Conference offers Latino participants wisdom, encouragement with eye on solutions

Breathless and terrified, a fourth-grader runs through a stretch of Los Angeles as a gang chases him with sticks and bats.

“Go back where you came from!” they yell.

“We’ll find your mother!” they threaten.     

Even against the multicultural backdrop of South Central’s black and Latino neighborhoods, racism and ignorance disrupt what should be Jerry Tello’s casual walk from school. Instead, a journey to the safe, prayer-filled home where he lives is in peril because he and his family are Mexican; more precisely, because the black kids terrorizing him have found a target for the same discrimination that many of them receive.

Today, as an award-winning author and internationally acclaimed speaker, Tello shares the story with an audience of about 250 at The Skillman Foundation’s recent Boys of Color: Perilous Times II conference. Including free breakfast and lunch for participants in the day-long event at Wayne County Community College District downtown, Perilous Times II examines challenges facing Latino youth and their families, who form the largest non-black segment of Detroit’s ethnic population.

“Ms. Mosley used to sit on her porch, and she came down off the porch as she saw me running toward the house,” says Tello, recalling the black grandmother of his close friend, who wasn’t with him on the terrifying day. “I ran to her and she raised her cane, and yelled, ‘Ain’t nobody gon’ hurt my baby!’”

Tello spent the next several minutes safe in Ms. Mosley’s embrace, hearing what, to him, were eloquent words, despite her broken English: “Remember I told you, people got ugliness in their heart. Don’t let them break you, don’t let them break you. You come from a beautiful peoples.”

Along with his own grandma, Ms. Mosley helped shape his attitude and identity, Tello said in his keynote address.

“Based on how they treated each other, I learned who to respect, who to honor, who to advocate for, who to be with, because grandmas, they couldn’t read writing, but they could read spirits,” he said.

Tello urged the boys present to respect the women in their homes and neighborhoods, while challenging them to become the leaders and teachers of their community.

Apart from the discrimination of his peers, Tello says he was forced to overcome institutional racism that he faced in a school that posted statements like, “Smart people speak English” and “Smart people finish high school” on the walls – Tello’s family spoke Spanish and his dad had a fourth-grade education.

“So when I go into communities and speak, especially communities of color, I tell people that there are two kinds of knowledge, one that comes from books and one that comes from the experience of living in a culture,” Tello said.

He received a standing ovation from the conference guests, including Eddi Gonzales, Fernando Parraz and Ramon Mendez, who attended the event on behalf of Detroit Hispanic Development Corp. The teenagers performed live spoken-word pieces during the program.

“I wanted to make an impact,” Ramon said of his attendance. “I think it’s great. The speaker was fabulous.”

Added Fernando, “When I heard about the conference, I wanted to be a part of it just based on the title. It’s going real well.”

Eddi agreed.

“People discuss the problems in the community, but they don’t discuss how to fix them. It’s a great start,” he said.

Apart from Tello’s wisdom and encouragement, Perilous Times II offered young men opportunities to look at solutions to community problems in workshops led by local educators and community leaders, including Skillman Program Officer Henry McClendon Jr. The boys attended such sessions as “Educational Attainment,” “Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship” and “The Impact of Immigration.”

Detroit City Councilman James Tate sat in on a workshop where youth shared concerns about dangerous properties in their neighborhoods and other issues.

“We need that information you provide to us,” Tate told the teenagers. “Sometimes we talk about trust, the lack of trust with city government, but you gotta get involved.”

Others addressing the conference included educator Alfonso Salais Jr., Skillman CEO & President Carol Goss, Skillman COO & Vice President Tonya Allen and Skillman Program Officer Robert Thornton, who helped organize the event.

Tello exhorted the youth to view themselves as sources of positive transformation in Detroit and beyond.

“I believe – I actually believe – we can change the world,” he said. “And I’m talking about the kids that flow with us, and I’m talking about the kids that don’t flow with us, the ones who can’t sit still and keep moving and disrupting. Those kids are blessings, too. They just see colors and they flow in rhythms, and their minds are on different levels, and a classroom is too confining, and a piece of paper can’t hold their thoughts.

“We’re all connected. When one of us hurts, we all hurt. When one of us rises, we all rise. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed.”

-- Eddie B. Allen Jr., is a Detroit-based freelance writer.