The Power of Lawrencia's Determination

    Growing up, you always had a mind of your own, you did not let other kids tell you what to do. Friends didn't persuade you in any way. You did things that were good for you. That is how I know you are strong, and only do things if you want to, not what other kids ask you to do.

    Coming to the U.S., we were all we had. You let me know that we can do things our self without relying on anyone to do it for us. We also had fun together sitting on the porch and looking at other kids go by, laughing and talking shit. That was fun for us! When it came to school, you encouraged me to do my homework on time and helped when I needed help.

    You have always been a strong person, but you took your strength to the next level when you started living by yourself. You were going to school, paying your own bills, and you didn't let money hold you back. Instead, you were motivated to finish school, and you did it!

    You are a nurse! You have a B.S. in Nursing, and you were determined to achieve your education. I am extremely proud of you. You motivate me to continue with my education.

-- Remi E.

Break Silence: Accessible Voting

     Did you know that there is a special accessible voting machine at the City Hall Voting Center to help people with reading and writing disabilities? As an adult literacy learner at the San Francisco Public Library, I will be using this machine. The accessible voting machine is available now and I will use it to vote by Election Day on November 6. With the accessible voting machine, there is no excuse not to vote! We must BREAK SILENCE on the trickery and the confusion on the ballot that comes with politics. This trickery and confusion may frustrate and impact the majority of our city's low income population. We must be mindful of things like ranked choice voting - the second choice is mandatory, if not, your vote will be voided. We must vote regardless, just to be counted and to show that OUR OWN LIVES MATTER.

Ms. D. Gigante

Breeak Silence: Invisible Disabilities

Did you know that some disabilities can be invisible? I’ve always had a learning disability, and now a mental health disability, while living in San Francisco public housing. We must Break Silence on Invisible Disabilities and not judge only with our eyes. I have been a victim of a violent crime and now I have been a victim of a non-violent crime: I’ve been discriminated against under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I’ve been underserved because I appear to look “good” and healthy. I wish I could be safe, healthy, and feel good inside instead of looking good on the outside. “I’m just a dressed up mess,” I always say! I’ve had to jump through hoops as I navigated through services and health providers like food banks and mental health providers as I pursued my journey to health and wellness. I had to advocate for myself, for my healing and wellbeing.

I plead to service providers and my community to take time to understand and be more compassionate of invisible disabilities. Let’s all get educated on the ADA laws and provide great service to all.

-- Ms. D. Gigante

Paratransit Frustration

     I use Paratransit because my legs give out unexpectedly due to spinal stenosis and I use a wheelchair. I also have diabetes and have to take medicine at prescribed times every day.
     Even though I schedule my rides one week in advance and ask for a time one to two hours before I need to arrive, they put me as an "add on". Sometimes, they send a car after I have told the dispatcher that I am in a wheelchair and need a van. I have been picked up late and left sitting outside without notice many times. For example, on August 29, 2018, I was scheduled to be picked up at home at 4 o'clock. After waiting, I called dispatch and they said I would have a one and a half hour wait due to traffic and a ballgame. I missed my scheduled appointment. On August 8, 2018, I was left stranded at Civic Center for two and a half hours. Finally, I took Muni home, which was very difficult in an electric wheelchair, and I missed my diabetes medication.
     This week, I had two conversations with a supervisor at Paratransit. On September 10th, he was very nice and understanding when I told him about my bad experiences with Paratransit. He said he would send me information about taxis for people with wheelchairs, On September 12th, I called him again when my ride was 45 minutes late. He provided me with three van taxi numbers. When I called them, one number was disconnected, one number went straight to voice mail, the third number answered and he said he would call back in 4 minutes. He called back two hours later and said he was sorry he forgot to call back. He was in the South Bay and unavailable to pick up.
     Several Paratransit drivers I know have quit because of poor management. They have specific complaints about someone in management. Most, but not all, of the people who take reservations are rude. Some are polite and compassionate, but that is very seldom.
     Something needs to be done at the 12th street office! I am crying out for help, for the mayor to look into this matter because we, as passengers, need service. I am not just asking for myself, but for people all over San Francisco to get to their appointments and home so they can get their medication. Paratransit has no conscience about their passengers and feels it's okay to provide bad service when it is not.

