Mama T and I met 10 years ago at an after-school Gang Risk Intervention Program. I was just 12. When the state cut funding, “Mama T,” aka Teresa Goines, saw us kids drift back to our old habits—staying out late, getting into trouble.
So she spent her savings to start Old Skool Café, a youth-led supper club where we learn to cook high-end food, get hands-on experience in the restaurant industry, and come to respect ourselves and others.
“I am so proud,” she tells us before every event. “I can’t wait for our guests to see how amazing you are.”
We call her Mama T because she does what a mother is supposed to do: She goes out of her way for us. She listens to us and has our back no matter what. She’s not like family. She is family.
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