Briana was 15 when she was in GVRC and wrote this poem. Briana’s mother is a source of complicated emotions and a trigger for some of her bad behavior. The poem is a conversation between herself and her alter ego named Avery.
"America lied to everyone." Skateboarders taking over empty pools around Fresno have a surprising amount to say about what the 2008 mortgage crisis says about the American dream.
Kids grow up fast in Flint. The city has been through so much for so long that instability has become the norm. The young women in these videos all spent time in Genesee Valley Regional Center (GVRC), an adolescent detention center. These films were made with the support of the Buckham/GVRC Share Art Project which teaches spoken word as a form of self-expression. These videos are part of a larger project titled Flint is a place.
Tanadia posted this poem on Facebook after she was released from GVRC. Her friend Pepper had been murdered and she took to social media to express her grief.