Gang Member Becomes Mom and Activist

Marching Youngsters

Everyone has a story - and everyone at the USSF has story about social justice. While standing at the YES! Magazine booth today, a tired woman plopped down in one of the cushioned chairs next to me, asking with a smile if she could sit down for awhile. She was five months pregnant and her feet were starting to hurt. Her name was Vanessa Corea and she worked for the Avenidas Program and the Community Response
Network in San Fransisco.

Her work involves engaging youth who are part of gangs or have been involved with the juvenile criminal justice system. Vanessa was jumped into a gang when she was 11 years old and lived the destructive gang life until she became pregnant with her first child at 19. Faced with the prospect of her daughter being shot in the streets, she decided not only to transform her own life, but begin to transform the lives of others. Many of the youth Vanessa works with are people of color, and many migrated from Mexico or Central America by themeselves as young as 12 years old. They left the poor campos or city slums where they begged for food to try and make money in the US. However, faced with language barriers, discrimination, and legal difficulties, they soon find themselves selling drugs, joining gangs, and getting arrested. Vanessa's and her organizations' mission is to give these kids alternatives - they drive 15 passenger vans into the heart of gang territory, pick up a bunch of gang members and take them out to a movie, or a park, or ice skating. Many of these kids then come to them looking for legitimate work, legal advice, help with education, or assistance paying for the funeral of a friend gunned down by violence. They are slowly empowered to change their lives just as Vanessa did.

Vanessa is now the first person in her family to attend college. She hopes to get feedback from other organizations at the forum working with youth and gang members, and share knowledge and ideas. One of thousands at the forum, Vanessa is a proud and vibrant light, bringing life to the dark world of gangs, and soon to bring another beautiful human life into the world as well.