These stories connect us
Every so often you come a story that makes you stop. Your eyes are stuck. You go back over the beginning and you keep reading.
You read because the words are powerful or the scenery is so strong or the message is so overwhelming.
I was scanning the stories in Extra when I came across this:
Miguel Pérez, 27, has boiled down his years as a gang member into three simple scenes.
• Act one: A conversation with a fellow gang member about his recent release from prison and the job interview his probation officer has lined up for him, his friend agrees to accompany Pérez to this interview.
• Act two: He is interviewed and denied employment based on his criminal record, lack of education and looks.
• Act three: Pérez and his friend argue about his loyalty to the gang and their neighborhood. His friend insists he should continue to sell drugs instead of looking for a way out. The confrontation escalates, a gun is pulled, Pérez gets shot, and the skit concludes with Pérez’ current reality. He was left confined to a wheelchair at age 19.
The memories are so vivid for Pérez, he leaves the room each time the play is performed and joins the cast to deliver the final message.
“You don’t have to hit rock bottom to decide to turn your life around. Take my word for it and understand the realities of gang life,” Pérez said.
The role he currently plays as Youth Family and Community Liaison for the local job readiness program Central States SER (Service, Employment, and Redevelopment) transcends the stage set by the three-act play. Pérez leads the Youth Empowered to Succeed (YES!) expansion project at SER’s South Side location in Ford City.
http://www.extranews.net/news.php?nid=5359
Isn’t that a good lede. It takes me there quickly and it also takes the reader to an issue that matters. The article was written by Adriana Gallardo.
Keeping in touch with your community is the secret power of the ethnic news media.
This Tuesday, Nov. 17 we are sponsoring a meeting with Radio Arte at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W.19th St., Pilsen. We will be talking about how the Latino press and Latino community organizations connect and how they can improve their links. The meeting is from 3 to 5 pm.
saludos,
Stephen
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