I am so grateful for everyone who came to the virtual book launch for Letters From the Inside: Hope in the Journey Beyond Classroom and Cell. In conversation with author Mitali Perkins, also a friend of Jorge, my co-author, we had a conversation full of hope and promise.
If you missed it, you can watch the video.
Of course, there was a very important person missing from the celebration: Jorge, my co-author. He will be incarcerated for at least another eight years. He wrote this message to all of you:
Although I cannot physically be present to discuss this book and my life, I hope you all can understand a life of a boy who was traumatized, hurting, and craving love and affection from those who were around. Growing up in the environment I was raised in was not easy and until today it is not easy. It’s been told that people like “me” who were in the wrong path, are set to fail. Most children do not get a fair chance to succeed, often times they are judged. But before judging a struggling kid, I want you all to remember that there is a deeper issue beyond the bad grades and bad attitude.
Children of all ages, act a certain way because it’s their way of crying for help. Instead of abandoning a kid, or making them feel like they are any less than a straight A student, I ask you all to have patience and lend a helping hand to kids who is in the same position as I was. Kids need to feel motivated, believed in and most importantly that no matter what goes on in their neighborhood, they are still worth fighting for. I hope you all are able to see what it is to grow up in a low income neighborhood, where there is violence and lack of resources in schools. But most importantly how being in a dysfunctional family can have an impact on our actions that often times lead us into temptation. By reading my story and following up with some of the letters I write, I hope you all can learn some of the signs of a kid who is hurt deep down but is to afraid to speak up for himself/herself.
I ask that if you come in contact with one of those children or teens, do not look the other way. Please help them, because it only takes one person to uplift and be a positive role model in their life. Thank you for taking the time to follow my journey through these books and for listening to my life story. I hope you all love the book as much as I do. Thank you and be safe.
-Jorge Ramirez
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