BY GLORIA O’KOYE

For centuries, writing letters played a huge part in people’s lives to remain in touch with family and friends around the world. Depending on how far the distance and what time era you were raised in, the mail may take days to months to get to its destination.

The anticipation of hearing back from your loved ones, the sound of opening up the envelope and unfolding the letter and reading every word that was written by hand. Before social media and messaging apps, phone cards could be a bit pricey, and the time spent on them was limited. Therefore, writing letters was still popular into the early 2000’s until programs like email and MSN messenger-built popularity in the younger generations.

Schools were still teaching children to write letters for school assignments and learning how to write in cursive; years passed by, and the art of letter writing declined gradually as technology continued to develop rapidly. Texting became more popular and that came along with more usage of abbreviations and slang, versus being more formal and use of correct grammar. People started to not have the patience to better their handwriting, nor read others’ work since the typed writing was more convenient and straightforward. With the convenience came some detachment.

I decided to go around and ask individuals with different life experiences and from different generations about their opinion on writing letters. Other than some mentioning that handwriting letters were time-consuming, in general, everyone was on the same page that they missed the genuine and love that is put into the writing.

A father who had been incarcerated for several years shared that when he first came out, he would still buy blank greeting cards to write personalized words for his children. He told me that he had eventually stopped because his children were just sending him digital eCards in return. He still kept all the letters that his family had written to him and said that he wished they hadn’t stopped, even if it was a postcard with their handwriting once in a while. I remembered when I was doing a placement at a community hub, and there was a wife of a war veteran who showed me the love letters her late husband had written to her while overseas. She wanted a typed-up version of the letters to put in a family collage for her grandchildren to keep, even though she wanted to rewrite them personally, but her handwriting was not as clear as she would want it to be.

The FYOU (The Forgiveness Project), a non-profit organization that focuses on restorative justice approaches to support youth and young adults in custody, is looking to start up a letter-writing series called ‘Know Better, Do Better’. The series is based on volunteers from the community writing letters for the population on the inside about lessons that they have learned in life. FYOU has held several communities writing events called ‘Letters That Heal’ which had several guest speakers who had lived experiences being incarcerated. They talked about how meaningful and impactful it is to receive letters from the outside world. You can reach out to them on their Instagram @projectfword to see more of the work they do and also to keep posted for upcoming community initiatives.

I want to leave off with some challenges you can do on your own time, grab some paper, blank greeting cards, postcards, etc. Think of some loved ones you may, or may not have heard for a while, write some personal messages to them and give it to them directly, or put them in their mailbox. Allow this art practice to live on and allow you to feel free and be creative.

BY GLORIA O’KOYE

I met the young and energetic individual, Kadeem Reid, recently at a talent show that was run by these two amazing youths, Rare and Earl, at the House of Moses venue at 168 Baldwin Street, located in the heart of Kensington Market.

It was late afternoon when I got to the showcase and was fortunate to be able to listen to Kadeem share a bit about himself. What stood out about Kadeem was how he was hyping and encouraging every single performer by cheering and dancing, and also that he had the qualities of being a motivational speaker by just hearing him speak.

I was able to connect with him afterward and wanted to know more about his life journey and his fitness program. I believe that the things we go through are for a reason, and will contribute to a greater cause, either it was a positive experience, or a painful lesson. We have to learn to move forward. I also want the youth, and anyone who has or is still dealing with similar life experiences as Kadeem, to know there is more to life. Dreams and goals can be accomplished. Do not allow circumstances to discourage anyone to make the most out of life. Life is too precious and goes by so fast for any one of us to linger on situations, or decisions that we had made.

I could not miss an opportunity to speak with this young man, so as soon as I had a chance, I caught up with Kadeem, and he graciously took time to share with me some of his experiences.

“I grew up in a very tough neighbourhood, the Rexdale community, and growing up in that environment I was exposed to violence, drugs, sex and that was the way of life in that area.

From an early age, I always found that something was missing, like there was a void in my life. I didn’t know how to fill that void which eventually led me to get lost in the narratives that the streets had to offer. I had gotten my first charges and was incarcerated when I was only thirteen, and once that cycle started it continued.

Finally, when I was twenty years old, I got shot and life just changed for me. The lesson that I have learned through all of my dark days of violence and incarceration was that I am a resilient person, and I never gave up. I believe that resilience is the key to anyone’s journey, no matter where you are, because you are practicing your free will and your willpower to overcome circumstances that life throws at you.

My resiliency is what sets me apart from a lot of individuals because I refuse to give up. I could lose my focus at times, but I will not give up no matter what situation I am in. Another lesson that I have learned is to not allow my emotions to get out of control, which can happen because of the trauma that I have endured. It is still a learning process for me, but I understand what the outcomes may be if I react without centring myself. Address yourself as a victor, a champion, and do not see yourself as a victim, because it affects how you perform in life.”

BY GLORIA O’KOYE

Johnny and I met through social media and I got to listen to some of his music and a bit of his story. As he continues to live in his truth and build on his craft, it is crucial to support his creativity and growth as an individual.

I asked Johnny if he could share with our readers a bit about who he is and his artistic practice.

“My name is Johnny Armani and I am thirty-one years old. I am originally from Buffalo, New York and I am currently residing in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I am a creative artist and entertainer who started writing and recording in 2003. I took a hiatus from my craft from 2010 to 2011 and have been pushing my music since then.

I was inspired to become an artist when I first watched my older cousins that went by the names Bones and Eagle, recording songs on their karaoke machine when I was ten years old. When I was thirteen, I went to an official recording studio with my brother Wiz and saw the reaction from my friends after the session. What motivates me to continue my creative journey is that I strive to be the voice for my neighbourhood that is known as Da Jungle, in Buffalo New York. I am motivated to speak up for my people who don’t have a voice through my music. I also want my art to help my family, wife, son, and me to have a better life and give them everything that I never had.

Some of the themes and topics that I focus on in my music are my personal lived experiences and experiences of others from the streets. I talk about wanting to give the world to my family because they mean everything to me. I also create music that my listeners can dance to and have fun with.

My supporters tell me that I am very versatile and I have a great voice for making music. The message that I would want for my audience to gain from my music is to cherish life, family is everything, and to keep breaking generational curses.”

I then asked Johnny if there are some words of advice and encouragement that he would like to give to upcoming artists.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t achieve anything. Don’t be afraid to take a chance to accomplish everything that you dream of and lifelong goals that will strengthen you as a human being. Most of all, to never give up because things will not just happen overnight. Anything worth having is worth fighting and working hard for. There will be stumbling blocks and there will be times that you may want to give up, but you have to keep on pushing. It will all be worth it in the long run. Be consistent and all things shall follow through.”