-- Theresa

Break Silence / End Hep C

       Something that I wanted to touch on is the fact that I am a Hepatitis C survivor. Did you know that 1/3 of those diagnosed with Hepatitis C are African-Americans when we only make up 6% of the population? After my diagnosis, I was worried, lost and at one of the lowest points of my life, and I was scared to seek treatment. I was feeling lousier by the day. Upon my diagnosis it was clear that it was the time to act, so I bit the bullet and never looked back. Since then I have attended several support groups and meetings with other people who have been cured, which has given me a new outlook on life. This lead me to do bigger and better things with the AIDS Foundation, the drug addicts union, and the needle exchange program in a way to help others any way that I can. What started as a concern has blossomed into a passion that I will continue to help others with. The way to keep what I have is to give it freely to others. As I continue to pay it forward, I hope others will continue to do the same. BREAKING SILENCE!
- Ms. D. Gigante

You Are Doing the Right Thing

    Without Project Read, my life would be nothing, that is true. I love Project Read and the people are nice. If I have a problem, they help me. It's a great blessing to be here. It's good for everybody to learn to read, to change their lives forever, to reach their goal, and to have a good life. That's a positive thing to do. I never thought I would write something like this.

    I am proud of being here at Project Read and I've learned a lot. It is a pleasure being here. I work with my phonics exercises. I check my email. I look at how to build Fuller truck transmissions. Back on the east coast, we build them on the table, but the one I saw online did it differently. The way they do it here is quicker. I saw how they did the timing. It was different than how I use to do it. I read about how to adjust valves on a Caterpillar engine. A Caterpillar engine is easier to adjust than a Cummings engine on a Mack truck. I learned how to rebuild truck rears from seeing it on a computer.
-- Eugene

Gouda

    

    A long time ago, two alley cats, Ruff and Tuff, lived in the alley behind the Cat Lady's house.
    One day, Ruff and Tuff were doing their usual cat scratching act, when they came across a bag with a ribbon tied around it. Ruff swiped at it, then Tuff grabbed it and into the Cat Lady's house they went. There were cats everywhere, cats were on the icebox, cats covered the furniture, cats laid on the shelves. An old tommy cat said, "What do you have there?" Ruff replied, "Well, it's a bag, so it must be a cat." That's when one of the cats said, "Let it out, let it out!"

    Ruff and Tuff both grabbed the ribbon and pulled, the bag came open and out came a fuzzy little furry creature. One of the cats shouted, "What an odd looking cat." The old tom replied, "When you were a baby, you looked different, too." Then one of the kittens asked, "Well, what does the card say?" "Gouda"

    Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. Years went by. Gouda loved his home, he liked taking cat naps, lapping saucers of milk, and chasing balls of yarn.
    One day, Ruff and Tuff ran by him and straight out the door. Gouda thought it was a game of tag, so out the door he went after them. He chased Tuff straight up a tree and out on a branch. Tuff leaped to the next tree and that's when Gouda froze.
    People walking by him started to gather. Gouda then heard firetrucks and saw flashing lights. Gouda was scared and started to howl.
    Gouda was happy when he saw a ladder coming towards him. The fireman brought him down the ladder. As soon as the man put him down, Gouda wagged his tail with relief and ran down the alley.
    When he turned the corner, Gouda was surprised to see a man with a big net. Gouda ran this way and that way trying to escape. He got caught anyway and was tossed in the back of a truck. First the tree, now the truck. When will he get back home to his saucer of milk?

    Gouda noticed that there were other creatures in the truck with him. It was odd that they looked more like him than his brothers back home, he thought.

