The ConTextos Authors Circle was developed in collaboration with young people at-risk of, victims of, or perpetrators of violence in El Salvador. In 2017, this innovative program expanded into Chicago to create tangible, high quality opportunities that nourish the minds, expanding the voices and sharing personal truths of individuals who have long been underserved and underestimated. Through the healing process of drafting, revising, and publishing memoirs, participants develop selfreflection, critical thinking, camaraderie, and positive self-projection to author new life narratives. With support from Chicago CRED, ConTextos works with New Mount Pilgrim MB Church’s MAAFA Redemption Project. MAAFA’s mission is to significantly improve the quality of life for young men of color and their families on West Garfield Park providing dormitory-style residential support, workforce training, personal/spiritual-development, and a host of wrap-around social services. The embedded ConTextos Authors Circle provides a synergistic space of reflection, connection and healing growth as authors continue to forge new life chapters. The powerful memoirs from the 2021-2022 MAAFA Author Circle complicate myopic, monolithic narratives and include an array of Sankofa Stories, transformative experiences and vibrant insights of young men on the West Side of Chicago.
I am from the struggle Where you depend on pride to get ahead. From Papa Charlie’s and Division and Central gas station. I am from Cabrini Green’s project I am from Division and Keyston I’m even from Mississippi And I’m also from Parkside and Hirsch, 1300 block. It’s about surviving, Even when you become numb to the violence It’s also by earning that innocence as an adolescent And having that took from you because of your President.
I am from the tallest rose that grew from the concrete. I am from neck bones and greens, Baked chicken and macaroni. From Chicago and Austin area, From selling loose cigarettes when my brother passed, To getting this cheddar. I am from a Humble Beast and a vicious snake, From breaking bad habits, To doing everything that is great. I am from paying attention to survive, Luckily I only got stung by one bee in the beehive. I am from respecting my peers and elders Because that gets you a long way. When I get stressed I flame up the purple
A memoir is a personal narrative that shares reflections, insights and transformative experiences of an author’s life journey.
Back When I remember when I was in 3rd grade, it was fun. I was a class clown, probably why certain girls liked me, and certain ones didn’t want to get in trouble. My relationship with the teacher, it was a love and hate situation. I wouldn’t say hate cause that’s a strong word, she just seen the potential in me. It was this one dude, who look like he was broke, starving, and gangbanging. You know me I ain’t no hater, he hated me for some reason I didn’t know. All I know is, we got into it. He tried to pull my card, but it wasn’t a card to pull. All I remember was we started fighting. I was punching him, and he ain’t wanna throw, but I’ll give his little strong ass some credit. He picked me up, and gave me 2 spine busters through the desk. He had the ashiest knuckles.
Trip To Mississippi I remember when I was like 13 years old, I had went to Mississippi. My big brother came with me, he was 14 or 15. We had fun, had all the games on playstation 2, but our favorite was true crime streets of L.A. I had a dog I used to sick on my brother every time he made me mad. One day, my brother went up the hill to the store, and a fat black big dude had a burger. My brother asked for some, the boy said,”No.” so he smacked the burger out of the dude’s hand and stomped it. I told him to not act like we in Chicago before he got into any trouble. Then we got in trouble. Grandma told me to get a switch, so I picked the smallest switch. They told me to get another one, it had thorns in it. He was in the bathroom on the shitter, my grandma came in there, and tore his legs up. I felt sorry for my boy, wanted to cry for him. He never wanted back to Mississippi after that.
I Almost Got Away With It I remember one time I got into it with my big brother. He kept cracking jokes, embarrassing me. So then he started to let it be known that he was picking on me. So I took a toy guitar, and broke it upside his head. He started crying, so I felt like I won. Then my grandma came, and then I really lost.
The Stars And The Galaxy The Stars and the galaxy existence, learning new skills and techniques. Meditating, developing a peace of mind. Tea is for the soul, exercising is for the health. The Good and the bad is what makes us stable, its motor is the heart. It’s always a fight from the start. This here is what I call art.
Overcoming The Impossible When it was around 2018 I had a great job, I worked for Target. I was in the Tech department, in charge of the electronics. I held onto the job for an Ok amount of time, but in my opinion it wasn’t long enough. When I lost that job, I lost my home due to lack of paying bills. I had lived in a shelter, it was cold around that time. Going back and forth to my Grandma’s home, the shelter, and a couple of my friends’ cribs, everything was rough. I was dangling on the bus stop playing with my life. Eventually, I met Deacon Ervin, got a job with the Maafa and Jewels Osco. Got a 3 bedroom apartment with my mom.
Sankofa is a word from the Ghanian Twi language meaning “Go back and get it.” “Sankofa teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated.”* *UIC African American Studies Department
One thing about me, I love my little brothers. My name is Pedro and my little brothers, I love them dearly. One is named Darius and one is named Clarence. Darius is funny, actually both of my brothers are. The love I have for them you can’t describe or explain. When I think about them I feel love and when I think about what they’ve been through, I feel pain. My Brother Darius is older than Clarence, he is in the county right now incarcerated. He is about 21 or 22, they both are a year apart.
Darius is locked up for a murder, he has been chained for about 4 years. So far I talk to him, and pray for him when I can. Of course I send him money, I just wish I could do more. I have just been keeping faith and praying for the best. I believe God will deliver him. He is an innocent man that deserves his freedom, and a second chance at life. After he graduated from high school, the police took him in. He also earned his second high school diploma in the county so that will look good on his end.
This all took place because my youngest sibling Clarence, my baby brother, lost his life. He lost his life coming from school on Nov 7, 2016. I will never forget that day, apart of me died. I was sick, it seemed like everything started going in slow motion like I was lost floating in space. Agony and pain is an understatement. How could life be gone so fast before it even starts. He was 16. You know we all got a sad story, just gotta suck it up and make it through.
I’m going to help the struggle and keep striving forward. I’m going hard, I’m going humble. I’m going to continue respecting my people. Nothing is going to stop me from loving myself and my life. I’m going into history to help history, and learn more from errors I have developed in my search for justice. To see through myself, I have to beat the old me to live. Blessed in eternity, from the power of truth. Rest in peace my friendly family cause peace is all we know.
When push comes to a shove to get above. Deceptions cry out the truth, because the truth is a hard pill to swallow. I pray for opps so they can escape the hollows. Dripping from a smiling star when I smile, I believe dreams are not that far. Major life is major cap because art is the beautiful scars we hide, then collapse so be true to who you are. Pray dear children cause things Jesus has is very rare to mankind, Be kind. I’m going to be remembered in my own way Just like a needle can be found in a haystack full of hay.