MAKING A MARK ON OUR YOUTH

During my column last month, I wrote about having the opportunity to visit my childhood school, Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, School #76, on Buffalo’s lower west side for the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York’s annual “Dia de los Ninos y Libros” event. I was invited to participate and meet with young people and awarded the opportunity to give a presentation on my film “Boricua Soy Yo” to Mrs. Smith Quiñonez’s 8th Grade Spanish class. The segment I chose to focus on during my 45 minutes was part of my film that explored the question of “What does it mean to Boricua?”

I had an incredible time, walking the halls of my childhood school and seeing folks I had not seen in decades. To my surprise, as I sat in the newly (new to me) renovated library on the third floor, I heard a voice I had not heard since I graduated from the 8th grade in 1992. It was the voice of Dr. David Caban, my old school principal. To say that Dr. Caban, and other educators, did not make a mark on my young adult life and the lives of my classmates during our time as students at School #76 back in the late 1980s and early 90s would be a lie. Dr. Caban and I chatted and reminisced about the old school, and I was happy to learn that Dr. Caban had retired years ago but was still somewhat involved with the educational community, being invited to attend the day’s events. For a student body of mostly Brown and Black students, it is important to see our own in leadership positions or as educators teaching children and guiding them on the right path. Seeing my old principal brought back memories of other educators such as Mr. Torres, Mr. Mercado, Dr. Rivera, Mrs. Sanchez, and many others who left an indelible mark on my life in one way or another. After some introductions and discussion, volunteers were escorted to our classrooms to spend time with the children we would read or present to. Once I arrived at my room assignment, I started my presentation by asking the class a simple question: What do you want to be when you’re all done with school? Of course, I received many of the cliche answers young folks would often respond with, such as entering military service or being a beautician, as well as the expected rapper and YouTuber responses. I also asked the class if they liked history, to which many responded with a resounding “NO!”

As we spoke, I mentioned to the class that I was once a student in this very school close to 30 years ago and I also was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life once I was done with school.  All the young men and women in the class were Latino, mostly Puerto Rican, either born here in Buffalo or on the island itself, and I saw myself in the faces of these children. When I was in their shoes, I never in my mind —  envisioned ever being a filmmaker; it just was not a career nor a field many of us young folk on the lower west side were exposed to.

Here I was, however, thirty years later, presenting to a classroom full of children who sat in the same seats I sat in, hoping to make a positive impression and make a mark like the one that was made on me by the men and women who educated me in this very same building so many years ago.

After my documentary film segment finished, the classroom and I exchanged a little bit, asking and answering questions. Documentaries are more geared towards older or more mature audiences, especially a documentary that discusses history and culture, and although some of the kids looked bored, I was incredibly happy that they all were watching the segment, paying attention, and following along with what was being discussed onscreen.

As my 45 minutes with the class ended, I was proud to have been invited to present at my old school. We all need to make a mark on the lives of the young people we meet, whether they be family or children, we see in the neighborhood. I just hope I could make a mark on at least one of these students, and if so, it would have been worth it.

It is cliche to say it takes a village to raise a child, but I honestly believe this. I was blessed to have both my parents raise my brothers and me; however, I feel doubly blessed to have positive (Latino) role models in this very school that helped me see the value of an education.

And I proudly carry that mark with me everywhere I go.

Until next time