But the return to prison has him questioning a lot of things, including what led him there in the first place. Futuro Media also produces Peabody Award winning Latino USA, the longest running national Latino news and cultural public radio program; In The Thick, an award winning political podcast; and Latino Rebels, a pioneering digital news outlet founded by journalist Julio Ricardo Varela. We are so proud of our partners at Futuro Media, who represent the best of journalism and audio, saidKerri Hoffman, CEO of PRX. Suave tells the story of what happens when your whole world is a . I failed all that shit. He taught other inmates to read. As Justice Sotomayor wrote, The Eighth Amendment does not excuse childrens crimes, nor does it shield them from all punishment. If you wait for the DOC to give you permission to do it, its never gonna get done. It has a value and people care. And Suave, you've been talking to Maria for so many years. She has been honored with her own day in October by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and has been recognized by People En Espaol as one of the 25 most powerful Latina women. I feel like Im leaving my brothers behind.. Totally written off by the system, given an IQ of 56 and told he was retarded and would never amount to anything, Suave taught himself to read. That's when it hit me. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. CHANG: David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez is the focus of the new podcast "Suave." What takes four years out here, might take 16 years in there because they come in once a year.Thats why it took so long to get a bachelors degree. Friends and family of Liz Lesher Latino USA and Futuro Studios Winners at the 2023 New York Festivals Radio Awards, April 20, 2023 / New York Festivals Radio Awards, La Brega: Bonus Track Songs for the Future of Puerto Rico, La Brega Podcast Deepens Its Stories of Puerto Rico With a Star-Studded Soundtrack: As Seen on Rolling Stone, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). He has produced 52 murals in the city of Philadelphia. In this episode, we follow Suave in his first year of freedom as he experiences countless firsts: leaving the halfway house for his first solo apartment, adopting a pet, finding a job and the start of a promising relationship with someone from his past. Additionally, Hinojosa was the first Latina to anchor a PBS FRONTLINE report: Lost in Detention which aired in October 2011 and was the first to explore abuse at immigrant detention facilities, garnering attention from Capitol Hill as well as both the mainstream and Spanish-language media. Fifteen seconds changed my whole life.. He made his 9 million dollar fortune with Benfica, Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain & Brazil National Squad. PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. I spent seven years there and in them seven years, another gentleman showed me how to read and write. Thats the way we change the world. I failed drug dealing. Like, thats big, man. Approximately 2,500 juveniles have been effectively sentenced to die in prisonconsidered "irredeemable" by the state for crimes committed when they were just teenagers. CHANG: You know, Suave, it's really moving to listen to you talk about Maria the way you do and the role that she has played in your life. During her eight years as CNNs urban affairs correspondent, Hinojosa often took viewers into communities rarely shown on television and continued that work longform on Now on PBS. Rahsaan New York Thomas reported this story for Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education. Maria ponders how her relationship with Suave might change now that hell be free and theyll have a chance to explore their connection beyond a journalist-source relationship. Northern California Public Media (SM) reserves all rights to content on this site. And I'm at a point in my career when I can say it makes me a better journalist. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by . The only thing I succeeded at in prison was in getting an education. But over the years, they became close. - for a journalist to make. How does that sit with you? Once on the outside, he tries to continue this way of life. The very last word she said was You can become a voice for the voiceless. And I was just like, Damn, why am I letting this lady mess up my high?. Public Media On his way to court, Suave is surprised by the smell of fresh air as he boards a bus and leaves the prison grounds for the first time in decades. Suave, you just heard Maria say, he's not a friend. In 2019, she was named the inaugural Distinguished Journalist in Residence at her alma mater, Barnard College. It's important that the Latino community knows that these [Esperanza's] resources exist.". As the decades pass, Suave becomes a mentor for younger men and a model citizen inside the prison. And I'm still honored to be that source. When I say we, Im talking about lifers. He also co-hosts Death by Incarceration, which will be featuring episodes this fall focused on the various ways people in prison get an education. CHANG: I want to bounce what you just said off of Suave. Back behind bars, Suave suffers flashbacks and struggles deeply to adjust, and Maria questions the entire parole system. She is the author of two books and has won dozens of awards, including: four Emmys, the John Chancellor Award, the Studs Terkel Community Media