“Life Pieces to Masterpieces” continues fight to save one young man at a time

As the last dismissal bell rings a string of fresh-faced, giggly black boys come walking into the learning room of Life Pieces to Masterpieces excited to create art. 

LPTM is an organization that provides different opportunities to young African-American men ages 3 to 25. They give young black men an outlet to express their inner emotions and individual trauma through artistic expression. LPTM is located in the 7th ward of DC, which is known as one of the most underprivileged wards in DC. The 7th ward is plagued by drugs, gang activity, social/mental health problems, violence, and incarceration. 

According to the Metropolitan police department as of January 25th there have been 2,191 crimes reported to the police department. Also as of December 28th, 2018, 159 people have been murdered, which is a 39 percent increase from 2017. These types of crimes are also more prominent in wards 7 and 8. These statistics are another reason Life Pieces to Masterpieces plays a vital role in ward 7. This organization gives young men something positive to do as opposed to being in dangerous areas in ward 7. Life Pieces to Masterpieces is on a mission to “save” as many young men as they can from violent crimes.

19-year-old Da’Quann Glosson has been apart of LPTM since the age of six. He talks about how the program gave him a break from everything going on outside of the walls of Life Pieces. Most young men that come in the program are exposed to traumatic things at a young age. Glosson’s story is not unlike the stories of other participants in the program. Mental health specialist, Montrella Cowan, stated, “young, black men most times do not realize that they are traumatized. They begin to form unhealthy coping skills by looking at the behavior of the men around them.” Judith Herman Trauma and Recovery states, “Cultural expectations that young Black men remain emotionally tough and silent despite the  trauma they may have experienced, and deal with the  effects alone, can contribute  to the symptoms of anxiety, irritability, and hostility.” LPTM is helping young men reverse the effects of their trauma. 

Glosson grew up in a single parent household. While growing up Glosson learned valuable lessons from his grandmother but understood that there was a difference between “a woman telling you how to be a man and a man showing you how to be a man”. LPTM gave Glosson positive male role models. Glosson notes, “most young men are not able to be leaders in their community but this is a place for people to be leaders.”

Although Life Pieces to Masterpieces has accomplished several things there is still one thing that does not sit well with Operations Manager, Maurice Kie. The crime rates continue to increase in Ward 7. The staff of LPTM is continuously looking for different approaches to tackle crime in Ward 7. They understand that they have to do more than art to reach young men in the ward. They incorporate new tactics to reach young men every year. They believe in using a human 

development system, which is a concrete set of beliefs and strategies that addresses the challenges that young people and their families face through artistic expression, increased self-awareness, and positive decision-making. This model helps students learn how to answer different societal pressures. Young boys will still be faced with everyday pressures from drugs to violence but they will also have these values instilled in them as well. 

“Our staff creates lesson plans and a curriculum to better serve our apprentices,” says Kie. LPTM is continuously working towards incorporating more leadership conferences and exploring different cultures. There is also an emphasis on Saturday experience trips. Kie believes that these Saturday trips to the museum or even to the movies is providing students with an experience that they can cherish. It shows students that there are people who want to spend quality time with them. 

LPTM is eager to grow the volunteer department. Most of their volunteers are white women from George Washington University. Now there is a push for African-American volunteers. The organization seeks to find young black men and women that have beat the odds.

Life Pieces to Masterpieces is devoted to empowering youth in ward 7 but the call for helping young black boys does not stop here. There are more young black boys that are out on the streets of Washington D.C. that have no idea how to turn their “challenges into possibilities”.