Hilary Swank stars in this story about a teacher in a racially divided s chool who gives her students what they’ve always needed - a voice. Swan k plays Erin Gruwell, the real-life teacher at Long Beach’s Wilson High who inspired her students to overcome the gangs that divided them and th e education system that forgot them. Based on the book The Freedom Writ ers Diary and supported by a cast of first-time actors who drew from th eir actual experiences on the street, Gruwell teaches us all an importan t lesson about tolerance and trust.