N S P E A K S
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"Until the lion writes their own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter "
-African Proverb
The ConTextos Authors Circle was developed in collaboration with young people at risk of, victims of, or perpetrators of violence in El Salvador. In 2017, this innovative program expanded into Chicago to create tangible, high-quality opportunities that nourish the minds, expanding the voices and sharing personal truths of individuals who have long been underserved and underestimated. Through the healing process of drafting, revising and publishing memoirs, participants develop self-reflection, critical thinking, camaraderie and positive self-projection to author new life narratives.
This project is the result of a partnership with Public Allies, “ a national movement committed to advancing social justice and equity by engaging and activating the leadership of all people." The 2024-2025 cohort of emerging leaders came together in Authors Circle fully ready to engage, be candid, and share their authentic selves and truths. What you hold in your hands is a result of that weekly commitment.
The glory of Authors Circle is what happens in session this is immeasurable and unquanitifable growth and relationship building This compilation is our best estimation and representation of the hard work and bravery exhibited in that most cherished space. Turn the pages and enjoy.
N T R O D U C T I O N
It has been a marvelous honor facilitating this year ' s Public Allies Circle
We have learned so much about each other through engaging in the centuries long tradition of sharing stories around the bonfire. We just like to call this tradition Authors Circle. Every Authors Circle I've facilitated thus far always has its own character, a unique energy and taste that develops from the meaningful emotional labor people put into it From the daring ability to be vulnerable when the powers that be tell you not to.
This Public Allies circle has a stand-out characteristic of resilience. The ability to show up in the face of external forces that have disrupted the work we ' re all doing to make the world a better place. The ability to speak out when told to be quiet. As a circle they have inspired me with their ability to imagine a future They are the change makers we need to imagine our future.
Knowing that the work of imagination and worldbuilding is our collective responsibility. Our conversations have filled me with hope and activated me on a whole nother level. They embody the assumption that the world we want to exist has the potential to exist if we will it to A world that is bright and built on the foundations of true care. One that holds us all with the same importance and nourishment. One that relies on an abundant mindset, knowing that there is solidarity, light, and love for everyone. One that we built together.
Ahnika Franklin ConTextos Facilitator
L E G A C Y G A R D E N S
Untapped treasure
Gold buried in backyard tincans
Of cookies and candies
These hands that loved me so
Also fought,
Resisted, persisted through
Racism and violence and poverty
To bring me nourishment
To bring me home
Frontyard gardens
With sunflowers toppling over metallic silver fences
Underporch adventures
While uncle planted for tomorrow,
And days he’d never see
And those plants grew back,
Year after year, even untended
Insisting to rise into a new season
Fortified by soils prepared by a tender man
Tending the ground
S I N C E Y O U A S K E D
How ya doin?
In this climate?
In this economy?
Head underwater and you tell me to breathe easy for a while
Alright, I’ll tell you
Tryna hold it down
Tryna figure out what we can come up with
To upend this deadly regime
Band of thieves
Prowlin on the grandmas and grandpas
Takin Medicaid
So they can make our brothas slaves
Yes, that’s the plan
Project 2025, read all about it
It’s written in ink
And in the halls of legislation
Congress
The ones who decide the rules we followin
Democracy for sale
To whoever funds the campaign trail
Whoever signs the book deal gets to tell the public a tale
Sell an American Dream
Manifest Destiny to colonize, compromise, and exploit our God given rights…
O U A S K E D ( C O N T . )
S I N C E
But let me not catastrophize
We have a choice, there are options that may delay
Demise
Organize.
Okay, cool word; but what do we gotta do?
Talk to your family and neighbors
Build a local support network
Stay in tune with what’s happening: research, compare notes, call out
corruption
Be Aware
Enact Strategy
Boldly Act
Persist Until
We Win
Even in the midst of darkness,
Especially then,
Imagine where you are going
Remember where you have been
The horror of the present moment will never contend with
Imagination, assurance, hope
We are the ones we ’ ve been waiting for
We are the seeds grown from soils of resistance
We are more than we ’ ve ever been
Here for a reason
Called for purpose
We are bigger than this moment
I imagine a world where all are housed, fed, and cared for
And I know we are arriving there
Because we ’ re building this world,
Day by day,
Choice by choice
Let’s dream together
Let’s build together
Cycles have begun, cycles are ending
Here I am again, having changed
My life continues lives lived before
Tapping into ancestral connections; who’s there?
