Children of Pride

Directed by Carole Langer

"This engaging. cinema verité-style documentary is about Kojo Odo, a remarkable man living in Harlem who adopted a total of 18 handicapped children over a 10-year period of time. When Odo was only 32 years old, he met a small boy, missing one arm, who was being shunted from one foster home to the next -- and he was affected enough to go through adoption proceedings and ultimately bring the boy home. As a social worker and civil rights activist, Odo was familiar with the problems he saw in the boy -- unwarranted fears, violent behavior, and emotional maelstroms -- and set himself to slowly calming his new son through affection and parental concern. Heartened by the difference he was able to bring to just one boy, Odo continued with his mission to individually help others through the same adoption process." -Eleanor Mannikka