“You gotta go through it to grow through it to make music.”

DECEMBER

Glorifying resilience gives our systems permission to treat people poorly.

Manny is a rapper and musician living in Boston. He talked with us about his experience in the criminal justice system.

Manny described how the really impactful moments in his experience were just routine for court workers, who acted “kind of like a person at McDonald’s taking your order that’s aggravated. They just want to get on with their day.” He also described how he takes ownership over his past choices, and how his experiences have made him more mindful of the choices he makes now.

Manny reminds us that people can be really resilient — and also that putting this resilience on a pedestal gives our systems permission to treat people poorly.

^{The project: In a partnership with researchers from iThrive Games Foundation and Lesley University, Agncy is working with a group of system-involved young people to use game design as a way to explore their mental health.}