Q&A with The South End Show Stopperz
 |
|
Name: South End Show Stopperz
Location: Boston, MA
|
The historic South End neighborhood, in Boston (MA), is known as a high end community to many. Known for it's 5 star restaurants and fancy condos, to say the least. But to those who grew up in the heart of it, like myself, it’s slightly different. My South End suffers from gang related violence, which at times had led to innocent people being seriously hurt and even killed. Drugs are a walk to the park away and youth programs struggle to maintain funding. Growing up we would make the best of any situation. Wether it was organizing our own baseball game, or just taking a walk to Down Town and catching a movie. I was fortunate enough to stay out of jail and make it past 21 (as funny as that may sound to some of you). Sad to say, many of my friends were not as lucky.
This month, when it was time to choose my final Q&A Interview for the year, I decided to interview someone from my own neighborhood, who in my eyes is making a difference beyond her understanding. Her name is Johanna Acevedo. She is a full time employee at the Administration & Finance office at Emerson College. Alongside Syreeta Ruiz, a full time student at Mt. Ida College, they founded The South End Show Stopperz dance group. It is made up of a group of teenage girls who fight the statistics by dancing. I had the honor of visiting a few of their practices and talking to a bunch of the girls. I quickly noticed how they rarely called themselves "a group". Many of them kept using the words “family” and “friends” when describing the program and it’s leaders. It was truly amazing for me to see these girls in action.
(I sat down with Johanna and spoke about the group)
Homeless For The Holidays
It was the morning of Thanksgiving day and I was sitting at home, at my desk. My daughter was spending the day with her mother so I didn't have any commitments. In great photographer/blogger spirit, I decided not to waste the day and work on a project. The only problem was I didn't have any.
I was browsing through my Facebook news feed when the idea came to me. Everyone was sharing words of appreciation, as they got ready to spend the day with their families. What I noticed was that most were not giving to those who needed it most. So, I decided to help someone in need.
There's a small bridge about 20 minutes (walking) away from my house, that connects Boston with Cambridge. Every time I walk by I notice the same homeless man, sitting there, by himself. I went on a mission to change his Thanksgiving day. Not only by helping him with food & clothes, but also by telling his story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)