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Giovanna "Gio"

10/31/2015

 
“Our family had a housekeeper in Peru as I was growing up. Both of my parents treated her with love and respect and considered her part of the family. Sometimes I went home with her on weekends to play with her children. She and I walked part of the way, took two buses, and crossed a river to get there. In the housekeeper’s community, entire families lived in a single room. The children were very interested in the toys I brought along because they didn’t have those sorts of things. I enjoyed being there and recall many happy times playing with them in the creek, but it was on those weekends when I first began to realize that not everyone lived the way our family did. I think that’s one reason my mom let me go. She’s always been a very compassionate person who expresses a lot of solidarity with others, and she wanted to teach me how to care about other people.
 
“I never really reflected on my race, ethnicity, or social status until I came to this country ten years ago. I didn’t speak English then and encountered some pretty concrete discrimination, which really hurt. But it also helped me become aware of the assumptions and stereotypes people had. I remember thinking: I’m documented and have a college degree; I can only imagine what other people who don’t have those advantages are facing. The turning point for me was when I realized I could use my privilege to combat the oppressive systems I live in. That’s what’s behind my passion for the work I do now as Training Director for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. I use my experiences and my bilingual skills to reach across cultural lines and support people in finding the resources they need to succeed.”
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As part of Playback Memphis:
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Giovanna "Gio" Lopez
  • Training Director for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
  • Cofounder & board member of Cazateatro
  • Board member of Workers Interfaith Network
  • Member of Comunidades Unidas en Una Voz (Communities United in One Voice: grassroots group working for immigration reform)
  • Member since 2010 of the organizing group for the Spanish version of The Vagina Monologues
  • Actress with Playback Memphis
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Andy

10/30/2015

 
"They're great companions; they're mother, father, and first-born son, and they love to cuddle. All of them have little quirks that make them unique. They're so happy to see me when I get home from work; they run to meet me at the door and they're smiling. It might look like they're gritting their teeth, but they're really smiling. They love to give love and kisses."
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Leo

10/29/2015

 
"When I finished high school, there weren't any jobs to be had, so I signed up for the military and went to Vietnam. The base camp I served in for a year supplied helicopters with rockets, miniguns, and ammunition. I wasn't in any frontline fighting, but our base got hit by mortars at least once a week. When that happened, we'd run way down into the bunkers till they'd sound the all-clear. It was scary. But it was scary to come back home too. People didn't understand what we'd gone through. They thought we were all crazy, that we all had PTSD. I was okay though. I never got shot, never got wounded. I've still got my two arms and my two legs, and I would say I'm blessed. A lot of people didn't come back."
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Cody

10/28/2015

 
"If I could go back in time, I'd like to visit the roaring 20's. The clothes, the music, the fast pace - all that is really interesting to me. I'm thinking the 20's must have been a more personal time too, since they didn't have all the technology we have today. I work in IT, so I'm kind of a computer nerd, but I still like personal connection. Our ways of interacting with people have definitely changed over the years. Today's society can be isolating, alienating."
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Nellie

10/27/2015

 
"I'm 85 years old, and I don't have many regrets. I've lived my life the best I could. The good I could do, I did. I have a lot of good memories, especially around raising and spoling my grandkids. I don't look back a lot though. I look forward."
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Phyllis

10/26/2015

 
"I worked in sales and customer service at Fed Ex for 18 years, but I'd always dreamed of having my own shop. In 2009, I started networking, completing paperwork, and preparing to make it happen. I connected with Score and got a business plan together, and then in 2013, when Fed Ex offered  a buyout, I took it. Small Closet opened here at 14 N. Main on October 1, just a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to get to work in the mornings."
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Donnie

10/25/2015

 
"If I could start over in life, I'd do the things I was supposed to do. I wouldn't raise hell. I'd try not to mess up. "
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Emily & Emily

10/24/2015

 
Emily M: Emily and I sort of knew each other through the Down syndrome community (my sister has Down syndrome also), but we didn’t really become friends until last year, when we were paired through the Best Buddies program at our school.
 
Q: What are some things you girls have in common?
 
Emily S: Singing! Emily and Emily!
 
Emily M: That’s right. Both of us are named Emily, and we both like to sing. What were we listening to in the car on the way over?
 
Emily S: Taylor Swift!
 
Emily M: Yes, we both like Taylor Swift. And we’re both pretty laid-back. Even when we’re not talking, we still enjoy being together
  
Q: And in what ways are you different?
  
