Does Where u come from REALLY MATTER
I was born and raised in the what you would call not the greatest parts of town. I wasn't raised in what you would call the normal house with a white picket fence, I was raised around drugs, gangs and other things that what you would call not a safe neighborhood, but even though I may have been raised there I didn't let where I came from define me or become what some would say a product of my neighborhood.
I have been stereo typed and looked at differently because of where I came from whether it was my nationality or my barrio I was always looked at that way. I was raised in the south side of town, to some the south-side is the best side of town, but for me that was not the case. Back then things were different from the way they are now, now its a lot better and now the community is more involved, but back then it really wasn't that way, but even though things from the past may have changed the memories of the past still remain. I have had friends who have judged me from where I came from, because of that they had lots and lots of assumptions of me like maybe i did drugs, or that i was in a gang or members of my family were, all of these were funny to me because they weren't true I was me and once they had figured that out for themselves their assumptions changed and they looked at me as Dee not the person they assumed I was.
From then to now a lot of things have changed like there are some great places for kids to be kids. One of those places for me and so many others is the John A. Valenzuela Youth Center this place was the best place for me to be, they kept you safe and away from the dangers of the neighborhood. But still now even though these places exist people still have that assumption that if you come from the south-side you may not be a very good person and I admit that sometimes that assumption is true not always but sometimes it still makes me laugh and wonder what they really think? Its funny when people assume things and learn that what they really think of you after getting to know you is completely different then what they assumed. I wonder why people make such assumptions? Does it really matter where you come from or where you grew up? Is where you come from supposed to define you? I take a lot of what I learned from my neighborhood and use them to define me but I would never let where I come from affect the person I become. I have lived my life the way I saw fit and I hope that others can do the same and not let where they come from define who they really are and that they take everything they learn from their neighborhoods and do something positive with it, I hope that they all know that they don't have to become a product of their environment, but to do something productive with their environment. I have given back all that I can to this point, and I will continue to do so as the years go by because I am proud of what made me the person I am today, which Is a proud, well rounded individual.
Though the neighborhood is not the same as I remember, there are still tons of great things to enjoy in the small City of South Tucson and lots of history to see. I hope that this article lets you in and doesn't keep you from wanting to see it for yourself, sure these issues exist but the community now is a lot different from what it once was I know that for a fact. Growing up here is an experience and getting to say that I am form this little city is what makes me most proud. So don't always assume the worst of someone because of where they come from, because you never know what or who they might become.