“This is All of Us: A Community’s Stories of Violence, Loss, and Love” is a community-wide story project that highlights the many ways violence in Reading and Berks County impacts individuals’ lives in both direct and indirect ways as it ripples and reverberates through the community. Violence is most devastating for those at its center – those killed, their families and other loved ones, and those who’ve survived violence but live with the physical and/or mental trauma. But the impacts of violence are far-reaching, negatively affecting the mental and physical health of individuals and communities. The stories in Volume 1 of “This is All of Us” provide a close-up view into the destruction caused by violence. They also demonstrate the resilience and strength of individuals and the community. The stories include
- “Mothers on Earth, Angels in Heaven” (Jennifer Braddock, Barbara Greene, Kristina Miller, and Dee Taylor)
- “I Had to Say Goodbye Twice” (Jennifer Braddock)
- “He’s a Legacy of Love That Nobody Can Forget” (Barbara Greene)
- “Kristina’s Story” (Kristina Miller)
- “Whether on Earth or in Heaven, She is Always With Me” (Dee Taylor)
- “Angel 23 (Shaykayarira DelRio-Gonzalez)
- “Our Youth Need to Hear These Stories” (Brandy Del Gallego)
- “That Could Have Been Me” (Diamante, a pseudonym)
- “It’s Got To Stop” (Pam Gockley)
- “We Must Keep Our Kids Close” (Nina Lee)
- “I Feel My Dad’s Absence Everyday. It Never Goes Away” (Chasnae McFarland Ortiz)
- “My Voice is Our Voice” (Alexiyani Williams)
- “A Complex Mission to Save Kids – Berks Community Action Program (Larry Berringer, Stephan Fains, Seleda Simmons, and Henry Calvo)
These stories need to be heard, but they are likewise difficult to hear. They express unrelenting, never-ending grief and sorrow of those who have lost loved ones to violence. They reveal the constant stress felt by some youth in our community about their surroundings and safety. They emphasize how economic instability, concentrated poverty, limited educational and healthcare access, and systemic racism and bias create conditions that make some youth vulnerable to violence.
The stories are also filled with love and hope. They demonstrate the ways that those who experience losing a loved one move forward with their lives, including caring for and advocating for others who suffer such losses, even though the pain never goes away. The stories challenge oversimplified and counter-productive narratives surrounding violence. And they call all of us to action; reducing violence is the responsibility of all of us.
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“This is All of Us: A Community’s Stories of Violence, Loss, and Love” is part of Not One More – A Peace and Justice Project, a multifaceted youth violence intervention and prevention program. The term “Not One More” represents the profound hope that Not One More youth will be lost to violence in our or any other community.
To obtain a free copy of Volume 1 while supplies last, contact Laurie Grobman at leg8@psu.edu . Volume 2 will be printed in August or September 2024. A story website is coming soon.
Please contact Laurie Grobman at leg8@psu.edu if you’d like to share your story of violence in “This is All of Us: A Community’s Stories of Violence, Loss, and Love.”
Laurie Grobman
Penn State Berks & Not One More – A Peace and Justice Project