Spirals of lifetimes lived in decades
The scope of my lens changed
What comes next for my life?
The futures depend on present decision
Out of my head, onto canvas
Let my words flow with ease
I have stories to tell: listen
The stories I wished to hear
Can’t get the time back; go!
Tune in to everpresent ancestral whispers
Redeeming the time, in divine timing
All is happening in divine timing
In community, we have everything - peace
How about zooming out, little one?
Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan
Free Haiti, Free them All, Landback
Free all political prisoners, my people
Never had a chance, took one
Look who’s coming behind, live better
LOVE IS SIMPLE, GOD WAS VULNERABLE.
I’m the legacy of my grandmother’s prayers.
I’m the legacy of my grandfather’s sacrifice and prideful character.
I’m the sacrifice of sweety cotton
I’m the sacrifice of physical labor.
I’m the sacrifice of rice, beans and chicken.
I’m the sacrifice of forced birth
I’m the sacrifice of religious faith.
When I think of sacrifices that have awarded the gift of life. I think beyond my parents but acknowledging their seen struggles and heard hopes. Sometimes my mind doesn’t have thoughts of my blood lineage, which sometimes forces me to adopt or appreciate global larger sacrifices from the general people I wish we talked about my ancestors more How do we say ain't nothing like family, family comes first, or family over everything if we don’t discuss our history.
S I N C E Y O U A S K E D
Since you asked, I’ll tell you why I’m so indecisive.
Because it’s too many food options.
Because sometimes I can afford the fast food or comfort food. Because I’m just not confident
Because I’m so uncertain about everything.
Because sometimes I’m slim and other days I feel like a whale.
Because I love both my mom and dad but I love the thought of having peace more.
Because I saved my dad’s life.
Because if I hadn’t debated for so long, the outcome could’ve been different.
Because no matter what I decide there’s always doubt, guilt and the question of what if
Because my decisions affect you.
Because my decisions impact generations. Because I have to consider my legacy.
Because Because Because What does this word mean?
Explaining why? Isn’t the why the same Or should the why change?
See, indecisive! There’s too many decisions and a large impact and I have to decide.
BRAVER, WISER, KINDER— BECAUSE I PERSEVERED.
dashun
As I observe and reflect on the world around me, I’ve come to understand that my actions are the primary architects of my reality. Before I allow thought to become action, I carefully consider the potential impact of each decision.
While many recognize me as a problem solver, I see myself as someone who seeks meaning both beneath and beyond the surface of every experience.
In the midst of a crumbling society, I am committed to building a strong and thoughtful foundation One grounded in intellect, insight, and purpose
Since you don’t know, I guess I’ll share.
I get bored with the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
I don’t know why, but I seem to not have the answer. What I am certain of; is that I have a vision of a man taking care of responsibilities
What I do know is anything I do put my mind to, I will receive the fruits from my labor.
Time is of essence and in due time, my projects will be a blessing
Thinking of who I want to be is a rejection to who I am and what I’m going to be.
I am moving forward with a heart for the people and a vision rooted in wellness. My path leads toward stronger communities; where leadership is shaped by service, and health is seen as a right, not a privilege Through fitness, nutrition, and advocacy, I am building a future where every voice is heard, everybody is empowered, and the strength we create together becomes the foundation for lasting change
BORN DOUBTED. LIVING PROOF THEY’RE WRONG.
S I N C E Y O U A S K E D
Since you asked, I’ll tell you why
Because if I go to you, you might try to kill me
Because if asked you, “what’s the reason?” you might say I'm aggressive
Because if I try to discipline my children, you might try to take them away from me
Because if I call, you you might turn on me
Because if color didn't matter, then why ask?
Because why do it feel the scariest around you when I’m supposed to feel the safest?
Because you asked, I told you why... L E G A C Y
I am the legacy of hard working people. The legacy of, “get up and go get it ” The legacy of look good while you ’ re doing The legacy of, “lock in, stay focused.” The legacy of true family. The legacy of, “ you can do anything you put your mind to.: The legacy of me. The legacy that I plan on adding to and making it better The legacy I will create for mine
DON’T LOOK BACK. YOUR FUTURE’S WAITING.
We are full because we ate.
