T. Rodgers

Humanitarian, father, grandfather, son, brother, friend, author, actor, producer, peacemaker, street legend, gang leader, poet, musician, director, organizer, consultant, advisor, visionary, trainer, diplomat and the list goes of adjectives that one could use to describe the person that we know as T. Rodgers. However, the journey to become this person was neither easy, nor did it happen overnight. T. Rodgers was born and raised in the slums of Southside Chicago, specifically in the area of 47 th Street. When T. was 12 years old, his mother moved them to Westside of Los Angeles, to the area known as Baldwin Hills. Also known as "The Jungles" (originally called this because of its lush vegetation), Baldwin Hills was once a Middle Class haven for African-Americans but has since become synonymous with gangs, drugs, violence and murder (hence earning it the lifelong name of "The Jungles" because of the inherent danger associated with living there). Like so many young, black men in the tur