I'm really stoked about YN's skate week. The whole week I've had the chance to visit different skateparks and meet a variety of skaters. Young skaters, ex-skaters, big ones, crazy ones, parents of skaters, and older skaters. It's been a blast!
Andrews catching some air.
Take one dude I met recently, Andrew Andrews. He's this older cat from the valley whose been skating for over 15 years now. I've always pictured skaters as these young agile kids with long hair. So imagine my surprise when I meet Andrew -- older guy, agile then most people half his age, short hair, and just a regular looking dude, similar to Hal in my previous post on falling and skating safely.
"SKATE OR DIE!" But Andrew is not your regular skater. He's been skating for years and will probably be skating long after this post is written 'cause the guy defies age as much as he does gravity. Just look at his pics. And don't forget to check out the video too.
Some pools are meant for flying.
Andrews' is the kinda guy you meet and find out he's skated with pro skaters, back when they weren't even pros. Imagine the wealth of skate experience this guy's got! Like a wikipedia page, he broke down some basic skate stuff for me on style, talked a bit of skate history, and added fuel to my burning anticipation for the opening of the new P-Rod Skatepark by demonstrating some awesome air time. Check out the video for more.
Now I've seen what's capable at Pedlow skatepark. And I can't wait to see some crazy moves and skills that rock the senses at the new P-Rod skatepark.
It's all going down this Sunday, June 21st at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center in Pacoima.
P-Rod, Nike SB, and other surprises await you! Don't miss it!
IT'S A PART OF THE GAME So I've been checking out the skating scene in big anticipation to the new skatepark opening this Sunday. My recent day Pedlow Skatepark got me thinking about one of the biggest parts of any sport: falling. And falling hard.
Falling is part of the game. My weakened knees, scarred skin, and twisted fingers can testify to that. Roller hockey checks, downhill handlebar flips from my bike, and the regular b-ball ankle twist from battling in the paint kept my youth rocking. Again, it's part of the game. And skating is no exception to the rule.
My visit to the park not only had me blown away by the skills these kids had -- their air time, the tricks, the long grinds -- but I was also floored by their persistence to perfect their art, going at it again and again, even after the occasional hard fall. It takes a lot of heart to keep at it when you're hurting. And it builds heart just the same.
Alex Carballo, 12, catching air at Pedlow.
A PARENT'S TAKE Now we all know that practice makes perfect ... or at least better. And there's nothing like speeding down a ramp, a hill, or a half-pipe, catching some air, and landing that shiznit. All the falls, all the hard work, (and the fun) are well worth it.
Hal Long, one of the parents I met at Pedlow, knows just how fun skating can be. He grew up on the east coast with a half-pipe in his backyard, "probably the only half-pipe in a 20 mile radius," he says, and skated throughout his youth.
As with all sports, he's aware of the potential dangers of skating. He personally took a lot of hard knocks as a kid and is now a big proponent of wearing proper protection while skating. He added, "Some skateparks need to do a better job with enforcing helmet use."
Hal makes sure his 14 year old daughter, Hunter, wears protective gear while skating. "She doesn't like it so much, but all it takes is one wrong fall without protective gear to do some serious damage."
I asked Hal if he would ever take up skating again. He said that his daughter tries to get him out in the park sometimes and continued, "I almost get the nerve to do it, but then my sanity kicks in. I can't afford to get hurt. I have to work!" He's taken up mountain-biking instead.
Dude, I know the feeling. There's a lot of concrete out there -- in my daily life at work and in the skatepark. Both can get a little dangerous. It's much easier to get out of the city and catch some air.
Although I'm sure that kids like Alex, pictured below, prefer the concrete park instead, and enjoy catching a different kind of air. So to all you skaters out there perfecting your game, I say: Skate on! But do it safely.
The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!
THE FLAME CONTINUES The year was 1984 and the City of Los Angeles was in an uproar. The Olympic Games had come to town and would change the face of our city forever. A quarter century later, the spirit of those Games still lingers and continues to put a smile on the face of Angelenos both young and old.
Remnants of the Games, murals like these still salt the city.
