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It was recently reported by The Miami Herald that Haitian gangs in Southern Florida are
different from some of the traditional US gangs because they rule by committee, use
automatic weapons, and engage in extreme violence. They don't wear the colors to
distinguish themselves, but still have turf battles, peddle drugs and have been involved
in investigations that have sent numerous members to prison.
It's interesting to note that I spoke at Deerfield Beach High School in Florida earlier
this year and this Miami Herald article cited that Haitian-Americans and
African-Americans were involved in a turf war that needed a cease fire. Haitian-Americans
and African-American youth can't get along because of their culture?
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"This is a movement to get people to talk about violence in their communities because
creating this dialogue will ultimately lead to change and solutions."
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--yasmin shiraz |
During one of my recent self-esteem workshops in Washington, DC, I was leading a discussion with a group of teen girls about our feelings—the things we loved and the things we hated. I asked the group of girls to tell me something that they hated. One girl blurted out, “I hate the girls who jumped me.” I stopped in my tracks for a moment. I put down the program outline and before I could collect my thoughts, other girls were talking about violence in their schools, in their communities, on the bus, and everywhere they went. I realized in that moment that this workshop was no longer about self esteem, it was about fear, violence, pay back, anger, and frustration.
It would have been easy for me to ignore this young woman’s words, to pretend that I did not hear. But her words and the words of the other girls haunted me for weeks.
What Was I Gonna Do?
I could no longer pretend that I didn't know about the violence that was impacting our youth. I could no longer pretend that I wasn't affected by it. And so I decided to create a movement to educate youth about their decisions, to connect with adults about their responsibility and to unite all people to stop violence and retaliation from destroying our communities.
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