#amims

As a child I saw much that I should not have seen, and experienced much that I should not have experienced. I have experienced, firsthand, the stresses of living in poverty, the pressure cooker that is the inner city, and have lived among the people that this dangerous concoction produces. I sat in this pressure cooker and watched the people around me slowly kill themselves with their addictions of choice, while waiting for others to self-destruct. Despite what I saw, I was not satisfied to make uninformed judgments on them. I wanted to know the history behind the walking tragedies I saw every day. I wanted to know what caused the pain in their eyes and the despair on their faces....How does one overcome a lifetime of hell, when hell is all they’ve known? I was consumed with questions and initiated a dialogue with them to find the answers. I promised myself and those who trusted me with their life histories, that I would tell their story.

Telling the stories of the marginalized, oppressed, and misunderstood gives us a glimpse into their history – the how and why of their condition. Having this knowledge is the first step to connecting us and prevents many from making uninformed judgments. ... We will tell these stories with truth, dignity, and hope. We will be their voice when they are fearful to speak. We will be their ear when they are without an audience to hear. Where indifference and ignorance has blinded us from seeing their light, we will let them be seen anew. We will tell their stories, and in doing so, bring about understanding, truth, compassion, and change.