Andre G. Gray: a Giant’s [Blog]

Hello Brutes.

Take this as my formal introduction to the BRUTE LABS movement. My name is Andre Gray and I am currently an undergraduate at Amherst College. I was born in NYC and raised in the SFC and I am excited to say that I will be the inaugural intern at BRUTE LABS for the summer of 2009. Prior to this summer I spent some time in New York working in brand development and I have been hosting a blog at andreggray.com for almost two years. I see the blog as the outlet for my creative energies and its writing base gives me a chance to hone in on my own voice without having someone else’s expectations in mind. As a creative mind, I think of myself as someone that lives on the edge, always looking to push the boundaries of the norm and the mundane, be the platform writing, clothing or any other form of expression. As a professional, I think of myself as a social entrepreneur where social progression trumps any fiscal advancement. My goal is to propagate the tools to leap tall buildings in singular bounds, to make what seems impossible, possible. This thought runs hand in hand with BRUTE LABS and their desire to get the change they want to see in the world started. To quote Joshua To “What makes BRUTE LABS truly innovative is our process of identifying problems or issues of any size, then focusing on projects that can be developed and launched quickly”, making the macro manageable. I grew up in a bilingual French/English academic environment. The totality of these different environments makes the basis for my global view and my interest in keep everyone conscious of humans and their needs around the world.

I came out of my school year with a yearning, a deficit. I needed an outlet for my creative juices. The way BRUTE LABS came up on my radar was a perfect example of the power of the ‘09 internet. I started my ’summer search’ with the Amherst College alumni network, as Amherst is my alma mater. Email allowed for a simple way to avoid the awkwardness of asking virtual strangers for help. In the long list of Amherst alum, I came across Ben Softness from Google. I figured, I like Google, its in the Bay Area, hey what is the worst that could happen. Ben was kind enough to tweet my request for an internship … And then, I found BRUTE LABS. Boop, the BL blip. From there I got in touch with Joshua and looked over the website. Needless to say, I didn’t need very much convincing.

BRUTE LABS is a perfect marriage between the two sides of myself, between my desire to build communities around the world and my love for creativity. Along the course of my education, as I learn, both through academia and on the street, I have become more readily aware of the opportunites that have been allotted to me. Education shines as the greatest door opened for me. I have become fully aware of how access to elite education has been instrumental to my ability to come into my own and formulate a specific, personal vision of self. When I look over my path, I further realize that this search for self identity is, in itself, a luxury.

* Do child soldiers have the luxury to think about how they want be viewed?
* How can a single mother take time out of her day to think about how the world looks at her if she is busy making sure her kids can eat?
* Does the phrase “self-image” enter the daily life of a homeless man with AIDS?

It is out of these questions that my desire to save the world, or at least the piece I can reach, started. It is the duty of the privledged to help those who do not have the ability, be it in the form of opportunity or resources, to help themselves. If they make an effort, we must reciprocate. With BL, Ihope to to use my creativity to bring new ideas to the NFP sector without having to have the entirety of the execution laying in my hands. I am able to help build communities and further human connectivity. I hope to be able to begin to affect change in the way in which people are viewed and judged. If it is a simple as showing the homeless where they can shower and eat without panhandling or making sure a minority kid has a someone to turn to when he realizes the system is built on his back, or making sure everyone has potable drinking water… every little and big… thing counts. For the summer, I will be interning at BRUTE LABS, hoping to throw as many hours as I can into the MVMT machine. I hope to build a lifelong marriage with BL, which will allow me to continue the WORK no matter where in the world I might find myself, starting with the summer and moving on from there.

When I’m not bruting, you can find me being active, either on the hoop court or exercising and enjoying the outdoors, all with music all around me. We all need to see the humanity in everyone, those who hold the keys and those who hold nothing. Whichever position you find yourself in, priveldged or not, you can still have an effect on the world around you, be it as simple as someone next to you or someone around the world. It is your duty to effect change in your own way. Together we can change the world.