No coincidences, because we have fate.
On the green grass, yellow tape
There are things I cannot escape
I’m always on time, never late.
Sometimes I ponder near the lake
Thinking of things I can escape
Embrace things I can control
Letting go of things I hold
Allowing hands I trust to mold
Me, myself and I wont fold
Sharing stories that I’ve never told
While sitting outside feeling very cold
I want to be courageous , bold.
Leading with love, always and forever
Taking a step,day by day
Every step counts to becoming better
Birds of a feather flock together
I‘ll shine no matter the weather
W H E R E A R E Y O U G O I N G ?
I’m going to meet my dreams in reality
Do the things I never thought of.
Meet people I’ve never met.
I’m going to encourage others to do the same I want the world to be more loving and kind.
Without the earth there is no us.
We are building new traditions and ways of life in place of the old ones that are crumbling.
Bringing back historic traditions stolen and lost.
We are constantly building communities that reproduce ideas to improve ourselves and the land we stand on.
With hopes that people interact with each other with more awareness for oneself and others
Treat others how you want to be treated.
Structure ourselves in a way that we could never break apart.
I see myself aiming to be better than the old me
I see myself continuing to build on my foundation so that I can never be broken.
Only strong enough to strengthen others and the world
Where am I going?
I am going to keep on keeping on day by day.
Actively praying for a better tomorrow
S I N C E Y O U A S K E D
Since you asked I’ll tell you why I am who I am.
Because my parents raised me this way
Because hurricane Katrina moved us here
Because I’m the first born
Because I’m allergic to peanuts
Because I was bullied so much that I didn’t love myself to the point that I wanted to be someone else
Because my dad is a pastor
Because I was always the tallest in elementary in middle school.
Because I love to crochet
Because I’ve traveled abroad.
Because my grandma left school in the fourth grade to help her family make ends meet
Because I cut my hair senior year at high school
Because I went to camp
Because I grew up in Wisconsin
Because I love nature
Because I went back to New Orleans for college.
dorian GUIDED BY PURPOSE, GROWING THROUGH SERVICE. ROOTS IN JUSTICE, HEART IN YOUTH. STEPS WITH VISION, ALWAYS BECOMING.
W H O A M I A L E G A C Y O F ?
I am the legacy of Shirley and Eugene visionaries with steady hands and open hearts
From behind the counter of Dave’s Red Hots, they served more than meals they served hope, community, and a future their grandchildren could hold. Their work was never just business. It was love folded into every bun, wealth passed down not just in dollars, but in dignity, resilience, and pride. Because of them, I walk with purpose I dream with legacy in mind. I build not just for myself, but for the children who will one day ask where they come from. And I’ll tell them you come from fire, from faith, from family
S I N C E Y O U A S K E D
We came from drums from sun-warmed soil
From chains unbroken
Hearts that toil
Yet here we stand
Not hand in hand
Who stands for us when we divide?
Color shades war with each other
Brother turned cold against brother
Dreams sold cheap for fleeting fame
While our elders whisper, “Not the same ”
Still, in the cracks a seed might grow
If watered right, if love we show
But first we face what keeps us chained
The quiet war, we ’ ve self sustained
The world I want to see is a world that represents what it stands for.
If America is the Land of the Free then equality should mean just that.
There are no double standards, no privilege.
There are no sundown towns in 2025.
There aren’t any men making decisions on women ’ s bodies
Schools in the hood get the same funding as schools in the hills.
Prisons won’t decide their next infrastructure based on a third graders reading test
Felons won’t be able to run for president.
Unity wouldn’t be so unattainable.
LAUGHED UNTIL TEARS. LOVED WITHOUT LIMITS.
Who am I?
I am a legacy of grit and grace, of love wrapped in discipline
The youngest, yes, but never the smallest. I carry the wisdom of my mother’s prayers, the steady presence of my papa ’ s lessons, and the layered truths of my father’s love.
I am the child of three hearts who taught me how to rise while still learning how to breathe. Who stood in the fire so I could walk through the smoke.
I am a Black queer woman, raised in a world that tried to shrink me but I expanded.
Built in resistance, softened by love, shaped by survival.
They raised me while wrestling their own storms, and still made room for me to bloom.
So I don’t just survive I honor I don’t just speak I echo.
I am a living tribute to those who loved me forward.
