John Jay College of Justice:
Alumnus Hernán Carvente-Martinez ’15, a Queens, New York native, knows how hard it can be when you’re navigating complex life challenges while also struggling with mental health issues. That’s why he founded Healing Ninjas, a digital wellness platform created especially for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities searching for mental health and healing resources. The work has garnered Carvente-Martinez a special recognition; he was awarded Reebok’s 2021 Human Rights Award (sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union and Alabama State University). As a part of the award, Carvente-Martinez received $100,000 to honor his ongoing work to create a healing community for BIPOC people, close youth prisons, and reinvest in community-based alternatives to youth incarceration.
Carvente-Martinez, who works as a National Youth Partnership Strategist at Youth First Initiative, a non-profit seeking to end youth imprisonment, noticed a recurring problem facing underrepresented populations, a staggering lack of mental health resources. “That’s why I started Healing Ninjas,” he says. “When the pandemic was in full swing, there were so many young people reaching out to me who were struggling with their mental health as a result of the constant isolation they were going through.” We sat down with Carvente-Martinez to learn more about his work, incredible journey, and hopes for the future.
Growing Up in Two Worlds
Carvente-Martinez was born in Manhattan, but from the age of three to eight, he lived in Puebla, Mexico. “I still have vivid memories from my time in Mexico. We lived in a pretty poor community—we’re talking non-paved roads. The home I was living in was made of bricks without any sealants in between them. If it was raining, if it was windy, you would feel all of the environmental conditions around you in the house,” he says. Carvente-Martinez fondly remembers his mother’s cooking when they lived in Mexico—her getting the corn, drying it, turning it into masa, and frying it up into tortillas. “A tortilla with salt and sour cream was the meal for the day. I remember Mexico not being the most lavish living, but it was good.” Continue reading >>>
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