When all was said and done, the medals given, the athletes gone, the Los Angeles Olympic Games had become one of the most financially successful in history, earning a surplus of over $230 million. A portion of this money was used to seed the LA84 Foundation, which has been a major advocate and coordinator of youth sports programs in the City for over twenty years.
Most recently LA84 teamed with Nike SB and the City of LA Dept. of Recreation & Parks to push forward yet another endeavor fueled by the lasting spirit of the games:
THE RITCHIE VALENS SKATEPARK
in Pacoima California.
Still under construction, the park is set to open on June 21, 2009 (which also happens to be International Go Skateboarding Day and Father's Day). So bring your board, your dad, or both and come celebrate at the new skatepark!
A number of cool peeps will be present, including P-Rod, a home-grown talent of the valley, and the Nike Skateboarding Team. Now you should know that Nike Folks never come empty-handed to a party -- like a true pachanga in the valley, there's bound to be music, giveaways and food!
A SKATE PARK LIES AHEAD The new Skatepark is located on the same grounds as the Ritchie Valens Community Center and is part of a huge green area that also houses basketball courts, a multi-use field, tennis courts, a pool, and a gymnasium.
One happy resident and local community activist, Tony Alcala, said that he's been working with Councilmember Richard Alarcon for a few years to have an area built for local skaters at the current site. He continued, "Up until recently they've been using the planters and steps near the front of the park [to practice]."
Above, left, is where the skaters used to chill and practice. On the right, their new home awaits completion.
Approximately 50-60 youth visit the current location daily and demand is growing. Tony added that the nearest skatepark, Pedlow, is a few miles away and that that's why a lot of the locals are stoked. "There's a need for places like this in the community, a place for youth to hang out after school, to stay out of trouble, and do what they love" says Alcala.
LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR THE FUTURE SOLE DESIGN COMPETITION Today's the last day to register for the Future Sole Design Competition put on by Nike and Jordan Brand. If you haven't submitted yet, well buddy you got a day a left, and if you already submitted, good luck. Let's face it, we love our shoes and we're always looking for new kicks. If you've entered the competition, you might win the chance to design the next big hit.
Lisa Leslie and D'Wayne Edwards
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE ... So that's the competition, but there were also some workshops provided to Inglewood students on footwear design. Now besides the tips and techniques on how to improve their art
If there's one thing good competitors know, it's that you have to practice, practice, practice. After all, practice is all about learning, 'cause learning makes you a better athlete. Learning is part of the path that makes you a star.
I recently had the chance to sit in on two Future Sole Design Workshops in Inglewood, California put on by D'Wayne Edwards, footwear design director for Jordan Brand. With him on different days were Lisa Leslie of the LA Sparks, and Seattle Seahawk, Lawrence Jackson.
You gotta love it when star athletes -- record-breaking, pennant-winning, awe-inspiring folks that appear as super human on the field, on the court, or whatever -- do something real special like spend an afternoon with others to share their experiences and just hang out.
Yea, they usually drive home the proverbial 'push hard and you can make it too', which is definitely cool 'cause they speak from the heart, but they do something even cooler in the process: their actions--the fact that they donate their time, energy, or money--reveal that stardom is only part of who a star can be.
A star can teach others by example. And that's one of the things that has stayed with me almost two weeks later. Whether it was Edwards' giving drawing tips to the art students, or Lisa Leslie's advice off the court. a star is not defined by their stardom, but by their star qualities.
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SOLE POWER! Whether your breakdancing or balling it up on the court, we all need our kicks to survive. Our shoes take us to new heights as we leave our mark on the planet. Few know this better than D'Wayne Edwards, Footwear Design Director of Jordan Brand and a creator of Nike's Future Sole Design Competition.
D'Wayne, a graduate of Inglewood High School in California, is a living example of how soles really can take you places. Sketching and designing footwear for over twenty years, he says that footwear design is more than a job. It's his passion!
SOULS UNITE: FROM ARTISTS TO ATHLETES It's no surprise than that D'Wayne recently returned to his old alma mater to share his passion with others by providing his Future Sole Design Workshop to a group of graphic art students. The workshops are an opportunity to share his wealth of design experience, to provide feedback on the students' footwear designs, and to urge them to enter the competition.