I am the promise they poured into, made flesh and fierce
S I N C E Y O U A S K E D
Since you asked I’ll tell you what it’s like to carry roots in a backpack, to leave pieces of yourself behind in zip codes that forgot your name before you could remember theirs.
I’ve grown in transit flowering through car windows, learning to hold my breath in unfamiliar hallways, packing resilience into boxes and calling it home
Love never came easy. It arrived in riddles, in the hush of slammed doors, in the silence after someone called me too much, too soft, too queer, too Black, too alive
Safety was not a room I could lock. It was a feeling I had to build from scratch in my voice, in my spine, in the way I learned to hold myself when the world could not
Still, I grew. Bent sometimes Cracked, yes. But rooted. Not despite the storms but because of them
So if you ’ re asking who I am know I am a constellation of every goodbye, every almost-home, every fight to feel worthy of rest and love without apology
Since you asked I’m still becoming But even in motion, I am whole.
Jovanna BUILT ON FAITH, NOT ON FEAR.
I don’t know everything about my family’s past, the full story, the struggles, or the dreams left unfinished. But what I do know is this:
I am the turning point
My family has done beautiful things. They started restaurants, barbershops, small businesses, seeds of greatness But those seeds were never fully watered. The growth stopped before it could reach the next generation.
That changes with me
I carry their ambition in my blood. I carry their sacrifice in my bones. I’m not here to let the legacy fade I’m here to expand it To elevate it To honor it by building something that lasts.
It doesn’t stop with me, it starts with me.
We don’t love each other the way we should.
We don’t keep one another company, or offer comfort when it’s needed most
We don’t sit and talk for hours, sharing stories and laughter.
We don’t gather at one table for family dinners.
We don’t exchange warmth and good energy the way we ought to We don’t share the bond a true family should.
We don’t have it now but one day, we will
T H E W O R L D I W A N T T O S E E
I want to see a world in harmony, Where peace flows like rivers to the sea
A world not torn by hate on fear
But filled with love, sincere and clear.
When life begins, a single cry,
Becomes a song that lights the sky.
And through the years, with joy and grace, Laughter lights the human race.
I dream a place where purpose calls
Where every soul stands proud and tall
No masks, no lies to twist the truth
Each heart beats strong from age to youth
We are a unity, we are the same,
One world, one voice, one sacred flame
Bound by hope and shared desire,
To lift each other, rising higher.
This is the world I long to see
A place where all can simply be.
No greater dream no deeper pleas
A world in peace, for you and me.
WRONG TURNS LEAD TO DESTINED PLACES.
DEATH IS TEMPORARY. LIFE IS FOREVER.
W H O O R W H A T A M I T H E L E G A C Y O F ?
The Legacy of Black Soldiers
Black Excellence.
I am the Legacy of those who fought for something and died for nothing. The Legacy of Leaders
The Legacy of those without a voice, who spent more time trying to speak than being heard or understood.
The Legacy of Nurses.
The Legacy of Laughter.
The Legacy of Love.
The Legacy of Truth in my bloodline and the duty to uphold that to the best of my ability.
A Legacy of Courage
And A Legacy Youth.
All these things I pass down from and give to you
Since you asked I’ll tell you why, I’m always so tired:
Because I’m always on my phone
Because the only time I have to think in a day is when my head hits the pillow
Because I have to revenge scroll to feel like I had time for me in a day
Because it’s been going on for years
Because instant gratification gets addicting
Because I just ate a few hours ago and now I’m hungry again
Because I need time to process my emotions
Because on the R&B side, Drake and Partynextdoor got it fasho
Because I feel better when I grieve alone
Because my mother and grandfather need help and I’m the one to deliver
Because I’m overstimulated
Because somehow at 3am every night my mind is running a million miles a minute
Because I have insomnia
Because I take on so many things at once
Because truthfully I don’t know
“The architect”
She was born in the 1940s, down South, where the heat didn’t just rise from the pavement, it pressed in from all sides from signs that said “Whites Only,” from glances that lingered too long, from laws that didn’t see her as fully human, but she always saw herself as something more.
She didn’t pick cotton she picked herself up, every day.
Picked up her siblings, eight of them, one by one, held them like promises she refused to break
She didn’t just survive the South.
She carried dignity through closed doors and tight corners, taught herself how to walk through a world that never made space for her and claim it anyway.
