Khiyloe Singsay, 15, is tall and slender, with a gentle and quiet demeanor. But Singsay’s neighborhood in Long Beach is anything but gentle and quiet.
“Definitely a lot of gang violence and poverty,” Singsay said. “A lot of the [youth], they want to act cool so then they try to be part of a gang, which leads them to selling drugs, or claiming [territory], which leads to them getting beat up.”
Singsay attended a summer camp that is trying to help young men like him grapple with ideas of masculinity and violence. The annual Sons & Brothers camp brings young men of color from cities across California to the woods of the Sierra Nevada. It’s a week of healing, empowerment and exploring the idea of manhood.
One of the most anticipated events of the camp took place at dusk, when Singsay participated in a healing circle around a fire. This practice, known as Círculo, is facilitated by African-American, Latino and indigenous elders. The participants, both young and elderly, open up to each other about their greatest hopes and their darkest traumas. They take turns holding the palabra stick, granting each person in the circle the right to speak, one at a time.
To read more of Rudy Cardoso-Peraza, Randy Villegas and Jayden Cornett's article, https://www.kqed.org/news/1168...-rethink-masculinity
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