All of my life, I’ve been told to stay away, to not even dare look down there. It’s too dangerous, they'd say. You'll get hurt, they'd warn. Much has changed since then. I’ve learned a thing or two about fear and the shadows that it likes to cast.
Research La Perla and you will read that it's a notorious and forbidden barrio situated just below Old San Juan, a haven for tourist visiting Puerto Rico; A community tainted by it’s long-standing reputation of violence and drugs.
Go inside of La Perla, and you will see a community that has long withstood against many and great adversities; A community held together by it’s people who refuse to be pushed or shoved.
In light of the social issues that Puerto Rico currently faces, I feel compelled to explore my island’s history, to delve deeply into the heart and soul of my people. And this, this pearl that sits splendidly on the shores of the most beautiful ocean that my feet have ever touched, is where the journey begins. Inside of these colorful homes, down these art-filled and desolate streets there is LIFE. There are stories to be told. There is light to be shined.