Emily M: She’s very social, and I’m more of an introvert. Also, I’m not that into fashion, but you like getting dressed up, don’t you, Emily? The Down Syndrome Association is always having dances and proms. She loves going to those. In fact, she’s going to a party tonight. I’m staying in and doing homework. [*laughs*] There’s a difference! She also dances with Company d and is really graceful. I’m definitely not a dancer. Compared to her, I’m pretty clumsy. You should see the dance troupe perform. They’re great.
 
Emily S: Great dancer!
  
Q (to Emily S): What do you like best about your friend? 
 
Emily S: Pretty. Beautiful. Nice. Fun. Quiet.
 
Q (to Emily M): And what do you like best about Emily?
 
Emily M: She’s really nice and is a good influence on people. She makes me more outgoing. I’ve learned positivity from her too. Sometimes she’ll just say ‘I feel happy’ and I think that’s great. Everybody at school knows Emily. She’s popular and has a lot of friends. She makes people smile.
 
Emily S: Be kind. Talk to people. Make friends. True friends.
  
Emily M: How do your true friends make you feel?
 
Emily S: Happy.
 
Q: When you’re at home, what do you like to do for fun?
 
Emily S: Play. Candyland. My phone.
   
Emily M: She likes playing on her phone. Typical teenager - ha!
  
Q: Tell me more about Best Buddies at Houston High.
 
Emily M: We got started about halfway through the year last year. I’m the president of our chapter, and right now I’m in the process of interviewing people who have applied to participate. We should end up with 10 or 11 buddy pairs this year.
 
Q: How has this experience changed you and others who are in the program?
 
Emily M: It opens your eyes. Unless you have some sort of connection---like the one I have through my sister---you may not be exposed much to people with disabilities. You can say hi to a person; everybody does that. But when you’re paired with someone one-on-one, it’s easier to see that they’re just people like anyone else. We’re more alike than different. This isn’t community service. This is a person, not a project. Like any other friends, we do fun things together. In fact, we’re going somewhere special after this. Where are we going, Emily?
 
Emily S: Ice cream!


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Read more about Best Buddies of Memphis HERE.
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Crisoforo

10/23/2015

 
"I have four children: 2 boys and 2 girls. I've always taught my children how important it is to learn English well, to be responsible and to get a good education so that they can have good jobs."
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Marthenia

10/22/2015

 
"When my father died, he left enough money to take care of the family. I was living at home and paying rent, but my mother brought her two sisters in to live with us and then upped my rent. Them being there caused a lot of problems. They liked to party, and that’s how they spent the money---rather than on things for the family. I told Mama that she was just being used, but she wouldn’t listen. She had always told me I wouldn’t amount to anything, that I was stupid and dumb, and so she put me out of the house. I had always been there for her, but she chose her sisters over me. Her rejection hurt a lot. I cried so much and tried to figure out what I did wrong, but after all this time, I know it wasn’t really me.
 
"When she put me out I lost my job because I didn’t have anywhere to live and I couldn’t keep myself or my clothes clean. I had soap, a toothbrush, and toothpaste, so I went to gas stations and took birdbaths in the restrooms. I slept in abandoned houses, abandoned buildings, in cars, under bridges, behind gas stations, and in dumpsters. Sometimes other street people would offer me food and shelter, but mostly I kept to myself. For 7 years, I was on the streets and it was rough. I’ve been shot at, and I’ve been cold and hungry. In the winters, churches gave out coats and blankets and sleeping bags, so I’d bundle up and make myself a pallet in an abandoned house. I dug through dumpsters to find food to eat. Used to, I wouldn’t admit that, but I don’t mind now. God has brought me to a better place. Things started to change when I met Dr. June Averyt. She helped me through the process of applying for transitional housing and other services, including disability for an illness I have. I’m in permanent housing now and doing much better. I’ve been volunteering at Outreach Housing & Community [an organization founded and directed by Dr. June Averyt] since 2013. I put in 34 hours here every week.
 
"Mama lives in another state now. I call her now and then and try to say something nice, but I still get the putdowns. When that starts, I just hang up. I don’t need that.
 
"Eleventh grade was as far as I got in school. I’d been saying for a long time that I wanted to go back and finish, so I finally gathered my courage and took the courses online. Two weeks ago I received the letter of completion, and my high school diploma’s on the way! I’ve been through a lot, but I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me. God's had my back the whole time."
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From the OHC website:  Outreach Housing & Community is a non-profit organization that seeks to build relationships to end homelessness.  Our goal is helping homeless individuals regain their dignity by returning to self-sufficiency and independence through a range of social services and community integration.
Outreach Housing & Community is located at 135 N. Cleveland.
  • Website:  http://www.ohcinc.org
  • FB:  ​https://www.facebook.com/OHCMEMPHIS
  • ​Phone:  901-725-9005
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