Rudy Carrasco, Executive Director, Harambee Center, Pasadena, California

In Swahili, Harambee means “Lets Get Together and Push.” In 1982, the neighborhood surrounding the Harambee Center was called “blood corner,” due to the number of drive-by shootings and drug deals that routinely took place where Howard and Navarro Streets intersected. Residents were prisoners in their homes and hope was something far out of reach. Armed with the belief that the only way to become a community change-agent was to actually become part of the community and to model a good life, Carrasco and Harambee’s founder, Dr. John Perkins, moved in and began working with African-American and Latino children and families. Carrasco, an orphan from East Los Angeles, grew up in similar circumstances to those plaguing this neighborhood. Today, the Harambee Center educates a new generation of leaders who will make a positive difference to the people of the community; promotes racial reconciliation; and has become an award-winning model for urban ministry. Carrasco, a nationally recognized expert on youth empowerment, is often called upon to advise national leaders on rebuilding urban neighborhoods. A much sought after speaker, Carrasco has inspired young people throughout the country. For over 20 years, Rudy Carrasco has lived the principal of “Let’s Get Together and Push” – come learn from him, be inspired by him at the 2005 National Youth Summit.