I attended the second installment of his workshop and had the pleasure to see young artists being introduced to footwear design techniques, marketing practices, and industry basics -- juicy bits of information most folk would have to pay for!
Another Inglewood graduate, Seattle Seahawk defensive end, Lawrence Jackson, was also there to offer advice on how to succeed off the field, and to provide feedback on the work submitted by workshop participants. D'Wayne and Lawrence reminded the students that they too can make it big in anything from athletics to footwear design if they work hard and aim high -- to dream big is to begin big.
D'Wayne Edwards and Seattle Seahawk, Lawrence Jackson (Graduates of Inglewood High School)
INDUSTRY PRACTICES: STUDENTS PRESENT THEIR WORK The student artists presented their footwear designs and discussed such things as the motivation behind their color schemes and overall inspiration for their designs. Some artists even had a handful of impressive specs detailing the type of material to be used for the shoe and where it would be placed.
Another artist shared that he had talked to Inglewood High athletes to learn about players' needs and wants in a basketball shoe -- a research process common to the design industry, especially to industry leaders like Nike and the Jordan Brand.
After presenting their designs, each student chose their favorite sketch and submitted it before the workshop judges. The goal was to compare the design styles, provide feedback to the designers, and to highlight those soles that were original, creative, marketable, and functional.
Two Future Sole Design Workshop Participants (Sheuntae Morisette and Jacquelyn Armstrong)
THE SOUL OF THE FUTURE SOLE DESIGN COMPETITION In high school, I never had an opportunity to share my art with designers like D'Wayne or to hear inspiring advice from professional athletes like Lawrence Jackson. The Future Sole Design Workshops are an example of how the sport-for-good movement builds our future by investing in our future leaders. Big props to D'Wayne and Lawrence 'cause they're the kind of professionals our communities need.
D'Wayne's simple message is equally as impressive as his actions are: Someone has to design our future footwear. And that someone can be you. He did it. You can do it. Enter the Future Sole Design Competition and let your sole shine!
PROPS! Speaking of shining. Inglewood has some stars, buoy! I was wrapping up outside the school when these real cool students introduced their fancy footwork to me. Nothing shines like real soul and these ladies weren't afraid to show it. I'm putting together a short video and you just might see them practicing their moves!
Kasie Davis and Nakeva Smith
Inglewood High School is obviously building stars that excel and who aren't afraid to express themselves. It was wonderful to see. Big Props to all Inglewood High's fascinating students, both past and present!
So I'm checking out Facebook and I still see in my highlight section photos from May Day and Mother's Day. Even though the days have come and gone, I can't stop thinking about workers, moms, and working moms. Something I've learned from my mom and the countless mothers I've worked alongside with in various low-wage jobs (and I've learned a lot from them) is that we have rights as workers. And it's our prerogative as human beings to demand those rights if we're not getting them.
Front of the the MIWON May Day march, 2009
I'm a product of a single working mother who, not surprisingly, was also a product of a single working mother (my nana). Poverty is a battle all its own and it leaves scars that affect generations to come. So I march in honor of my mother and my family's hard work--for my grandma who waited tables to make ends meet, for my mother's long early bus rides to work to provide food for me and my brother. I march for workers; FOR PEOPLE, regardless of their immigration status, who are thrown to the margins and forgotten, those caught in the vicious cycle of poverty, racism, and unjust laws.
Just one of the many demands being made at the march
The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!
I last checked out JUiCE's dance scene, which includes a variety of breaking all-stars. But another kick-ass component to this wonderful elixir is JUiCE's graffiti art and the host of street artists at this place. What better time to check out their art than during their 4th Annual Graffiti Art Battle?
A piece found at J.U.i.C.E.
4th ANNUAL GRAFFITI ART BATTLE IN LOS ANGELES Every year for the past 4 years, JUiCE and Visual Elements, an Oakland-based group from the Eastside Arts Alliance, battle it out to see who can throw up the most creative and original graffiti art piece. The first battle took place at the Venice graffiti walls in 2006 and then moved on to Oakland in 07 and 08, each taking place during the Malcom X Jazz festival. This year's battle took place at JUiCE's headquarters in Los Angeles.
