It’s Not About Grit

“My afro was out. And he’s like grabbing my book bag and my hair at the same time.”

“We remember that the most, because like, they put, they put us down. When we already down.”

“Whatever they was doing, that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be part of that gleam, that hustle. . . . I wanted to be—I wanted that sense of feeling of belonging.”

“It was sad because the people I loved the most, were either, you know, not there, or, you know, treating me the way I didn’t like to be treated.”

“I’ve been a ward of the state all my life! Since 15. That’s all I knew! That’s all I knew was how to survive in there. I didn’t know how to do time out here.”

“I was 15. Came home at 25. It was hell for me in there, you know.”