“There’s always going to be that separation between different kinds of kids in school hallways. That’s why I try to teach tolerance and unity among kids. Because there’s only really one race, the human race”
–Martin Banda, 21, talked to Q about his work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He’s on the advisory board of the group’s Youth for Unity program, which aims to educate kids about tolerance and diversity. It recently kicked off in New York and will spread to the group’s 3,400 clubs nationwide over the next year.
Banda practically grew up in the Boys & Girls Clubs. His family, who lived in south Texas, moved to a housing project after his dad was sent to prison, “and the club was the only place for me to go,” he said.
“They opened their doors when I was 6, and suddenly I had an alternative to the streets. They had an awesome gym and video games and computers, so I went. As the years passed, I got involved and started helping out.”
He joined the group’s sports teams and community-service projects. In 2000, the group named him youth of the year.
Banda, who will graduate from the University of Texas at San Antonio next year with a degree in public relations and marketing, takes an important lesson with him: “I’ve learned to get along with just about everybody.”
