Second Chance: voices of the unheard

Today, education remains an inaccessible right for millions of children around the world. More than 72 million children of primary education age are not in school and 759 million adults are illiterate and do not have the awareness necessary to improve both their living conditions and those of their children.

Violence can be found in social, cultural, and economic aspects of the world. Whether it is a conflict that has broken out in a city, hatred targeted at a certain group of people, or sexual harassment occurring on the street, violence is a preventable problem that has been an issue for longer than necessary. With continued work on behalf of the people, the issue can be addressed and reduced.

Yakub Brown has fought many battles during his life, but nothing as devastating as the fight for his freedom. The commitment to re-write his history, allows him to tell a different story (his story) of how he wants to be remembered. His dedication to changing the world weighs heavy on the mind of this intelligent man.

A man impacted by the injustice system we live in. He was told many things that were lies, destroying his inner peace, mental state, and his perceptions in life. Listening to people say, "He wasn't enough for anything." Throughout his journey, Andy Lopez has learned about himself. A hunger, quenched by curiosity and education, only became stronger when he experienced his darkest moment. A spark (l...

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. A major concern is that the incidence of pancreatic cancer is increasing in the Western world. Please, get checked out by medical, and find out what may be happening in your body before it's too late.

John Zgaljic joined the United States Marine Corps in 1968 and was a decorated Marine veteran who toured two tours of Vietnam. Court marshaled twice, was forced into a bad conduct discharge. Traumatized by the effects of war, and what he saw in Vietnam, John began abusing alcohol to escape reality. One thing led to another; John committed a crime to survive in the streets. An incident occurred whe...

October is upon us, and everyone is preparing for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a reminder that there is a gruesome disease that is out to get a second base. These sweet, pink pastels are there to nudge us, saying, "Hey, don't forget to examine your breasts, get your doctor to check them out too, and schedule your mammogram." After all, 1 in 8 U.S. women and 1 in 1000 U.S. men will...

Domestic Violence Awareness Month was launched nationwide in October 1987 to connect and unite individuals and organizations working on domestic violence issues while raising awareness for those issues. Too many of our Queens and Kings experience all kinds of abuse, from physical to financial abuse. Over the past 30 years, much progress has been made to support domestic violence, victims and survi...

My name is Christopher Harley. I was a survivor of my own decisions in my younger years. During his childhood, Chris faced many choices, some good and some bad. Growing up in poverty and in a single-family home, Chris never had any positive role models guiding him in the correct direction, which pushed him into the street life for survival. During his time in the streets, Chris faced twenty-two ye...

In 2019 we lost 47,511 lives to suicide. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for individuals aged 10-34 and the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. Attempts: 1,400,000 Planned a Suicide: 3,500,000 Serious thoughts of Suicide: 12,000,000 adults and 3,000,000 youth. As you can see from the numbers, Suicide prevention is critical to saving lives.

Child sex trafficking is a form of child abuse that occurs when a child under 18 is advertised, solicited, or exploited through commercial sex acts. A commercial sex act is any sex act where something of value- such as money, drugs, or a place to stay- is given to or received by any person for sexual activity. If you are a witness to a sex trafficking crime, please call 1-800- THE-LOST

Years of wealth inequality, America is a leading country that uses human capital for financial gain. Since Covid-19, the Rich have been gaining financial freedom even more. The debilitating middle class is almost wiped out while the poor struggle to survive.

Life expectancy in my community is lacking. Public health in communities like mine is not a priority, both personally and on a structural level. People are dying of ailments that would have been addressed if redlining wasn't used, in the past, as a tool to ban certain areas from funding. Covid-19 highlighted the biased and racist laws and policies politicians kept in place. They are making it chal...

Living poor my whole life, I've noticed biased laws and policies passed by politicians that discriminate against people of color. Placing people in the box: stigmatized and discriminating against returning citizens, labeling them felons while barring them from utilizing their civil liberties. America is a country known for being the land of the free; people are chasing the American dream. But ther...

Experiencing bullying at home from my three sisters caused me to leave at a young age. I was encountering gang life, drugs, and violence in the streets of Brooklyn and becoming like my oppressors. Bullying created mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Bullying forced me to self-destruct, creating a criminality mindset and digging myself into a deeper hole until soci...

Living in a community ravished with drugs, violence, and poverty, I've noticed how young Black and Latinos are killing themselves over nothing. We are conditioned into hating each other. You cannot destroy the master's house with the master's tool. Once you control the mind and emotions, the body follows, and you are easily manipulated. Protect your energy. For you, allow people to rent space in y...

Having a mental health issue can cause you a lifetime of pain and even have you questioning yourself like, "What's wrong with me?" Leaving you stigmatized or discriminated against by a friend, family, or some person. Imagine having a mental health disorder while being incarcerated. There are no services in prison to help prisoners escape discrimination, stigma, or abuse (emotional, physical, verba...

Trust is a central part of all human relationships, including romantic partnerships, family life, business operations, politics, and medical practices. Trust is essential to building healthy relationships.

This segment is based on a poem I wrote three days ago for an open mike at Ignacio's. It talks about how people hide hurt behind a smile. Not only do they hide their brokenness with a smile people can deceive a person with a smile too. This beautiful poem takes you through the different levels of emotions I went through the day I broke down. But the beauty and essence of it are; God blesses those...

Pain is something realistic. Pain can help build or destroy you. Pain is something every human being has in common. It does not matter how much wealth you accumulate, pain does not discriminate; it affects everyone.

Living life and learning from a mistake is beneficial for growth. An error should never define who you are. To succeed, you must learn from failure.

Making the best choices in life can get you far. But an unpopular choice, in a harmful lifestyle, can send you to two places, prison or the cemetery.

We try to change the world, but we will fail. If we do not change how we perceive the world, then we will miss the experience.

Mychal Pagan has spent 15 years of his life in prison. Throughout his life, being vulnerable to his circumstances had forced him to look outside himself for validation. His childhood trauma had set the tone for self-destruction. While Mychal's talent laid dormant, it took prison for Mychal's discovery. Listen in!

Aiyuba Thomas is an NYU alumnus, graduating from NYU with a Bachelors's degree. But, before Aiyuba got to this point, his growing pains helped change his life forever. He grew up in Hollis Queens and East New York, to experience the Carceral State of New York. Taking a plea... For a robbery1 to satisfy all other charges. Sentenced to 5 and 5. Aiyuba is a great man of wisdom and knowledge. Listen i...