By
Arno Michaels
closeAuthor: Arno Michaels
Name: Arno Michaels
Email: arno@lifeafterhate.org
Site: http://www.lifeafterhate.org
About: Currently majoring in Sport & Rec and Perpetual Major-Changing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Enjoys climbing things and warm saltwater. Cold saltwater is kinda nice too.See Authors Posts (48) ⋅ January 18, 2011
⋅ 4 commentsA few months ago, my mom forwarded a Powerpoint presentation made up of slide after slide of drawings and paintings. Landscapes, architecture, dogs, people… it wasn’t the most stunning artwork I’d ever seen (my mom is the most amazing artist ever), but there was an undeniable humanity coursing through it. You could feel the artist’s [...]
By
Terry Hoffman-Vincevineus
closeAuthor: Terry Hoffman-Vincevineus
Name: Terry Hoffman-Vincevineus
Email: tvince512@hotmail.com
Site:
About: Terry resides in SE Wisconsin with her husband Phil, a mutt named Georgia, and 3 crazy cats named Layla, Nova, and Starbrite. She graduated from Random Lake high school in 2001 and then obtained a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Communications in 2005 from UW-Milwaukee. She owns a photography business which she runs out of her home. Her goal in life is to eventually have children, see all 50 states, step foot on every continent, and meet an American president.See Authors Posts (7) ⋅ January 17, 2011
⋅ Post a commentRosa sat near the middle of the bus, right behind the seats that were reserved for whites only. Soon enough, all of the seats on the bus were filled. When a white man boarded, the driver insisted that Rosa stand to make room for him. Rosa quietly refused to give up her seat and would not move.
A fellow student made the analogy that “we are all like facets on a jewel, having different sides and perspectives.” I love this idea because we can be who we are but also accept our connectedness to the ‘sides’ of others—our interdependence. If our goal is to bring about a peaceful world we cannot polarize ourselves and wish that other perspectives don’t exist. We need to accept them as part of our existence.
By
Sammy Rangel
closeAuthor: Sammy Rangel
Name: Sammy Rangel
Email: sammyrangel@yahoo.com
Site:
About: Sammy Rangel has been the Program Coordinator for the SAFE Streets Outreach Program for ten years. Sammy works with Racine County youth and families who face extreme crisis or danger. Often times these youth are involved in gang, drug, and crime activities that place them in risk for incarceration, addiction or worse. Sammy has reached thousands of youth, families, and professionals across the nation. Many of the youth experience abuse, abandonment, homelessness, and engage in survival behavior such as sex in exchange for food and shelter.
Mr. Rangel has created an initiative called “Adopt a School”. The presentations are tailored to the climate and needs of the individual school. Sammy has been able to reach tens of thousands of youth through this effort alone.
Most recently he was asked to provide a plenary session to open the second day of the 2010 Gang Summit Conference in Milwaukee to Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement and service providers. Mr. Rangel provided two six-state regional conferences in 2004 and 2006. In 2004 Sammy provided in Chicago, a six-state regional conference keynote address and workshop for the Region V Training & Technical Assistance Program and again in Milwaukee 2006 provided a six-state regional two day conference as co-main presenter for outreach workers on best practices, crisis intervention, and gang intervention in non/traditional settings.
Sammy has been the main presenter in 2008 and 2009 for Why Gangs in Racine. In conjunction with the Milwaukee Lincoln Park Community Center and the Milwaukee Police Academy, at the Annual "Gangs, Violence and Crime" Conference, Sammy has provided ongoing workshops, presenting information on gangs for the beginner and advanced listener. Analysis on the subject included development, physical, and mental organizational concepts that make up a gang, street gangs and street workers, providing relevant facts and data. Sammy also has provided presentations to University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Carthage College in the Criminal Justice field with emphasis on client centered approaches and the importance of self-awareness when choosing fields and providing services.
Mr. Rangel is often asked to come in to various juvenile and adult correctional facilities around the state speaking with staff and clients. In 2006 Sammy was asked to present to the Department of Corrections Psychological Staff.
