“I hear a whisper calling us to rise. Our story, it deserves the light.
They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds. A seed that’s planted in this community, it’s dat rose that grew outta da concrete.
Ensured our futures were so bright. I’m never lost with TE as my guide.
From abandoned and burnt houses on Genesee. To a beacon of hope within these cold streets.“
— I’Aisha Elsaw and Mekka Shareef – Teen Empowerment
We were so happy to be in the crowd on Genesee Street when the Mayor cut the ribbon on the new 4 million dollar Teen Empowerment building. The new building just across the street from their old location in the exotic Valiere building. Duane, who grew up in this neighborhood, turned us onto the place back in the late 70’s. The woman who ran the place sold exotic fabrics from the forties and fifties. Duane’s bachelor pad was outfitted by her.
For over twenty years Teen Empowerment has been a lifeline for the kids in this neighborhood.
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Her name wasn’t Valliere tho, it was Yvonne Wass. She was a lovely older European lady, whose former concentration camp life had left her with numbers on her arm. Her stunning upstairs apt had a rotating wall that opened to her bedroom. What a store/home. I took Lux & Ivy from the Cramps there and they really hit it off with her. After, when I would run into her at the public market, she would always ask about them. And when I saw the Cramps, they would ask about Yvonne.