Community Activist Helps Kids Broaden their Horizons
Jahmal Cole once volunteered at Cook County Jail’s Juvenile Detention Facility Automatic Transfer Unit.
“I noticed the teenaged boys were shackled like animals. Once the guard let them out of their chains, the young men approached me, shook my hand and hugged me,” Cole says. “As I sat back and listened to them, I couldn't help but feel like we [Chicagoans] had let these young men down. They grew up in communities with no access to opportunities, while most people live in comfortable Chicago communities wrapped up in an illusion of security.”
Cole is the creator of the “My Block, My Hood, My City” brand and apparel line which he launched for the purpose or promoting travel, diversity, and City pride within inner city youth.
Designed and produced in Chicago, the idea is not to turn the brand into a clothing line, but just to produce t-shirts & hoodies that make youth feel good while representing their City.
Cole also started an organizationcalled“My Block, My Hood, My City,” where with the proceeds from his apparel sales,he takes kids from underserved neighborhoods and exposes them to different parts of the city on a monthly basis.
Cole, 32, a graduate of an alternative high school, realized that something had to be done in order to positively change the futures of the young people in the city.
“The teens told me they have never been downtown, and I knew immediately that I wanted to expand the world views of teenagers from Chicago's most under-resourced community areas. My organization is working toward that goal,” Cole said.“I’ve always said that if a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, Chicago is only as strong as its most under-resourced community areas.”
Last weekend, Cole took a group of students from Pullman’s Butler College Prep to the North Side’s Edgewater neighborhood to make jewelry and to eat Ethiopian food. Butler College Assistant Principal Topher Bordenave went along to accompany Cole and some of the students.
“I met Jahmal at a Black Caucus event a few months ago. He told me about My Block, My Hood, My City. He said he wanted to extend the program into schools,” Bordenave says. “We’re hoping to extend the partnership into taking more of our young people on field trips. We want to expose them [students] to different neighborhoods and diverse parts of the city.”
Cole, a North Chicago native, said that teens didn’t care much for Ethiopian food. However, he says the education that the teens are getting isn’t one-sided.
“They really enjoy visiting advertisement agencies and really anything to do with Internet marketing. The teens teach me how to use Snapchat and they also send me designs for My Block, My Hood, My City hats and apparel,” Cole says.”The teens love creating so I try to foster that with the brand, teaching them screen printing, embroidery, photography, videography etc.”
Since Cole’s work is getting noticed by the day, he says that he has plans to take a group of kids overseas to England. In the meantime, he says that he plans to spread the word about his program.
“The notoriety isn't what wakes me up at 4 a.m. everyday. I wake up so early to respond to volunteer request emails I get from all over Chicago and the world,” Cole says. “The thing is, we're on the road to sustainability, and I'm turning my passion into my profession. I've been doing this for a few years now so I'm proud there's a solid foundation of work that the people can see.”
To learn more about My Block, My Hood, My City, log on to http://mbmhmc.com/.
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