In 2004 Sammy graduated with Presidential honors from Gateway Technical College-Racine as the District and College Ambassador representing 450,000 students in Wisconsin. Sammy graduated from Carthage College with a Bachelors of Social Work Degree with a minor in Psychology, Cum Laude, in 2008. On September 13, 2009 Sammy graduated with a Master of Social Work Degree, Summa Cum Laude, with a mental health focus, from Loyola University-Chicago. He was also awarded An Excellence In Service Award by the school at graduation. Most recently October 19, 2009, Ren Svanoe Youth Leadership Award by the Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Services in recognition of outstanding dedication working with youth and families over the last ten years. In February 2008, Racine Interfaith Coalition recognized Sammy and his wife Denise, for promoting peace in the community. In 2006, Sammy received the Martin Luther King Award from UW-Parkside for his Community Service in Racine. Sammy, in 2005, was awarded the Hispanic Unsung Hero Award from the Martin Luther King Center in Racine for his work in the community. Sammy has been repeatedly asked to speak at multiple Black History Month events including for the NAACP and at the Sturtevant DOC site.
Mr. Rangel also worked at the Racine County Jail from 2004 through 2008 as a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor helping men and women with addictive and criminal lifestyles. In addition to his work with youth he also provides mental health treatment as Racine Psychological Services with patient who are chronically mentally ill and/or dual diagnosed. Sammy is an adjunct teacher for MATC, Gateway Technical College, and for the Department of Transportation. Sammy contributes to the community by sitting on various committees that address race, homelessness, crime, gang activity or drug abuse issues among our youth and adults.
Sammy has furthered his credibility by overcoming the grips of addiction, and recovering from a street life of Chicago area gangs, violence and prison. It is worthy of note to mention that Sammy has accomplished all the aforementioned within ten years of being released from the Department of Corrections November 11, 1999, after serving more than 15 ½ years through his juvenile and adult years. Sammy lived out the majority of his preadolescent years as a victim of daily and ongoing childhood physical and sexual abuse. At the age of 11, Sammy set out on his own and lived out the rest of his juvenile life as homeless, throwaway child who very quickly encountered drugs, crime, sex, and violence on the street, just like at home. Eventually, Sammy made a lifestyle of the street life including gangs, crime, drugs, and institutions.
Sammy considers his most crucial role in the community as raising a family of four girls and enjoys being married to a wonderful woman, all of whom have actively participated and supported Sammy through his career and education.
As his wife so aptly stated… “The scary thing about Sammy is that despite all that he has accomplished in a very short period of time…He’s just getting started.”See Authors Posts (6) ⋅ January 10, 2011
⋅ One commentThe following was written in the summer of 1997 while still incarcerated at Racine Correctional Institution and participating in a program. Understand that for the three months prior to the writing of this article I was doing everything I could to stay unchanged. I was in The CHOCIE program not to change, but to get [...]
As we reflect on our goals and ambitions for 2011, we are reminded of the setbacks we’ve had in 2010. However, we must be mindful of our accomplishments as well. Setbacks are temporary defeats that challenge us to rise above the situation and improve ourselves every step of the way until we reach the success [...]
By
Terry Hoffman-VincevineuscloseAuthor: Terry Hoffman-Vincevineus
Name: Terry Hoffman-Vincevineus
Email: tvince512@hotmail.com
Site:
About: Terry resides in SE Wisconsin with her husband Phil, a mutt named Georgia, and 3 crazy cats named Layla, Nova, and Starbrite. She graduated from Random Lake high school in 2001 and then obtained a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Communications in 2005 from UW-Milwaukee. She owns a photography business which she runs out of her home. Her goal in life is to eventually have children, see all 50 states, step foot on every continent, and meet an American president.See Authors Posts (7) ⋅ January 3, 2011
⋅ 3 commentsWithin the past few weeks, our country has seen the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT). The policy was introduced as a compromise measure by former president Clinton who campaigned on the promise to allow all citizens to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation. Despite good intentions, DADT effectively became a blatant [...]
Frank Meeink—Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead
TJ Leyden—Skinhead Confessions
Arno Michaels—My Life After Hate
Wizard Fingaz & Soul Sathe embarked on a collaborative project known as Tribal Sorcery · deep conscious hip-hop
