By Danny R. Peralta
Glenn Wright, 21-year-old youth leader from The Point CDC who was tragically murdered on September 13, 2009 on the Lower East Side, will be remembered as a unique voice by his peers and supervisors.
In the short year that he spent at The Point, Glenn excelled as a photographer and member of the NYC Bridge Project, crafting stories often ignored by the mainstream media.
His passion for skateboarding became much more than a hobby under the tutelage of Douglas Miles of Apache Skateboards, who taught Glenn how to design, build and sell skateboards as a founding member of The Point Apache Skate Team.
When Glenn wasn’t expressing himself visually, he took on the challenge of mentoring and teaching youth himself, and this summer he performed day camp counselor duties where he solidified his standing with the community.
“The Point will always remember Glenn as an innovative and compassionate young man,” said Earl Skinner, director of afterschool programs at The Point, who spoke on behalf of the agency at Glenn’s funeral. Skinner went on to describe him as generous and quiet, with an inviting smile that welcomed campers and their families in the morning and wished them farewell at the end of the day. The success of the summer came from this contagious optimistic point of view that he willingly shared with others.
His unique take on a life of compassion made those around him better people. He is credited with assisting his friend Misra Walker to become more aware of her nutrition. “Glenn would take me down to Trader Joe’s and show me item by item what I should put into my body, and how fun healthy food could be,” she said, “I learned things like what saturated fats are, and to this day I feel better about myself with the weight I lost,” she went on. “I’m devastated by his passing, and will miss him terribly”.
Such was the sentiment throughout the city. A vigil was held in East Harlem, where Glenn lived and where he took care of his family after the passing of his mother three years ago. He spent most of his time avoiding the pitfalls of his neighborhood, where ignorance and violence reign and continue to claim lives on a regular basis.
He took advantage of every positive opportunity presented to him before being killed as a result of mistaken identity, while cleaning his grandmother’s street level windows. Glenn had no ties to gangs, drugs or violence, and at the time of his passing was enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College. He had big plans of being an engineer, another of his passions he solidified as a member of and then a mentor to his high school robotics team, the Warriors of East Harlem.
Plans for an exhibition of his photographs are underway to help raise funds for his family, as well as a scholarship fund in his name by the East Harlem Tutorial Program for promising youth wishing to obtain an engineering degree. He leaves behind a wonderful family, girlfriend and crew of inconsolable friends that spans the entire city.
If you wish to make a donation or for more info on Glenn’s life and legacy, please contact East Harlem Tutorial Program at 212-531-0650 or visit www.ehtp.org.
Danny Peralta, the director of art and education at the point, served as a coach of the Central Park East High School Robotics team along with Glenn Wright.
A version of this article appeared in the October issue of The Hunts Point Express.