"Manny Velasquez, first of his family to be born in the United States - #Pacoima, CA. A muralist by calling uses art as a medium to educate and empower people through images. . . #ripplesofajourney #ripplesofsuccess #thepowerofu  #thepowerofus #immigrant #unified #unabated #muralist . . Most people know Manny from his vibrant Los Angeles murals. His passion is youth violence prevention and community outreach through art and music. By embracing art, music, and youth culture as powerful intervention tools he has engaged thousands of marginalized youth and families in the creation of 30 murals, youth art exhibits, positive graffiti art projects, and live music concerts in schools and disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. . At the age of 13 his life intersected with a group of Chicano Studies college students who formed the art gallery and youth center ""El Jardin de Flor Y Canto"" in Pacoima; by age 14 he had painted his first mural and earned $500 as part of a summer project. His experiences at El Jardin provided him with an important alternative to the streets; the guys always emphasized that art was his strength and his reason not to getting caught up in the neighborhood gang lifestyle. At the same time they understood how important it was for him not to forget the friends he had grown up with. . Manny stills lives in Pacoima where he continues his work in the community as an advocate for the arts and youth engagement."
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