    As he was thinking about this, the truck started to move. They knew they were off to the pound. One by one, the animals were loaded off the truck and into a giant cage. First went Snow, an 11-month-old energetic little girl, always trying to get other dogs to escape. Next it was Gouda's turn to go into the cage, followed by Tuck, an eleven-year-old dog, or better, for he did not want to move. Right then, Snow kept exciting all the animals which kept the man very busy trying to keep them all in the cage. He was so busy he forgot the gate was open. Out they went.

    Gouda ran side by side with his new friends, panting and wagging their tails. This is when it hit him, he was a dog! He instantly felt closer with his new brothers and knew they had to get away from the dog catcher. So, he brought his new friends as fast as he could down the alley and through the window to join Ruff and Tuff and all the other animals. Gouda was relieved to be home with his old and new brothers. He went over to drink a saucer of milk.

    To this day, people still talk about all the odd cats at the Cat Lady's house.

The End.

-- Russell

Project Read Authors at SFMOMA

Theresa, Eugene, Demetria, Russell & Claudia

Project Read Authors' Night San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Break Silence 4B

Why, when I called 911 when my friends and I were victims of another drive-by shooting in public housing, did I have enough time to speak to two family members and an SFPD officer who happened to be a long-time family friend? And there were no sirens. Why was there such a lack of urgency? More than 30 minutes is unacceptable when you’re only three blocks away. Are we less important because we are not homeowners or paying market rent? It sure seems like it. If SFPD didn’t care about all those black lives lost, why would they care about my blue and green bikes that were stolen on camera? I guess we live on the wrong side of the tracks. We must break silence about the lack of compassion and urgency in SF public housing. We must care about our own black lives to protect and serve our community better by becoming the next generation of SFPD officers.

-Ms. D. Gigante

Artist Statement by Demetria Gigante

Break Silence

Artist Statement by Demetria Gigante

I’m inspired to make art to share my experiences with others. My writing is art because I struggle with a learning disabilities and mental health. My blogs and this collage help me heal from my mental and learning disabilities.

Art has influenced my life because my blogs are my creative way to process my experiences of trauma. It is a healthy way to express my feelings and work on not holding them in. My blogs and collage give me a sense of accomplishment and a way to introduce mental help and literacy to my community.

Art has influenced my recovery from PTSD by understanding more about my mental health and how I feel about my experience with trauma. I know it is okay to have mental health issues and to seek help. With Behavioral Health Services, I will heal. This recovery encouraged me to work on my learning disabilities, too.

Living with PTSD is a work in progress. I started with isolation, self-medication and agoraphobia. These feelings and behaviors caused digressions in my career, life style, goals, parenting and struggles with self-sufficiency. After a recent trauma with another drive-by in my community, I sought help through the Victims of a Violent Crimes organization. They referred me to a great therapist that matched my mental health needs. Collaborating with Project Read, I began my creative journey writing my blog, Break Silence, and working with RAMS to make my collage. With these services, I’m becoming myself, engaging and sharing with others, and learning harm reduction skills. 

(Thank you to Project Read learner Demetria Gigante for sharing her artist statement. Her work will be displayed in the Works in Progress: Second Consumer Art Show at the San Francisco Main Library Atrium from October 1 through mid-December, 2017. There is a reception on Tuesday, October 3, from 4-5:30 pm (program at 4:30) in the Latino-Hispanic Meeting Room in the Lower Level of the Main Library. Information about the exhibition can be found citywide.ucsf.edu/art_show.)

Demetria with her collage at the art show reception.

Herm Lewis

    My name is Theresa Lewis and I'm writing about somebody I admire a lot who came a long way in life - my brother. His name is Andre Lewis, but everyone calls him Herm Lewis. I have seen my brother come from being an addict to being a leader.
    I admire the way Herm changed his life and became a good husband and a great father. He never left his family for dead. No matter how hard it was, he stayed. And it was hard. He went through a lot. He stayed with his wife Rhonda until her death a few years ago. He stuck by his kids. He stuck by his step-kids, took very good care of them and treated them like his very own kids. Nobody could tell by how he treated them if they were his biological kids or his step-kids.

    Herm went from being an addict, from selling weed, to going to prison. Prison turned him around. He came home and he was a spiritual speaker and an advocate. He speaks positively wherever he goes. I look at him as a legend in the community and a very powerful speaker on and off Facebook. I look up to him, admire him, and everyone respects Mr. Herm Lewis to the fullest. If he ever runs for mayor, he'll have my vote!

    When Andre was a little kid, he was a loner and he never caused problems in the family. He was always telling on me. If I smoked weed and he saw me, he ran and told Mommy. I was always trying to sneak and do stuff. He always told on me. I could never get it past Herm Lewis - my brother who I love, admire and respect to the utmost. Good job! Stay being positive and the leader that you are!
    Herm owns his own home, his own business, and works for Golden Gate Scavengers. He is truly a survivor and someone I admire and respect. He's been through a lot so I am very proud of the man he has become today!

Getting the Job Done

    My name is Theresa Lewis. The President wants to build this wall to keep the immigrants from coming here. I did agree with that because I thought they were taking jobs from people here in California. Then, I had to think about all that, and maybe I'm wrong for saying what I'm saying, but this is how I feel.
    Immigrants are the most hard working people that I know. The reason why I say that is who wants to do the farming? Who's going to go out there and pick the cherries? Who's going to go out there and pick the lettuce? Who's going to get the job done? The immigrants are good at that work. Are we gonna go out in those fields, bent over working in that hot sun? I feel like they are good at so many things that we could be good at, but we don't want to do it. We also are not going to take the pay that they offer to do it. I was listening to the news where farmers were talking about this and how they lost so many workers. 

    So, now I ask you. Who's going to do this? Who's going to take that pay? And what are we going to do about it? So, I ask you. Are you gonna do it? Are you gonna go out there in the fields? Are you gonna take that pay? Or, maybe the farmers are going to have to raise the pay so we will do the job.
    At first, I was agreeing with the President, but I'm not so sure anymore. I just feel like the immigrants work much harder and are much faster getting the job done. We do have to eat.

It's Your Birthday

It's your birthday,
another year has passed.
You're a little wiser,
a little smarter,
a little older,
and a little bolder.

So you think you're not a child any more.
So maybe I don't have to remind you to do your chores.

Soon you'll be on your own with no one to remind you of anything.
And after you cook you can clean your own kitchen.
You can have us over for dinner and cook us a vegetarian meal.

Your mother taught you well so be proud.
It's your birthday and I'm proud of you, too.

--Stephen

What is Poetry?

People like poetry.

People like to write poetry.
Poetry is about someone you write about--someone you care about  and love, or a special person in your life.
Some people love to write poetry about beautiful things--

  about the earth, the sun, and the sky,

and some people write about oceans and seas.
Some people write poetry and poems to someone

they love and care about.
Some people write about true love.
Some songs people sing are about poems.

--Eugene

What is Our Society Coming To?

My name is Theresa Lewis. I remember once upon a time when I was coming up and we had an issue with one another. We took it to our parents and our parents took it to the next parent and, if they didn't settle it, the next day we met at school and we'd fist fight.

Now a days, these kids today , they just be killing up each other -at school, on the streets, on the freeways. Where are these kids getting these guns? Where are they coming from? Why is it these guns are so easy for kids to get? And
they're taking lives like it's okay and it's not!

Everybody suffers when these kids die--the mothers, the aunties, the cousins. We all suffer. And you can't say it's just in the black neighborhoods now. It's everywhere-Latino, Asian, Chinese. So, again I say, where are these guns coming from and why is it so easy for these kids to get guns?

When I was coming up. we couldn't get guns. My parent kept hers locked up. One day I went to my nephew's middle school and they had metal detectors. I never seen nothing like that!

The movies are not making it no better. They make their movies with people killing each other. They use rappers to make these movies. What example is that for our kids?

They make all these video games with guns killing up one another like it's okay. Then the kids want to go out and do the same things. As parents, we can't watch our kids 24-7. We can talk to them, provide for them, preach and tell them right from wrong, but we have to go out and work to provide for our families. We can't watch them 24-7.

What is our society coming to? And what can we do for our kids? How can we keep our kids from getting these guns? Again I ask, where are the guns coming from?

Anniversary

April 7, 1919, the date that always commemorates your birthday. Whether it was destiny or the will of the Lord you moved ahead of me on this journey in the same month. Although I can’t remember exactly which day. I don’t really care, you are still with me. Few people knew that your name was Ramona del Carmen. I think that you never liked your first name because I used to call you Ramona just to tease you but, you were and always will be Dona Carmencita. Somebody said (I don’t know who) that the life of the dead is in the memory of those still living. I agree. You made a mark on my life in a way that I am only now aware. Your memory is in my way of cooking, my way of talking , in the words I have used when I talk with my son and then he asks me for a translation as If I was talking with him in another language. Maybe he is right, your language. While I am alive you will alive. Happy 98th anniversary Grandma.

-- Claudia

How to Make a Marriage Work (Last)

Go out to the movies.
Take more walks in the parks. Hang out and love each other--doesn't cost money. She will appreciate it and love you.
Cook more for each other.
Save money for giving surprises to each other.
Do things to keep the home clean and neat.
Kiss more often and give hugs.
Go to church and pray to God--keeps you spiritually in line.
BBQ sometimes on the roof, in the park, or somewhere.
Have kids and have fun with them Do lots of things for them, Tell them they are the best.
Do not cheat in your relationship.
Be honest.

-- Daryl Jerome Faison (1963-2015)

Who Do We Blame?

    My name is Theresa and I want to talk about all the people out here in the last five to ten years. Why is it that everywhere you go and everywhere you look there are people on canes, walkers, and wheel chairs? And I ask myself, why is that going on? What are they doing to us? Is it the meat that is keeping us sick? Is it the doctors that are keeping us sick? Is it the pharmacies keeping us sick? Who is to blame for this?
    I understand everybody has to eat, but is it at our expense? Keeping us sick? I understand that doctors have to pay their bills. Cattle ranchers have to pay their bills. Pharmacies have to pay their bills. So where is this really coming from?
    I think it's the meat, what the cows eat, what they put into the meat. Why are so many people diabetic? I see everyone having to have spinal surgery. So many of my friends, we're having the same spinal surgery. Why?
    Where's this coming from? The commercials have all types of drugs and so many side effects. Why are so many people obese? So much obesity, so many drugs! Who do we blame?

Break Silence 4A

Break Silence 4A

Why is there a disconnect from the SFPD and the residents of San Francisco Public Housing? I have seen and experienced the lack of engagement, urgency, common respect and courtesy towards each other. I come from two generations of homeowners, and was taught that the police protect and serve.

That is not the case.

I have not seen SFPD protect or serve in the SFHA community. We must break silence. Wouldn’t it be nice if our officers knew our names before the drama of an arrest? Maybe if SFPD would get out of their cars and just be a part of our community. If we were more engaged we could learn to build some respect for each other as civilized human beings and not enemies, like how I was taught. We could trust and believe that police are really here to protect and serve. Help make black lives matter wherever you live in SF.

We must break silence and all be more engaged with each other, we could change the attitude of a generation to come.

Ms. D. Gigante

Love is the Topic of this Free Writing

Introduction to love:
    The word love has a variety of meanings in both the classical and new testament (Greek). One definition is the feelings between personal friends, as was the relationship between David and Jonathan. Additionally, it also refers to the emotional relationship between a man and a woman in a romantic relationship such as Romeo and Juliet. Still further, there is the warm feelings as experienced between parents and their children. One biblical example is Job and how petitioned God on their behalf.

     Our focus today, however, is on love that is above all other kinds of love. Simply speaking, "agape" love does not have to meet any standards for God to love us. He loves us because it is his nature to love. He is the essence and the epitome of love.

-- J.C.