I'm reading a book " Fist Stick Knife Gun", a sociological memoir by Geoffrey Canada about growing up in the South Bronx. Mr Canada grew up in the South Bronx around the same time I did. He tells a story of a crooked finger he got around 1964 and he writes... " The slight deformity is such a small price to have paid for growing up in the South Bronx. So many others paid with their lives. Many who are still alive are addicted to drugs or are in jail, or have AIDS, or are debilitated by mental or physical injuries - all traceable back to the South Bronx. I feel so lucky to have only a part of one finger as the toll I paid to make it out. But I don't want to forget what life was like. There was a time when getting out of the South Bronx was a distant dream, one you kept in the back of your mind. Fear and the struggle to survive were ever present realities."
Very true. I recently heard about a friend I grew up with in the South Bronx who just died from an OD. It puts things in perspective and makes you appreciate your blessings. I guess given where I came from I especially have a lot to be grateful for.
Geoffrey Canada has went on to be a role model for education reform and continues to change the lives of young people. He is the CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone. Look at the great work he does.
http://www.hcz.org/what-is-hcz/about-geoffrey-canada
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