This article about one of our Gen Y Experts, Mari Moss, appeared in THIS ‘N’ THAT on May 9, 2007.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007
THIS ‘N’ THAT
CHARITA GOSHAY

Mari Moss’ frustration about the violence in Canton, and what she says is a lack of vision in addressing it, resonates in her voice. Five years ago, Moss, 28, returned home from New York City, where she worked for the Apollo Theater, and launched PEACE TV, a multimedia youth outreach program being run on a budget that’s tighter than a banjo string.

“Poverty of the mind.”

Moss said pervasive poverty is at the root of many community ills. The introduction of crack cocaine and the disappearance of good-paying, blue-collar jobs have been the one-two punch for many cities, decimating those communities that can least afford an economic setback.

“It’s also poverty of the mind,” she said. “As long as we have people feeling like nothing will ever change, nothing will ever get fixed.”

Moss, who is working on a documentary about violence in Canton, said boredom and a death of real opportunity also fuel violence and crime.

“If a person can make $1,000 a day selling dope to take care of their families, that’s what they’re going to do,” she said. “I know people, African- Americans, with master’s degrees who can’t find work. What does that say to the high school student? They feel hopeless … . The pressure’s on us as a community to make them aware of opportunities and resources.”

Moss said adults also must swallow their fears of young people.

“A lot of kids are putting on a front,” she said. “It’s a wall to keep people away from them. They figure people are already rejecting them, but it’s a facade. Someone must be bold enough to reach out to them with compassion.”

Recalling a visit by noted Harlem educator Geoffrey Canada, Moss said, “This is our Harlem. We can’t keep doing things the same way and expect a different result.”

‘Brain decay’

PEACE TV broadcasts weekly on Canton City Schools TV (Warner Cable Channel 11). Last year, the program operated on $15,000.

“Kids write me all the time,” she said, “Half of them don’t even realize there’s a world beyond their ’hood.”

Describing some entertainment aimed at young adults as “brain decay,” Moss said the media has a major influence on young people. Understanding this, she tries to provide PEACE TV participants with stipends in exchange for their public service. They also receive training in media production.

“We try to convince them that they do have power and to use that power for positive things,” she said.

Moss counts retired educator Laura McIntyre, Rainbow Repertory founder Lois DiGiacomo and her own parents, the Revs. Walter and Darleen Moss, among her mentors.

“I’m lucky in that regard,” she said. “That’s what keeps me going. Evert time I want to give up, somebody will e-mail me, or call, or stop me on the street.”

Moss said communities must do unconventional things to reach an unconventional generation.

“Adults think ‘They’re too far gone,’ so they say, ‘We’re just going to work with the little kids,’ ” she said. “But you can’t skip an entire generation. You still have to deal with them, one way or another.”

To watch clips of PEACE TV, visit youtube.com/peace tv

For information about PEACE TV, contact Moss at mari_moss@yahoo.com