The Education of Shelby Knox

Marion Linschutz and Rose Rosenblatt <br> <i>InCite Pictures. 76 minutes</i> <br> <i>Airs on PBS’s P.O.V. June 21.</i>

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Lubbock, Texas, is the birthplace of Buddy Holly, a crucible of conservative Christianity, and a city with some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STDs in the country. But Lubbock, we learn from this stirring documentary, is also home to a remarkable teenager named Shelby Knox, who, in the course of filming, evolves from a compliant 15-year-old girl to a tough, compassionate young woman committed to social change.

Early in The Education of Shelby Knox, we watch Knox take a vow of “sexual purity” in front of her parents and her pastor. But she realizes that many of her classmates are sexually active and soon finds her calling: promoting comprehensive sex education in the “abstinence-only” Lubbock public schools. Her platform is a seat on the Lubbock Youth Commission, a city-funded group headed by her rival, a slick, budding politician named Corey Nichols. Directors Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt follow Knox as she tangles with Nichols and takes on the town’s officials and religious leaders, challenging them with increasing fervor from the bedrock of her own Christian beliefs.

Knox also must deal with her loving but worried parents, and their family discussions are the emotional heart of the film. When Knox makes common cause with a group of gay and lesbian students—“I think God is a forgiving God,” she says—she further strains her most intimate relationships. But by then it’s clear nothing will stop Knox from struggling toward her own truths—and maybe taking some of the skeptics along with her. At one point, a new gay friend says joyfully, “If there were more Christians like you, we’d be in heaven.” To which one can only say: Amen.

DEFEND THE TRUTH. DEFEND JOURNALISM.

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

payment methods

DEFEND THE TRUTH. DEFEND JOURNALISM.

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate