach.

You can see watch a short trailer of Walk the Walk here  or download the entire 30-minute documentary here.

Walk the Walk covers three student campaigns: (1) the 2007 Gulf Coast Civic Works project, which put forward federal legislation to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina using a public works model; (2) the 2012 San Jose minimum wage campaign, which successfully increased it from $8 to $10; and (3) the 2019 Student Homeless Alliance campaign to get the university to provide emergency beds and grants to homeless students. Importantly, Walk the Walk shows students learning how to do democracy, to build power, and create policy change that they feel is important. In addition, the documentary shows Silicon Valley community leaders–such as the head of the labor council, the director of the largest anti-poverty program, and the CEO of the local United Way–discussing their experiences of working with the social action students.