A mom friend and senior Legal Aid lawyer told me the
most remarkable story about a conference at the City Council, in which a group
of present and former gang members gathered to meet with politicians and
educators and share their views of their situation and how others might be
steered away from the gang life. Apparently, a lot of the young men talked
about feeling like there are just no good options; that they feel stuck in their
neighborhood with nowhere to go. One young man, who did a lot of the
sharing, put it this way: “Man, how come we never go anywhere? I’d like to do
something fun like go to the Bronx Zoo. I could use a day like that.” —
When she
recounted it, my friend laughed at the surreal aspect of hearing a tough guy
lament how he’s never been to the zoo. But doesn’t his lament make his challenge
more relatable? As a little kid, what else didn’t he have or what else wasn’t he able to
do?
We celebrated my daughter’s 12th birthday
over the weekend with the gift of a new Mac laptop. She was over the moon, and
I relished her happiness. But now I have an additional plan: to buy a family
membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society (which oversees the
Bronx Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, the Aquarium and other animal hot
spots), and donate it to an anti-poverty program to share with their families.
Any suggestions? Please write me at emessinger@manhattanmedia.com.