Award, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club, and the Ruben Salazar Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAHJ. Anger is not the answer. TheFuturo Studiosproduction team includes executive producer Maria Hinojosa, host and producer Maggie Freleng, reporter and producer Julieta Martinelli, story editor Audrey Quinn, engineer and sound designer Stephanie Lebow, and executive editor Marlon Bishop. And to me, it was just them simple words - you could be the voice for the voiceless - nothing else. Im not gonna say I got a life sentence, so I cant go to school. Julieta Martinelli is an award-winning investigative reporter and currently a producer at Latino USA. Shes been invited to discuss her reporting on WBEZs Morning Shift, WAMUs 1A and NPRs Up First podcast. PublishedFebruary 23, 2021 at 3:14 PM CST, A German woman returned the kindness shown to her husband by helping a stranded teen, Thousands fleeing violence in Sudan are crossing the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, NHL Playoffs 1st round: A curse lifted, defending champions ousted and 14 overtimes, Cookbook celebrates the tradition of Gullah Geechee cuisine. We had a secret, unspoken bond. Suave returns to prison. 10.20.2022 David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez A curated collection of links The Record What are records? You could be the voice for the voiceless.. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. So when did you start going to college? l mean, of course it would have been easier, but guess what? I wanna talk to you about the Pulitzer prize, bro. After a decade reporting on music for various outlets, he served as Senior Editor on the public radio program Latino USA. And to me, it was just them simple words - you could be the voice for the voiceless - nothing else. Who and What the Hell Is a White Hispanic? You have to say, you know what, I got nothing to lose and everything to gain. And it was just the most unbelievable thing, truly. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. On Monday, 22-year-old Giovanni Feliciano, of Garfield, and 21-year-old Jefersson Gonzalez, of . Born & Raised in Paterson, Father & Husband, Former Paterson School Board Commissioner, Homeowner/Ta Originally, she maintained contact in order to have a source inside the prison system. The only way youre going to fight the system is if you know how to write the grievance, if you know how to file them pro se lawsuits. I spoke with Suave a few days before the decision was ruled. Were all dying in here. We had to fight DOC to create programs in order for us to have one chance to get in one class. He was 17 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison. You know, I was ready to die. 505 likes. GONZALEZ: Well, whatever I missed in between, I just missed. CHANG: Yeah. Maria learns more about Suaves childhood in the South Bronx and the sudden move that led him to the Badlands of north Philadelphia as a teenager. His stories have appeared in The FADER, This American Life, Planet Money, NPR News, Studio 360 and many other outlets. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. Its a circle and it goes on and on.. In the series premiere we meet Suave, a man who has been serving a life sentence at a Pennsylvania prison since he was just a teenager. I was fascinated with the lifestyle. CHANG: David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez is the focus of the new podcast "Suave." Then one day, Im walking down the hallway and one of the guards asked me to interpret for another Latino guy. Hinojosas nearly 30-year career as an award-winning journalist includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN, NPR, and anchoring the Emmy Award winning talk show from WGBH Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One. Suave fromFuturo StudiosandPRXwas also awarded this year in theIDA Documentary Awardsfrom the International Documentary Association. We are ghetto or urban journalists, whatever they want to call us. View local obituaries in new jersey. I mean, it was, like, the farthest thing from my mind. The story leads us back to North Philadelphia in search of someone else who was present the night of the murder. Maggie was also a TV documentary host for VICE and Oxygens The Disappearance of Maura Murray. So please be kind to everyone and everything. After a decade reporting on music for various outlets, he served as Senior Editor on the public radio program Latino USA. CHANG: Now that he has been released from prison, the two of them are sharing their story in a new Futuro Media podcast called "Suave.". Newsletter. And I felt like I was breaking that bond. That is until a Supreme Court ruling changes everythingand Suave suddenly gets a second chance to fight for his freedom. When you do something like that it feels so good to see your kindness saved a life. Now nearly 50, Suave has come to terms with the fact that he will never leave the confines of SCI Graterford. If I had not decided to stay in touch with Suave, decided not to take his phone calls, decided not to send him a Christmas card and a birthday card, we wouldn't have the kind of journalism that we're able to do now. - for a journalist to make. He read them over and over. Never in my life did I think we could win a Pulitzer. And Maria Hinojosa is founder of the Futuro Media Group. "I was given a second chance for a reason," says Gonzalez, who spoke with WHYY host Cherri Gregg.