PeacePlayers US Storybook 2021 - Flipbook - Page 22
2021 UNITED STATES STORYBOOK
2021 UNITED STATES STORYBOOK
IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, GO TOGETHER
The bustling activity at Watts Oasis Court wasn’t something that
Jordan Sewell and D’Angelo Anderson usually noticed, mainly
because they seldom let their bicycles take them very far from
their homes.
While only 2.1 square miles, Watts is a district in Los Angeles
with a rich and complicated history. Although in 1988 Watts was
80% Black and 13% Latino, its racial makeup has nearly flipped
since then, impacting the city both socially and economically. A
spike in gang activity in the 1970’s in an effort to protect the city
from the evils of systemic oppression has had a lasting impact
on its inhabitants and the influx of community organizations
committed to reimagining the city.
With this in mind, traversing the city is always done intentionally.
Stay close. No trouble. Keep safe.
But one day last summer, the two boys let their curiosity get the
best of them. Instead of turning around and pedaling towards
home when they noticed some adults they had never seen before
preparing for a basketball camp, they rode over and mustered up
the courage to ask a simple question.
“Can we play, too?”
This wasn’t an easy question for them to ask. There generally
aren’t golden opportunities for fun waiting for kids who live in
Watts on every street corner. So in the back of their minds, they
were sure the answer would be no.
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“In my mind I was thinking she’s going to say no and we were
going to be embarrassed,” D’Angelo said. “But she actually said
yes. And I was so happy.”
PeacePlayers Los Angeles Director Evan Unrau had a different
answer.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, come back at three,” she said. “And Jordan said
“bet” and then they hopped on their bikes and came back at three.
It was awesome.”
Jordan and D’Angelo were back at 3 p.m. to participate in the first
day of PeacePlayer LA’s summer basketball camp. They went
back the next day of camp, and the next, and became regular
campers throughout the summer, and even after that.
“We still go back to that basketball court even after the camp was
over,” said D’Angelo.
Kiki is Jordan’s mother and also runs a childcare where D’Angelo
has been under her care for years. The two aren’t brothers but
Kiki treats D’Angelo as if he was her own. Shortly after they
began going to the camp, Kiki stopped by to check out this free
camp that had her two boys so enthusiastic all summer long.
It was there she saw Jordan and D’Angelo engaged in a way she
has rarely seen, surrounded by adults with an uncommon ability
to connect with young people.
“I love it,” she said. “They need more things like that in the
community for kids.”
The PeacePlayers basketball camp at the Watts Oasis Court had,
of course, basketball. But it also had life lessons. On one particular
day, D’Angelo made what PeacePlayers coordinator San Dixon
said “wasn’t the best decision.”
“We had a moment where he had to be honest about something,”
San said. “As time passed he realized if you are honest with
somebody, especially an adult who sees you as even as them, we
can come to some type of understanding. And I’m so proud of
him. From that moment on, he stepped into this leadership
role. We had some younger kids there. And he was one of those
younger kids that I would have lead activities or have him be the
team captain.”
D’Angelo came away from the camp with improved basketball
skills and a better understanding of himself.
“I learned to not lie and be honest,” he said.
Both boys came away from their PeacePlayers experience with
the realization that if you want to go far in life, you have to look
beyond your own front door.
“When we ride our bikes, we don’t usually go that far. The
one time we went far, we found PeacePlayers.”
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