The battles are usually themed, and cover such themes as Immigration and Jazz. This year's theme was Culture. But the challenge for the street art teams doesn't stop there. Each team is then given a word that they must use to anchor the whole piece. Previous words include War and Bebop. This year the JUiCE team was given the word Native. Visual Elements received the word Survival.
JUiCE's Canvas
Visual Elements Canvas
JUiCE's GRAFFITI ART BATTLE: A TEAM EFFORT Each team consists of about 10-15 street artists whose skill levels are matched and set to complement one another. The idea is to create a piece as a team and the winning piece is judged largely on how well the team works together.
As an artist, it's difficult enough to throw up a piece by yourself. But to get 10-15 heads on the same page, to consider dimensions and how things will connect, to blow it up while another talented team does the same just a few feet away, and there's only about three hours or so to complete the piece. Well that's a practice of showmanship. Paint on you crazy artists!
The teamwork of Visual Elements
JUiCE Graffiti Artists working their magic
JUSTICE by UNITING In CREATIVE ENERGY Events like these are true acts of justice because a lot kids from urban areas like LA don't have equal access to arts programs, which are typically the first things cut from the state budget. If you live in a poor area, your arts program and other after school programs are likely the first to go.
Part of the Justice that JUiCE brings to the communinty is that it provides an opportunity to develop one's creative potential thru dance, music, and art. Not to mention it creates a space where people interested in hip-hop can come together and celebrate it. Few outlets for urban youth exist that provide such a service and JUiCE has stepped up to support LA's youth and develop their creative potential.
WHO WON THE BATTLE? Well, Visual Elements took the prize this year. The series between JUiCE and the Visual Elements team is now tied 2-2. The next battle may occur as soon as May 30th in Oakland. Contact JUiCE for more details.
VISUAL ELEMENTS - "SURVIVAL"
J.U.i.C.E. - "NATIVE"
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The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON! THE CITY OF ANGELS You ever get in a funk? Nothing seems to go right. Time flies by, exhaustion sets in, and work piles up. Stuff you can't control like the weather breaks a number of heat records for Spring one week, and kills your desire to tackle your obligations the next. Luckily, the City of Angels heard my distress call 'cause I was yearning for some loving. It extended a hand and gave me a much needed shot of community in action. If you're looking for a place to improve your skills or you simply love hip-hop, dance, or art, you'll love JUICE.
One of the art pieces displayed at JUICE
A SWEET NECTAR: JUSTICE, UNITY, AND CREATIVE ENERGY JUICE is a spot, a program, a place of replenishment, a community of folk doing their thing. It's another world made up in the City of Angels that literally stands for Justice by Uniting in Creative Energy.
And the place—the bgirls and the bboys blowing up the floor with bodily contortions and rhythmic mastery, artistic journeys that erupt in a flow of harmony, smiles, dance, and street art, the lingering aroma of freshly-squeezed graffiti cans, and a night of movement—turned my funk to funky, my bitter drink to wine, my daily grind to grooving times, and my lows to a new sublime. JUICE entered my system and I've been cool ever since.
Another dancer doing his thing
GOOD VIBES AND GOOD TIMES I've been to JUICE twice in the last month and each time the dance floor just grabs me in one swift motion, sucking me into a magically orchestrated vortex of flailing legs, mind-boggling headspins, and lip-biting, soul-moving footwork. Bboys and bgirls just practicing and battling, having a good time. Each visit had me floating through wave after wave of soulful tunes from greats like James Brown, Nina Simone, and Bob Marley, remixes that provide an inspiring backdrop to the pulsating vibes of energy and creative bliss.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE One of the coolest things about the place is that everyone is welcomed. Come out, get your dance on, handle a couple of cans, throw up a piece on the wall, and share your creative energy with others. You don't have to be Happy Feet or Banksy to kick it here.
Everyone is at their own level. There's a few like me just watching, admiring, and chilling—waiting for our chances to blow-up. And then there's others like Enerjetik who dances in the crew: Killa4nia. He's been dancing for a grip of years and believe me, he's got mad skills to show for it. He came to JUICE about three years ago and says that breaking is his passion. He and his crew even put on shows in various high schools around Los Angeles. Like I said, there's something for everyone under this sun. JUICE is where it's at.
