Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Launches New Education Initiative ARRAY 101 and When They See Us Learning Companion

Ava DuVernay’s multi-platform media company and arts collective ARRAY today announced the launch of ARRAY 101, a new online education initiative delivering dynamic social impact learning guides for the company’s films and television series. ARRAY 101 expands the company’s mission to amplify storytelling by black artists, people of color and women directors of all kinds and will launch on May 28. 

In partnership with Participant, the first ARRAY 101 learning companion will center on the Emmy-winning series When They See Us, which chronicles the wrongful arrest and incarceration of a group of young people formally known as The Central Park Five. The guide was produced with an eye toward deepening the conversation and impact around social justice themes, inspiring personal action for viewers and innovating within the intersection of education and entertainment. Designed for students in Grades 9 and above, the Learning Companion includes an interactive section featuring eight project-based field study lessons that invite students to create news stories around the Exonerated Five case using public data analysis. This field study was developed in partnership with XQ Institute.  

“We’re thrilled to partner with Participant to launch our first ARRAY 101 learning companion, which expands on themes and topics in When They See Us. I firmly believe that there must be a stronger bridge between what our industry produces and real teachers in classrooms,” said DuVernay, creator, co-writer and director of When They See Us and founder of ARRAY. “The one-year broadcast anniversary of the series was the ideal time to release this social impact learning supplement and kick-off ARRAY’s upcoming study guide initiative overall.”

“When They See Us shines a timely and important light on the many challenges and pitfalls of the criminal justice system, which are heightened even more by COVID-19.” said David Linde, CEO of Participant. “We are proud to partner with Ava DuVernay and ARRAY on the When They See Us Learning Companion to educate the public, building from the power of an artist’s original voice, about the state of criminal justice reform and offer students, advocates and organizations resources to take action.”

Beginning May 28, the When They See Us Learning Companion will be available to educators, students, organizations and the general public free of charge, via download from ARRAY 101 and Participant.

The guide’s release aligns with the one-year anniversary of the series’ debut on Netflix on May 31, 2019. DuVernay will reflect on the series with an @AVA Instagram Live Watch event on Sunday, May 31, at 5pm PT/8pm ET.

Additionally, Participant and Color of Change are relaunching the Winning Justice platform, which will provide resources for communities to learn about their specific local prosecutors’ stances on a range of relevant policy issues and take action.

Learning companion guides for ARRAY Releasing films Burning Cane, Jezebel, They’ve Gotta Have Us, and The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open will be released in the coming months.