Health & Fitness
My Beloved South Side
The South Side from the point of view of someone who loves the spirit of the people!
To the outsider, the man on the street selling comforters in the near zero temperatures and blistering sun tells the tale of a neighborhood run down and dying, of people on the last rung, poor and desperate. To me, born and raised in south Chicago, and now working daily with the people, it stands as testament to the people's strength- their will to survive in the most difficult circumstances.
And what has created these circumstances? How can one be so critical of that man, braving the elements, bearing the ditry looks of passersby- and not be completely repulsed by the system that allows some slickster CEO to push a button, be done with his work for the day and cruise around in his overpriced gas guzzling Hummer...
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I see beauty in the barrio. Beyond the weather torn faces, the bodies battered and beaten by a life of hard labor, are spirited fiery eyes- LIFE. In spite of repression- it will not be supressed. it comes through in the mariachi music playing on the juke box at the taqueria, in the hip hop booming in cars with windows rolled down, in the laughter heard on the corner where people wait for the bus, in school playgrounds where moms wait for their children....SPIRIT, LIFE, BEAUTY- I cannot get my fill. the people inspire me. I marvel at their strength.
GUNSHOTS. We're in a meeting. We duck. The kids start crying.
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The greatest victory of the system is robbing the people of the ability to appreciate their own beauty. And looking through the eyes of the elite, their light is obscured. Life is dispensible. Their life that means so much to me....
But life goes on in the barrio. And i see for a second the rest of the picture- cops patroling the streets, with no regard for the people- no respect for their plight. I see the broken windows, the littered streets....
I look into the eyes of a passerby. SPIRIT, LIFE, BEAUTY, and a QUESTION.... HOW LONG AM I SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO STAND THIS?
Not a second longer, my brother. Join me in the struggle.... reclaim what's been stolen from you. Own your beauty. The barrio belongs to you...let's win it back!