Enerjetik
ART Oh man, I haven't even touched on the street artists in this place .... till next time.
Baseball player Elijah Dukes was recently fined $500 and benched for the game after showing up five minutes late to pre-game batting practice. Dukes had a good reason. He was attending a little league game as part of charity work. But Washington Nationals Manager, Manny Acta said that the law had to be laid down and enforced, even under Dukes' circumstances.
You win some, you lose some. Right? Rosie Perez has this line in White Men Can't Jump where she says, Sometimes when you win, you actually lose. Sometimes when you lose, you actually win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie. And sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. The first time few times I heard Rosie say this, I was like, uhh okay. Thinking about it now, it's pretty true.
We play all sorts of games in life, from those on the field to those in the classroom. And since I brought up Rosie, let's not forget the good ol' game of relationships. We have all this stuff going on around us and when the temperature hits 101 in the Spring time in LA like it is now, breaking all kinds of records for this time of the year, I'm forced to remember to slow down, enjoy the ride, and keep on playing -- win or lose.
I'm glad Dukes is giving back to his community and I hope this event doesn't stop him from doing future community service work. Five minutes late is five minutes late but in this case maybe there was just too much going on in the guy's life and though it appears he was penalized for his actions, I'm sure he actually won and won big with the folk he visited in the community.
The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON! DIAMONDS IN CARSON: COLTS AT WORK I've heard that nothing strengthens a relationship quite like a diamond. And on Monday I had the opportunity to see it happen firsthand with the Women's Varsity Softball team at Carson High School. Nike brought it's new training program, Diamond Days, to the Colts and provided the second of five training sessions with a certified Velocity trainer to improve the team's speed, strength, and agility. But teamwork didn't stop there. Nike's Diamond Days will also be providing various giveaways and contests that are sure to hype up the already-heightened atmosphere of Colts readying for battle with their rival, San Pedro, on Thursday, April 16th.
The Colt's Women's Varsity Softball Team: The "be silly pic" that made the grade
BRINGING IT BACK: SUPPORTING FELLOW PLAYERS But Nike knows the powerful support seasoned veterans can bring to younger players. So Diamond Days also teamed up with professional softball player, UCLA alum, and US Olympic medalist, Andrea Duran, who made a surprise appearance and trained with the team during Monday's practice. She did drills with the young Colts team, spoke to its members about her experiences, took pictures with her fellow softball players, and even signed some t-shirts.
I later had the chance to speak to Andrea who stressed that her immense dedication to the game of softball as a youth, starting when she was around 12 years of age, paid off quite well. She is the recipient of numerous medals and has won various championships throughout her career. To top it off, she's still playing and loving the game, traveling, and meeting other softball players from all over the globe.
INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION: ONE ATHLETE TO ANOTHER Colts Head Varsity Coach, Cam Werner, stated that Diamond Days is an awesome opportunity for her team because a lot of the girls look up to Andrea and other world-class softball players like her. She proudly added that this year’s Colts team is bursting with talent. Some of the girls are batting in the 400's and 500's and one of the Colts pitchers has a solid 75 strikeouts this season. Coach Werner said that her team is constantly working at raising their game and to be able to train with an athlete of Andrea's caliber is a big up for them.
Warm ups
DIAMONDS THAT SHINE: FROM ATHLETES TO SCHOLARS The beauty of the diamond is it's ability to shine. Like Andrea, who graduated from UCLA in 2006, the Colt players are also dedicated to their academics. One Colt, Veronica Vasquez, is even at the top of her class at Carson. She's been playing softball since she was about five years old and loves everything about the game, from the smell of the grass to her teammates and team play. Wow!
I have to say that athletes like Veronica, Andrea, and the rest of the Colt's team and staff really made Nike's Diamond Days a memory I won't soon forget. And I'm pretty sure Diamond Days will have the Colts relishing Nike's support for years to come.
