Mario
Portrait with Ken Pao
Description: A young soccer player in a Mexico national team uniform fiercely battles an opponent for possession of the ball. They play at a packed stadium with thousands of fans in the stands.
Portrait with Zachary Maxwell Stertz
“What is most memorable to me from my childhood was when I got my first goal in soccer. I was in 4th grade. It made me happy because my parents and brothers saw me. It was emotional, because my dad used to be a soccer player, too. Scoring a goal while he saw me made me feel proud of myself.
My father has always been there for me. He’s the only person that ever looked out for me. He’s a very special person, and each time I make him feel proud, it makes me feel proud of myself. You know fathers at a young age? Most of them leave their kids to the mom, and they got to take care of them. My dad was a father at a young age, and he didn’t leave me. Even though, when he was raising me, I didn’t see him that much because of the economy, he was always working for me and my brother. But when I needed him, he was always there for me.
I was born in Dallas, TX. We lived there a year. Then, we moved to Charlotte, NC where I spent most of my life. When my parents separated, we moved to Mexico for three years. When we lived in Mexico, I learned a lot. I learned to speak Spanish, and I learned by culture. Then, we moved here to Milwaukee. In Charlotte, we lived in the suburbs with mostly white people. It made me interact with people of different races. SDome of them didn’t like Mexicans. Me being Latino, my white friends wanted to play with me, but their parents didn’t want them to. I don’t know why. That made me mad sometimes. But I think me being there helped them change the way they see things. By being by them, they could see how things really are. It doesn’t matter someone’s race.
I think society, or white people, can perceive youth of color - like African American and Latino - as something bad. Like, a group of friends is considered a “gang.” It makes me mad, personally. Like, for example, me as a Latino, they think if you go to someone else’s house, you’re going to steal or drug deal. To protect myself, I ignore it. But you see it on the news that in some circumstances, racist people can go too far. They call you names, start hitting you. They come up to your parents and say something offensive to them. Personally, I survive. I ignore it. Do me. Try to let it slide, and then prove them something different.
I think people who know me would describe me as a thoughtful person and a good-hearted guy. I think the majority would describe me as hard-working, too - a person that never gives up and a person that’s there for people. I want to work on being more responsible. I forget things a lot.
I have friends at school, and I’m always there for them. They call me when they feel bad or they need something. I’m always there for them. I think they would say the same thing about me, because I have never left them. We’ve built up trust so they tell me a lot of their things. We’re like a little group.
Being a part of the Black and Latino Male Achievement group is a community. I feel comfortable. We’re trying to make a change. I like the things we do. They are unique. The purpose of this program is different. We are making things better, not just for us, but also to show to the community. We are proving people wrong of what they think of us. They think wrong, and we’re showing them the opposite. We’re showing them that we ain’t what people see in the news or on the streets.”
Milwaukee, 2019