Reading High School, Reading Pennsylvania

The ever-increasing popularity and glamorization of the American Gangster persona on the minds of our youth is creating a crisis within our communities. Fantasies of quick money, fast honeys, and luxurious cars are luring our youth from educational institutions where the American dream begins to the corner where nightmares become a reality. Joey Perez was the personification of the street hustler that misguided youth dream of becoming. However, unlike Scarface and oft-quoted Jay-Z lyrics, the life that Joey describes isn’t glamorous. Joey shares a heart-felt story that shows the grittiness, loneliness, and dysfunction that creates the mindset that propels one towards the American nightmare.
Joey captivates the ear of our youth, since his life story reads like a Donald Goines novel. As Joey weaves his past with the current reality of today it is clear that his heart’s desire is to free the youth from delusional exploits force-fed into their minds on a daily basis through the media. This is why I would gladly recommend that any school, especially inner-city high schools, invite Mr. Perez to share his story and wisdom with their students. The students at RHS were moved and motivated to pursue the educational opportunities afforded them.

Anthony Calloway
VP Reading High School