“The book speaks to a hope for a different world and finds even in the most dispiriting of experiences the seeds of change and social justice. This should be required reading.”
—Warren Montag, chair of the English and Comparative Literary Studies Department at Occidental College.

“The Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton said in one of his poems that “Somebody should give medals of resistance for being Salvadoran”. I cannot avoid quoting Dalton (his father was an American coffee grower in El Salvador), when I think about Randy Jurado Ertll’s book. As he describes in his memories, he had to go through a long season in hell to find his place in the world. Jurado represents a kind of Salvadoran that Dalton the poet never foresaw in his literature: a member of the ever growing Salvadoran diaspora, whose trials and agonies, situated between two worlds, represent a new experience. This is what he wants to convey –and he does it in a very candid way— in his first book.”

Roger Lindo, reporter with La Opinion newspaper and author of El Perro en la Niebla (Verbigracia, Spain)

Hope in Times of Darkness sends a message that we can be agents of positive change, and that minority youth in impoverished areas can succeed in life and become productive citizens of our society.

The author, a Salvadoran American, lived in El Salvador as a child but grew up in South Central Los Angeles during the late 1970s and 1980s. He also lived in Rochester, Minnesota; Washington, D.C.; and Alexandria, Virginia. In each of these cities, he observed the dynamics and challenges of the Salvadoran community.

As he has both lived and transcended these struggles himself, he is able to depict a realistic and compassionate picture of the Salvadoran American/Latino experience throughout this book. The author focuses on social justice issues and contends that government, community-based organizations, elected officials, and community leaders can help create hope and opportunities for our youth, and thereby help improve our society.

Randy Jurado Ertll is the executive director of El Centro de Accion Social in Pasadena, CA.

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Foreword
Ramon C. Cortines
Acknowledgements

Introduction: Growing Up in South Central Los Angeles

1. The Story of a Salvadoran American

2. The Dark Side

3. Can African Americans and Latinos Get Along?

4. A Better Chance Program

5. Occidental College Years

6. 1992 L.A. Riots – The Fire Still Burns in Los Angeles

7. The Environmental Movement

8. SAL-PAC – New Generation of Salvadoran Americans/Overcoming Negative Stereotypes

9. Searching for My Roots

10. From South L.A. to Capitol Hill

11. The Sann Year and How I Ended Up Working for the Pasadena Unified School District

12. How to Win an Election in the Southeast Lost Angeles City of Maywood

13. El Centro de Accion Social

14. American Me, The Sopranos, and the National Geographic Channel

15. Perseverance

16. Lessons Learned, the Future, and Conclusion: Wake Up Everybody