The History of Barrios Unidos by Frank Acosta
|
Through interviews, written testimonies, and documents, Frank de Jesus Acosta re-constructs the development of Barrios Unidos--or literally, united neighborhoods--from its early influences and guiding principles to its larger connection to the on-going struggle to achieve civil rights in America. Today, Barrios Unidos chapters exist in several cities around the country, including San Francisco; Venice-Los Angeles; Salinas; San Diego; Washington, DC; Yakima; San Antonio; Phoenix; and Chicago. With a foreword by Luis Rodriguez, former gang member and author of La Vida Loca: Always Running, the book also includes historical photos and commentaries by leading civil rights activists Harry Belafonte, Dolores Huerta, Tom Hayden, Manuel Pastor, and Constance Rice.
Mandatory reading for anyone interested in peace and social justice, The History of Barrios Unidos gives voice to contemporary inter-generational leaders of color and will continue necessary public dialogue about racism, poverty, and violence.This is the compelling story of Barrios Unidos, the Santa Cruz-based organization founded to prevent gang violence amongst inner-city ethnic youth. An evolving grass-roots organization that grew out of the Mexican-American civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s and 1970s, Barrios Unidos harnessed the power of culture and spirituality to rescue at-risk young people, provide avenues to quell gang warfare, and offer a promising model for building healthy and vibrant multicultural communities. Co-founder Daniel Nane Alejandrez spent his childhood following the crops from state to state with his family. His earliest recollection of home was a tent in a labor camp. Later, he was drafted in to the Army and sent to Vietnam. Flying bullets, cries of anguish and being surrounded by death have a way of giving fuel to epiphany. This war made as little sense to me as the war raging on the streets of the barrios back home. He decided that when he returned home, he would dedicate himself to peace. Nane Alejandrez's story of personal transformation, from heroin-addicted gang banger to social activist and youth advocate, is closely tied to that of Barrios Unidos. |
|
Latino Young Men and Boys in Search of Justice: Testimonies (Hispanic Civil Rights) by Frank Acosta
In "Message to My Seventeen-Year-Old Self," Roberto Martinez, a California Correctional inmate, writes that he wishes he would have taken school more seriously. "Prison ain't anything like the thug life lies romanticize it to be; it doesn't make you a man." In this compelling collection of first-person testimonials essays, poetry and letters Latino men and boys who have been or are incarcerated write movingly about their past and future.
The book also incorporates essays by community advocates seeking criminal and juvenile justice system reform. Leaders of organizations including Barrios Unidos, Homeboy Industries, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice and National Compadres Network contribute pieces that address issues such as culture-based healing and violence prevention. Many use artistic expression as a form of healing, and this volume includes a wide variety of art, from poetry to drawings, tattoos and murals.
Acclaimed author and former gang member Luis J. Rodriguez writes in his foreword that the disproportionate number of young men of color in the justice system is rooted in economic, political and historical factors. He asserts that the United States' punitive laws and practices including three-strike laws, gang and gun enhancements, zero tolerance and school removals have fueled a massive prison industrial complex, and ultimately, more gangs and violence.
The book also incorporates essays by community advocates seeking criminal and juvenile justice system reform. Leaders of organizations including Barrios Unidos, Homeboy Industries, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice and National Compadres Network contribute pieces that address issues such as culture-based healing and violence prevention. Many use artistic expression as a form of healing, and this volume includes a wide variety of art, from poetry to drawings, tattoos and murals.
Acclaimed author and former gang member Luis J. Rodriguez writes in his foreword that the disproportionate number of young men of color in the justice system is rooted in economic, political and historical factors. He asserts that the United States' punitive laws and practices including three-strike laws, gang and gun enhancements, zero tolerance and school removals have fueled a massive prison industrial complex, and ultimately, more gangs and violence.
