Bridging the Gap

"Vic, isn't amazing how we are all still 'bridging the gap?'"

I wanna thank Marlon and his crew today. He invited me to give a presentation on Community Organizing to a group of youth in YO SOS in Brooklyn. Of course, ya'll know that I had to mention El Salvador in the presentation. I wanna make a shout out to the Director of Voces Inocentes. I still can't get over out argument and I haven't watched your film again since but I played a clip of it to the group and they were stunned. I could tell that this is a special group of young men and women, they were serious thinkers and I think they want to be about something. Marlon and Ruby-Beth are doing excellent work with them, putting these young energetic minds into real advocacy and organizing efforts.

I got a special place in my heart for Brooklyn because I was born there and I still have family and friends around there. I should say that I have increasingly more friends there since it is now chic to live in BK, but no hate folks it's all love here. Brooklyn is undergoing so much development, growth, violence, poverty and other countless social issues that it is ripe for concerned people, like these youth, to organize in their communities for and increased quality of life and standard of living for all in Brooklyn, NYC, the North-East, and the Nation. I have to admit that I sometimes wish that I had a good troupe of young people, or better yet, a solid group of peer who were willing and able to organize for better housing, decent employment, against violence, for quality education, and so much more.

Marlon made a very good point today, we should thank Lawrence Mamiya. Professor Mamiya has facilitated several incredible programs which have lasting impacts, some which can never be predicted but generally deliver excellent results. Professor Mamiya, you are amazing and I am sure that everyone you have touched loves you very much!

Finally, there were zero weekend posts. I took madd pictures on my whack phone, none of them will transfer to my MacBook. I would like to do some retro posts, but what's the point? I'll fill you in on the efforts of this week.

p.s. THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE DONATED! I APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH!!!

p.s.s don't forget to donate if you haven't! my deadline is 5/25