Piri Thomas (born Juan Pedro Tomas; September 30, 1928 – October 17, 2011) was a Puerto Rican-

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

writer and poet whose memoir ''

Down These Mean Streets ''Down These Mean Streets'' is a memoir by Piri Thomas, a Latino of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent who grew up in Spanish Harlem,Berger a section of Harlem with a large Puerto Rican population. The book follows Piri through the first few decades ...

'' became a best-seller.

Early years

Thomas was born to a Puerto Rican mother and

father. His childhood neighborhood in the

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fif ...

section of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

was riddled with crime and violence. According to Thomas, children were expected to be gang members at a young age, and Thomas was no exception. Thomas was also exposed to

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

because of his

Afro-Latino Black Hispanic and Latino Americans, also called Afro-Hispanics ( es, Afrohispano, links=no), Afro-Latinos or Black Hispanics, or Black Latinos are classified by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, and other U.S. ...

heritage. Thomas was involved with drugs, gang warfare and crime. While spending seven years in prison for an attempted armed robbery, Thomas reflected on the teachings of his mother and father, and realized that a person is not born a criminal. Consequently, he decided to use his street and prison know-how to reach at-risk youth, and to help them avoid a life of crime.Life and Flow

''Down These Mean Streets''

In 1967, Thomas received funds from the Rabinowitz Foundation to write and publish his best-selling autobiography ''

''. The book describes his struggle for survival as a Puerto Rican/Cuban born and raised in the

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

s of New York. The book, which has been in print for 52 years, was banned in some places but also required reading, depending on the time and place. He narrated the rampant racism of the pre-Civil Rights Act of 1964. His other works include ''Savior, Savior Hold My Hand;'' ''Seven Long Times;'' and ''Stories from El Barrio.''

Later years

Thomas was an influential precursor to the Nuyorican Movement which included poets

Pedro Pietri Pedro Pietri (March 21, 1944 – March 3, 2004) was a Nuyorican poet and playwright and one of the co-founders of the Nuyorican Movement. He was considered by some as the poet laureate of the Nuyorican Movement. Early years Pietri was born in ...

Miguel Algarín Miguel Algarín Jr. (11 September 1941 – 30 November 2020) was a Puerto Rican poet, writer, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café, and a Rutgers University professor of English. Early years Algarín was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and ...

, and

Giannina Braschi Giannina Braschi (born February 5, 1953) is a Puerto Rican poet, novelist, dramatist, and scholar. Her notable works include ''Empire of Dreams'' (1988), ''Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998) ''and United States of Banana'' (2011). Braschi writes cross-genr ...

, who wrote of life in

using a mix of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

."Charming or Frightening?/Encanto o espanto?: identitidad y nación en la novela puertorriqueña actual" by Kristian Van Haesendonck, Iberoamericana, Madrid, 2008. Thomas worked on a book titled ''A Matter of Dignity'' and on an educational film entitled ''Dialogue with Society.'' Thomas traveled around the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, giving lectures and conducting workshops in colleges and universities. He was the subject of the film ''Every Child is Born a Poet: The Life and Work of Piri Thomas'', by Jonathan Robinson, which featured a soundtrack by

Kip Hanrahan Kip Hanrahan (born December 9, 1954) is an American jazz music impresario, record producer and percussionist. Personal life Hanrahan was born in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in the Bronx to an Irish-Jewish family. His father left when he was 6 m ...

. On October 17, 2011, Thomas died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at his home in

El Cerrito, California El Cerrito (Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. El Cerrito was founded by refugees ...

. He was survived by his wife Suzie Dod Thomas, six children, and three stepchildren.Joseph Berger, "Piri Thomas, Spanish Harlem Author, Dies at 83", ''The New York Times'', October 19, 2011.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Piri 1928 births 2011 deaths Writers from Manhattan American male poets American people of Puerto Rican descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Hispanic and Latino American autobiographers American autobiographers 20th-century American poets 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers People from East Harlem

Early years

''Down These Mean Streets''

Later years

See also

References