Scholar Athletes: Andrea Duran and Veronica Vasquez
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YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW Nutrition is key to the athlete who wants to be on top of the game. Our bodies are like a high-performance vehicle, and what we put in--the quality of food and the amount of nourishment--will affect our performance during the game.
First Lady, Michelle Obama, knows the importance of eating right and providing heart healthy food for the family. She recently brought a group of fifth graders to the White House to plant a number of vegetables in the new White House Garden. Some of the crops planted include a variety of herbs and lettuce, onions, cucumbers, peas, and shallots. She'll add tomatoes later and hopes to gather honey from a beehive located a few feet away.
My easy windowsill garden
Unfortunately, fast food such as burgers, fries, soft drinks, so-called energy drinks, and chips are often the fuel of choice for many Americans young and old. Even fast food giants saw profit increases last year while the rest of the world was is in a recession. We love us our fast food!
ALTERNATIVES IN ACTION: STRUGGLE FOR SELF-SUSTAINABILITY Now, this post is about ALTERNATIVES -- alternatives that our communities and people like the First Lady, have brought forth. It's about alternatives that you and I and our communities need in order to sustain a healthy and happy livelihood.
One such example of self-sustaining alternatives is the South Central Farm that was located in South LA. The farm sat on 130 acres of land in an industrial and residential area of LA. It was home to approximately 100-150 different species of plants and vegetables. But, after a long dispute with land owners and other stakeholders, the farm was relocated out of the city (oooh, just about 100 miles away). I can only imagine how this movement posed numerous challenges for the families that farmed there, but some of the farmers have continued farming and providing nutrition for others. Today a few of those farmers will be at a local Whole Foods in Pasadena to share the food they've cultivated on their new and distant land.
The "Milpas"mural near El Sereno, created by Los Diegos
WORKING LOCAL, CONTRIBUTING TO THE INTERNATIONAL History has taught us that land and people, especially those that tend the land, are often expendable especially in relation to profit increases, costs, and benefits. The phenomenon of day laborers and guest workers exist because there is a demand for low-waged workers in many of our staple industries such as farming and agricultural work, construction, and infrastructure maintenance. We even rely on these same groups during catastrophic events like the clean-up and rescue efforts post 9/11.
Economics and policy often keeps these workers on the margins, many of them of Mexican and Central American descent and a variety of other nationalities. These groups work in the US, pay taxes here, and contribute to the US economy. And even though they earn meager wages in a worsening economy, they do not forget about their transnational neighbors, often choosing to send portions of what little they have to communities abroad, which often live well below US standards of living. Still to this day, a large population of the immigrant community is mistreated and denied citizenship status.
Many immigrants migrate to the US to survive economic hardship or to flee war-torn realities. In this process, they have also added to a transnational community that's continually being interwoven and grows mutually dependent. So I say, in our effort to be game changers:
we need to eat healthy and find alternatives like gardens and farms that link community to home-life and health;
we need to acknowledge the efforts of others to bring alternatives to our lifestyles, like the South Central Farm and farmers, and learn how to support their efforts before they are lost;
Our Country depends on diverse investments and--just like the body where what you put in determines what you get out--so too does the health of our beautiful democracy.
Mural in Los Angeles at Middle School -- pictured on far right: Mother Teresa and Oscar Romero
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I love Spring Break. I've finally had the chance to catch some games: Portugal tied Manchester United yesterday (ouch), I caught UCONN's dominance on the court (the men and the women's team), and I FIFA'd it up at a homie's house for a few hours.
SPORT FOR CHANGE: GETTING INVOLVED If there's one thing I've been able to savor the last few days, it's the awesome power of team play. I absolutely love it! And a lot has also happened in the last few days that reminds me of the importance of sports for change and positively changing the world through teamwork.
A destructive earthquake rocked Italy, killing hundreds, and brought centuries-old buildings to their ruin. President Obama visited Turkey and stated that the US is not at war with Islam. And a series of shootings have taken place all over the nation in the last few weeks--the most recent here in Temecula, California.
