Gaby Foundation Speech

January 28, 2012
Sacramento City Hall

The Gaby Foundation is a great organization that invests in youth organizers that write project proposals around initiatives that make our communities live more well. There were some projects on urban garden renewal, children fitness programs, cross campus friendship games, and so much. Most importantly these beautiful ideas transform to life by the youth 100%. I had the honor to give a speech to these incredible young leaders and it was probably one of the most difficult tasks to prepare for this. It was difficult because I only have 15 minutes to sum up my entire life’s work. My life’s work is and will always be the empowerment of young people. Instead of giving you the speech which I mostly freestyle with a couple of notes here are a couple of highlighted quotes:

Reclaim Stories/Reclaim Self Poem by Fong Tran Stanza:

“We stand upon these gold rich grounds
our identities sometimes lost, wavered, unsure
but we must find foundation in our families
only then can find ourselves most pure”

- Shout out and Snaps to HoHoua Xiong for helping me with my poem and killing it with beautiful rendition of the “Mama where did you go” hook.

I do this work for one reason. That is reason is Tupac. Tupac Shakur once said “I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” ― Tupac Shakur

“I was raised by womyn and I say that with pride because it’s amazing how well Women have taught me how to be a man”

“Everyday we write for other people; facebook comments, essays for teachers, love letter to friends and boo thangs but rarely do we write for ourselves. We should be number one. Write in a journal, write the first chapter of your autobiography, a love letter to yourself, write your goals and dreams. Write for yourselves first! Just write! Writing is the first step of creating what’s in your incredible minds to become reality – that is how I suggest you all live well”

“Before we can create community outsides these walls, whatever we dream must be created within us first”

 “You don’t realize how broke you are when everyone else around is broke too. You’re broke. You’re friends are broke – I’ve could have been broken in everyway by being in a broke environment but I chose make this circumstance make me the person I am today and that is strong”

“Always remember to come back to your community that has given you so much. Remember to bring it back to where you came from.”

“History has shown us that young people are the key to social change”