Then came Chicago
Not in a Cadillac or with a suitcase of dreams no.
She came with a vision, a fierce kind of focus, and hands that already knew how to hold the weight of a future
Eight children of her own. Eight.
Each one carved from her patience, her power, her prayers whispered into night shifts and early mornings
And they made it. All of them.
Because she didn’t bend to what the world said she couldn’t do.
She broke the odds open and rebuilt them in her own image
She didn’t need applause. She needed results.
L
E G A C Y ( C O N T . )
And now we are those results walking, breathing legacy with her fire in our lungs and her strength in our bones
So when you speak her name, say it with pride.
Say it like a hymn, like the foundation every generation still stands on.
She wasn’t just our grandmother
She was the architect of everything good we came from.
S I N C E Y O U A S K E D
Mother, since you asked why I’m so shy
It’s because you never gave me the chance to learn.
Because you called it protection when it was really control. Because you kept the doors locked when I needed to look out
Because you said, the world is dangerous, but never taught me how to walk through it.
Because every decision I made was yours
Because I never got to make mistakes when the cost was small. Because when it was finally my time to go out there
I didn’t know how
Because I was scared.
Because I trusted the wrong voices.
Because I followed the wrong crowd
Because I didn’t have anyone to guide me.
Because you were always the voice, but never the hand that let go.
Because I only learned freedom when it hurt.
Because you gave me rules, not reasons.
Because I grew up in a box, and the world felt like a jungle
Because every step outside felt like falling. Because you didn’t teach me to fly just to fear the sky
Because I had to unlearn silence before I could speak.
Because I had to meet pain before I met myself.
Because I’m still learning how to live without looking over my shoulder
SEEDS OF SOLIDARITY ARE LIVING EVERYWHERE.
Water was always a place for you to find yourself
Soil was always a place to pour your heart into
And Both spaces were always your reminder that living was the first feeling you experienced
The older you get you remind yourself that stories take time to unlearn whether it comes
someone else's perspective or old stories you told yourself
may you remember sitting in grandmas steps blowing bubbles the feeling of joy
may you remember the feeling of the love of walking into sacred keepers on Saturdays
reminding you the feeling of anger is not something to dismiss but to make space for to allow people to hold with you to heal from
may you remember traveling to Mexico, Africa, Puerto Rico, and across different states with the feeling of the excitement to learn from others
may you remember your 19th birthday and the ode you promised yourself to never let go of the feeling of coming home
may you remember the experience of what the the farm apprenticeship taught you about the feeling of patience and trusting in the land to guide you may you remember public allies for the feeling of community is to be met with compassion
And may you remember when you get to the place of feeling shame
In moments that tried to make you feel small
In moments that tried to silence you
In moments that felt too overwhelming to process
In moments that made you feel it was safer to be in your mind than to exist in this world
May you remember your power to reflect, reimagine, and transform
W H E R E A R E W E G O I N G ?
First let us gather to take a collective breathe and listen to what we discover in each other's stories This will be the groundwork for our next steps. We are going to create a vision together and think about how the stories that are told to the next generations honor who we are.
Let our rage grow into flowers across households as they have the resources to sustain their quality of living
Let our grief grow into flowers across places that allow people to come together to heal and connect us back to our ancestors
Let our joy grow flowers across neighborhoods being full of murals where people see themselves
Let our solidarity grow flowers across communities as we remind ourselves of our agency in making a space, ecosystem, and world function And let the seeds being planted everyday affirm that all the flower of emotions + people are supported this is world a place where we can find collaboration across the world to cultivate relationships that nourish each other where everyone is held in a vessel that is poured into from everyones energy from everyones wisdom from every ones creativity from everyones dreams from everyone ' s gifts and skills and from where we discover together what will take care of our wellbeings is each other
L E S S O N S F O R L E G A C Y Listen To Learn Honor Harvest Cultivate Imagine Curiosity Trust Care And never forget to do it In community With community For community while maintaining your heart your mind your spirit your integrity so that you never lose sight that everyone and you deserve a world that is filled with freedom from the land to the the sea to the cement to the sky
SEMBRANDO SEMILLAS. ESPERANDO FLORECER.
RECOGIENDO FRUTA.
kassandra DROPPING SEEDS. AWAITING BLOOMS. PLUCKING FRUIT.
