 Richard
Santana
Señor Chocolate, a tough-talking Latino gangster, arrives
on stage with trade-mark baggy pants, shades, trench coat and a
red bandanna. Using a thick Spanish accent to make his point, he
begins with accounts of his personal gang-life experiences to illustrate
gang attitudes and behaviors. He challenges his audience to critically
assess their own perceptions. He asks them to acknowledge the fact
that violence and hopelessness will continue to affect our communities
if apathy persists.
 After
sharing his gang-life experiences, Señor Chocolate presents
The Change; an apt metaphor long to be remembered. While shedding
his gang clothing, he explains The Change that occurred in his
life - and can occur in anyone's life. Richard Santana emerges,
dressed in a shirt and tie - as a college graduate, educator, counselor,
colleague and friend.
About Richard Santana
From his youth as a tough-talking Latino gangster to his present
role as a college-
educated nationally recognized presenter, Richard Santana’s
journey provides a
powerful and graphic illustration of the true implications
of cultural relevance in
defining the human condition. His moving accounts of how
his personal gang-
life experiences shaped his beliefs, attitudes and expectations
for himself as a young
person are both inspiring, unsettling and thought-provoking
as he challenges his
audience to critically assess their own perceptions of the
young people they serve.
His message is one of making choices: between hope and hopelessness,
between evaluating young people
based upon our standards or accepting them in the context
of their own, between giving up on our most
challenged youth or truly becoming change agents in their
lives.
Videos
Topics he addresses in presentation include:
DIVERSITY - RESILENCE - GANGS - DRUG AWARENESS
- VIOLENCE PREVENTION |
