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The Prophecy: How to Save the Hood | Isaiah "Prophet" Raines | TEDxRISD

Shoutout to Raheem who took a few of the photos, my boy Dante, my man Nelson, Jayvon, Brandon, Johnathan, Khalil, Stephen, Boston Maki, and KZ, the local figures doin’ it bigger, keeping the culture alive and representin’ so I can represent.Shoutout OUTS, Circle T, TF, DBM, DNA, YME, TFD, TLC, SCV, KRD, doin’ damage to the enemy. Rest in peace GYER, TOMB, PYRO, ATSET, and MORG.Shoutout Fall River, Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, Attleboro, Brockton, New Bedford, Taunton, and all the nomads in between.Shoutout to the local heads fightin’ to keep their beds, to everybody tightroping the poverty line balancing between stability and starvation, and to the saints who get painted as the devil by the devil.Shoutout everybody in the Southside, everybody in the Eastside, and everybody above 195 who ain't in the Highlands all comfortable.And if you ain’t understand what i'm saying, I ain't talkin’ to you, mind ya business.Southside Pride till the day I die,Crimson Ebony till the death of me.I love y’all, Stay up. Isaiah “Prophet” Raines is an interdisciplinary artist from Fall River, Massachusetts. Due to his ability to recognize the early stages of artwashing in his city he’s been able to study and track its progress for years, collecting evidence and doing all he can to help preserve the identity. In 2023, he and his family were displaced from their apartment in the Southside of Fall River as a result of gentrification, causing Prophet to lose connection with one of the most cherished aspects of his life.He intends to speak on his experiences and provide strategies for pushback, warning about a process he’s seen replicated in almost every city he’s stepped foot in since. He also intends to spark hope in the people he loves, people who typically have to invisibly withstand what he personally understands to be a uniquely evil manifestation of greed and inhumanity. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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