How does any of this relate? Well, thankfully, SoHoB wrote about the Salvation Army's work in local neighborhoods. It's a fine example of community at work, working as a team. Not only do community-based organizations sustain a number of households in times of economic hardship like now, but these same groups are often the first, second, and third responders to areas ravaged by natural disasters and other emergencies. They are also heavily committed to serving the needs of diverse groups like the homeless, mentally ill, drug and alcohol abusers, veterans of foreign wars, youth, adults, and senior citizens.
OUR COMMUNITIES AT WORK
I think we all should familiarize ourselves with such groups as the local Salvation Army, Red Shield, Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club, and YMCA. These long-standing institutions and others like them have changed a number of lives and also serve as a beacon to the community during distress.
I'm sure there are a number of lesser-known organizations out there that serve the community too (from local to international). As for me, I'm on it. Over the next two weeks or so, I'm going to find local organizations that work with youth through dance, soccer, basketball, and art. These are the things that interest me and I can't wait to see the complex and multi-faceted work occurring at the community level. I'd Love to hear about what's going down in your community!
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The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON! In Honor of Cesar Chavez I remember back in the day my brother coming home and giving my mother an earful about buying grapes. At school he had learned of the great grape boycott that Cesar Chavez was instrumental in leading. Many of the organizing strategies he used--boycotts, marches fasts, strikes--were all huge to people like myself and my brother who would learn a life lesson: The stories of our people's struggle are powerful! We have to share them! Now when I say people, I mean on a very broad level, humanity, but I also mean more specifically, people of color, because their history is also our history.
Classroom Mural at CSUN (photo taken in 2007)
February 2009, march against anti-immigrant practices in Riverside, Ca.
It was World Water Week last week and so I've been covering the work of the CLEAN Car Wash Campaign in Los Angeles, California (both here and here). CLEAN often uses the boycott as a strategy for organizing workers and gaining support for their cause. It was the boycott that lured me to their work. I later heard of the environmental issues related to car washes and the horrible conditions under which car wash workers work. That is what has kept me on this story -- the revelation of something new under the sun.
The present moment is all we have. And how we navigate this crazy mixture of time and space is important for determining how the future unravels. A year ago, few were aware that car wash workers were earning less than minimum wage, working long hours often without a break, and being exposed to hazardous conditions. The CLEAN Campaign, like Chavez during the sixties, was instrumental in bringing our people's story to the forefront of national news.
Boycott at Vermont Hand Wash, Hollywood Ca. 2009
Capturing our Stories: Revealing our Present to Change our Future People and organizations like this, and there are many, are our examples to follow. Chavez and CLEAN remind me why I've undertaken videography and also photography. It's my contribution to humanity, my movement in the vast world of movements. Now some readers are international in their interests and political scope, others are focused on sports, and still others are concerned with a myriad of issues ranging from gender equality to animal rights.
So I say, go out and capture our stories, bring them to the world, out in the open. But make them substantive! Bring something to light, reveal something about our present or past that isn't already known or isn't well known, and know that it's that kind of storytelling that makes the waves, which last for generations. It's that kind of action that lures people to a cause. It's that kind of capturing that changes peoples lives.
Murals at CSUN (photo taken 2007)
The Sport of Photography: How I Contribute I consider photography a sport -- one of my sports. Like a marathon walker, I've been in the rain during a long march, trying to keep my camera dry, walking for miles and capturing the struggle around me. I've shot in makeshift studios, trying to use the best lighting technique, the subject's best seating and standing position, and the subject's better side--all the while sweating up a small storm. I've arched my back and bent my knees in weird configurations all for the sake of getting that different angle, a better composition, or to expose the subject in a distinct way.
Hallway mural, CSUN (photo taken, 2007)
From athletes to artists: One and the Same I practice snapping photos religiously, like a late night free-throw shooter in the park, I take aim at everything around me so I can become a better storyteller, I shoot for the goal of capturing our stars--unnamed heroes doing heroic work--I focus on what seems small but is truly large, all in the name of developing and contributing to that wonderful fabric we call humanity.
I've been Breathing In LA since I was born. From the Southbay to the San Fernando Valley, Whittier to Westwood, Crenshaw to Colorado, and places in between. Sit back. And let's cruise this scene.
Andrews catching some air. 
Some pools are meant for flying. 
