He spent a portion of his life hustling and selling drugs on the street, but began to change his life after joining with a group of students that called themselves the Freedom Writers, led by teacher Erin Gruwell.
In the past years staff and leaders have participated in helping young students give their talents to organizations like the Freedom Writers.
Operation Enduring Freedom | Writers Guild of America | Freedom Forum | Freedom of the City | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Mystery Writers of America | Freedom | Football Writers Association of America | Freedom House | Writers Guild of America Award | The People of Freedom | freedom of speech | Crime Writers' Association | freedom | Freedom of the press | Freedom Riders | Freedom of information in the United Kingdom | CPJ International Press Freedom Awards | United People's Freedom Alliance | Religious Freedom Restoration Act | Left Ecology Freedom | Future and Freedom | Freedom Writers | Europe of Freedom and Democracy | Bread Loaf Writers' Conference | Writers Guild | World Press Freedom Day | Western Writers of America | Sydney Writers' Festival | Software Freedom Law Center |
The book The Freedom Writers Diary (and its 2007 film adaptation) biographs the lives of high school students whose English teacher encourages them to read The Diary of Anne Frank.
He played a high school student named Jamal Hill in Erin Gruwell's English class in the 2007 film Freedom Writers.
He has also appeared in Flightplan, Flags of Our Fathers, Freedom Writers, Then She Found Me, the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Bet and Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.