Potential: A Short Story About Struggle

Javier Garcia
Jul 20, 2017 · 7 min read

Every so often the universe has a way of forcing you to confront something you’ve been avoiding for all too long, and I’ve finally come to that point with a huge aspect of my upbringing.

My 32nd birthday is right around the corner (July 30th, for the curious) and if you’ve known me any time after the first 16 years of my life, you might not know that I was born & raised in the projects — New York’s Carver House Projects, to be exact.

Not knowing that little bit of trivia about me is not a reflection of how well you might know me, but it has everything to do with how I was conditioned to form an identity that entailed hiding elements of who I am & where I come from.

You see, my parents drilled it into my head that I was never to talk about the fact that I grew up in the projects, presumably because they thought it was something to be ashamed about.

Hell, they don’t even like me being vocal about the fact that I went to public school.
But my hardass native New Yorker self knows I should wear both of those facts like a badge of honor.

Pre-K Graduate Javi. Troublemaker in the making.

And, being a rebel all my life, I’ve become increasingly vocal about who I am. Where I come from. What my upbringing was like. But it didn’t really click why it mattered so damned much, why I should be proud of where I am and look back to my roots to define my mark on the world.

It wasn’t until last night, when I watched a screening of the HBO Documentary, Class Divide, that the universe’s signals started to make sense.

“Class Divide,” Directed by Marc Rubin, Produced by Daphne Pinkerson, out now.

If you haven’t seen Class Divide, it’s an absolute must-see. Check it out on Youtube, or on HBO Go. (Ask your friends for their login, you know the drill.) The New York Times wrote this incredible piece on it, but you’d be best served reading after you’ve watched the film.

I was lucky enough to catch a free screening of Class Divide hosted by the filmmakers and members of the newly minted West Chelsea Alliance, and while I won’t spoil the film for you, you should know it offers a close examination of the visible hyper-gentrification that exists on 26th street and 10th Avenue in Chelsea, where the Chelsea-Elliott Houses projects and a $45K/year private school co-exist right across the street from one another, making for one of the most dramatic examples of

Hearing about the stories of struggle from the families and individuals featured in the film hit too close for comfort, and I fought off tears until the end of the movie, when I finally lost it.

After hearing about the steps that are being taken within the community to combat the challenges of gentrification — which includes an incredible partnership between public and private organizations and the formation of the West Chelsea Alliance — and reflecting on my own life and my own role as a new business owner, an educator, and as someone who came up from the projects, I finally felt like I understood what the universe has been trying to tell me.

To deny the fact that I grew up in the projects would mean I was ashamed of the sacrifice and hard work of my parents…

who aspired for a better life for my brother, myself, and the future descendants of our family.

To deny the fact that I went through NYC’s public school system from Pre-K to my Master’s…

would diminish the decades of hard work my parents, teachers, professors and mentors invested in me.

To deny the fact that I grew up with a diabetic father, and in a neighborhood that is a notorious food desert…

would mean turning a blind eye to the bullets I dodged, in that my environment & those closest to me could have profoundly influenced my health, and my future.

To deny the places and circumstances I come from would mean I was ashamed of the life I’ve lived.

My background is my strength & the foundation upon which my future will be built — whether I like it or not.

When I look at who I’ve become, the choices I’ve made and the road I’ve embarked on, it’s BECAUSE of the life I’ve lived that I’m on the road I’m on.

So let me put that road I’m on even further into perspective.

Suyo, Interns, and Being 16 Again

For the past year and change now, I’ve been letting trickle out bits and pieces of my work on Suyo, an active lifestyle brand that is half activewear company, half activism in the form of a business, and one of the most recent milestones was the fact that we launched a Summer internship program, in prep for our upcoming product launch later this Summer.

As with most things I’ve ever worked on, I was half prepared for the task of managing a pair of high school interns, and in prepping an onboarding experience for them, I put myself in the shoes of a 16 year old.

By some miracle, my mom unearthed this incredible photo of me at 16 years old — a time period I thought was visually erased from existence — and blew my fucking mind.

16 year old me, a beautiful, brilliant teenager, full of potential — whether he believed it or not.

In case you couldn’t tell, I was a fat kid growing up. (If you can ever pin me on the topic, ask me to tell you my story about my love Reese’s.)

But had you told 16 year old me that I would lose a ton of weight, dramatically reinvented myself and my sense of self worth, I would have shrugged and said “sure.”

Had you told 16 year old me that I would work on Madison Avenue, earn my Master’s, become a Professor, and earn the respect and support of people whose talents and greatness I aspire to even, I would have told you you were full of shit and continued cutting classes, playing video games all day and blowing off my responsibilities.

Had you told 16 year old me that I would run 4 (going on 5) marathons, realizing how intertwined my physical and personal potential are, and launching my own activewear & active lifestyle brand, I would’ve laughed in your face and thought you were mistaken.

And really, the question some people might ask is.
You’re a kid from the projects — a former fat kid at that — without a star studded athletic record or big investor backing, funding your business with your savings.
Why launch your own brand?

Because struggle and triumph, and acknowledging the efforts of everyone — including those who normally live & work in the shadows —
is in our DNA.

POTENTIAL.

Suyo 2017 Summer Intern Onboarding (Staged Reenactment)

After kicking off marathon training for my fourth NYC marathon this weekend, spending the past few weeks surrounded by the combination of two high school interns and a trio of my former Undergraduate students, and after watching Class Divide and seeing stories of struggle that mirrored my own, the universe has overwhelmingly reminded me of all of the elements that put me on my current path several years back.

The experience of facing struggle and triumph, and, in the process, realizing one’s potential, is the essential narrative arc that makes us human.

To avoid or deny one’s struggles is to be deprived of life’s single most valuable (and accessible) character and perspective builder.

And the experience of helping others triumph over their challenges, by joining forces with those who gifts and talents differ from your own, is a basic and rewarding form of activism we can all take part of, while creating the foundation for a cycle of significant and scalable social transformation.

Launching a company with a product in a line of business that was completely unfamiliar to me has been an incredible experience in learning & exploring innovative solutions, and one that I’m excited to continue doing for years to come.

But the prospect of building a brand that can help people of all backgrounds, body types and income levels fulfill their potential is something I’m eager to do and expand upon until I’m old and grey.
Because my struggles and the struggles of those that came before me, made me who I am, and they most likely made you who you are, too.

So the question I leave you with is…
How has your struggle defined you?
And in knowing that…
How will you use your potential to help others?

)

Javier Garcia

Written by

Entrepreneur & Educator for Social Good

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade