Just got back from a 6+ hour drive through the hot desert routes between El Paso and San Antonio, TX. The trip marks my youngest brother's first extended road trip within state lines. Shout out to my pops! As much
as I love arriving to unfamiliar places likewise is the feeling to settle back home in the town where I was born and raised. El Paso, TX.
Along with the summer vacations, cookouts, NBA finals and the-most-of-the-year-round-heat we've gotten accustomed to in El Paso, the month of June also bore witness to several extraordinary local events. One of those events, going on
its 15th year, Basketball in the Barrio took place in between June 19-21 at the Armijo Recreational Center in El Paso's El Segundo Barrio. Founded by Rus Bradburd and Steve Yellen in memory of Rocky Galarza, the basketball camp provides athletic, educational, cultural activities and entertainment
for children and families from El Segundo and surrounding communities. This was my second year volunteering with the program as an education coach. Props to all the youth that showcased their skills when the chess boards came out and many grateful thanks to all the coaches,
Rus, Steve, Armijo staff and all the programs that put in to make this an annual event. We were also blessed with the presence of renaissance man, Bobbito Garcia, who passed on a positive message along with great entertainment and skills to all the youth and adults in attendance. For me personally, it was an honor
meeting Bobbito Garcia, especially in light of what he's contributed to Hip Hop and the years he put in to radio broadcasting along with Stretch Armstrong out at NYC's 89.9 FM. Please check out the video and links to articles
below for more information on Basketball in the Barrio and Bobbito Garcia.
On June 26, 2009, Border Senses, a 501(c)(3) non-profit literary organization, hosted the release of their 15th bilingual magazine issue comprised of a collection of poetry, short stories and art at the Percolator Cafe. Our history with Border Senses goes back to the inception of
Voices Behind Walls when Emmy Perez began conducting workshops with the Delta Juvenile Facility's Boot Camp Program through the Spoken & Written Word Poetry Project. For more information on our collaborative history please visit the following link: VBW BIO. Shout out to Amit Gosh and
also Minerva Laveaga who coordinates the Memorias del Silencio project through Border Senses. For more information on Border Senses please visit bordersenses.com.
Also much respect due to the Elev8 Hip Hop Education program facilitated by artist in resident Asher Underwood who along with Americorps member
Elaine Lanphier recently completed production of a documentary that features incredible work from youth out in Anthony, NM. I've included the youtube video for pt. 1 of the documentary below. In the event that you are
unable to access the audio featured in pt. 2 and pt. 3 documentaries, please contact Asher Underwood for information about acquiring a copy of the documentary or better yet featuring the video in one of your classes, programs, theatres, etc. His contact information is: introductorypage@hotmail.com and you can
also visit the Elev8 crew at the following myspace: myspace.com/elev8.
Before 2009 is up, please be sure to check out the photography project facilitated by El Paso photographer Christ Chavez and a group of talented students from El Paso schools. The project
was a summer program collaboration in 2008 between Creative Kids, Inc. and the Region 19 - Migrant Education Program. Thank you to Terry Minjares from the Non-Profit Enterprise Center for letting me know
about the program and congratulations to all the talented young photographers that put the 2009 calendar together. Please be sure to find a copy if you can and post it on your wall! A bit more information is included below.
About half way through our drive towards San Antonio, I noticed the fences and barbed wire surrounding the Ft. Stockton Juvenile Detention Facility and wondered if anyone in there had made the effort to put their
youth on to The Beat Within. I tried looking up some information on Ft. Stockton when I got back but couldn't find much. Instead I found an interesting link with a list of some prisons in Texas. A while back
I read that Texas leads the nation in inmate population, spending nearly 3.5 billion dollars every year on incarceration. Scrolling through the list at the following link | Texas Prisons |
I wondered what a map diagram with a small square representing each jail, prison and juvenile facility in Texas would look like. Even as big as Texas is, we'd probably run out of space. Insane.
Below you will also find links to news and articles that were published throughout the month of June. I'mma end this newsletter with a poem that was recorded out at the
Mission Valley Branch Library on N. Yarbrough back when. The piece is by Stephanie, who at the time just completed the Delta Challenge Boot Camp Program and was re-recording a poem she
performed inside the facility, on the outside.
Until the end of July (2009), peace.
*BASKETBALL IN THE BARRIO | PHOTO GALLERY | CLICK HERE
Photographer: Lee Rhyanes
*BASKETBALL IN THE BARRIO 2009 | EL PASO MAGAZINE | ARTICLE
*BASKETBALL IN THE BARRIO | DOUG HARRIS DOCUMENTARY | YOUTUBE
