With his book “Tattoos On The Heart: The Power Of Boundless Compassion” hitting its tenth week on the best sellers list, Father Greg Boyle came to Oxnard College to talk about his book and about the Homeboy Industries.
Father Boyle’s speech was filled with humor and energy as he talked about his experiences with ‘homies’ and ‘homegirls’ and bringing everyone together and relinquishing hatred even though they were from rival gangs.
“Manuel and Snoopy were rival gang members,” said Boyle. “They used to shoot bullets at each other, now they shoot each other text messages.”
Father Boyle was born on May 19, 1954. He has taught at Loyola High School and worked with Christian bases in Bolivia. As founder of Homeboy industries, he was nominated into the California Hall of Fame in December 2011.
He started Homeboy Industries in 1992 with the Homeboy Bakery in order to keep troubled gang members out of the street and find themselves. It gives them a chance to adjust to society and become successful. Today, Homeboy Industries is a nonprofit organization; they have Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise and Homegirl Cafe.
Dr. Marie Butler, Sociology professor and club advisor for the sociology club, met with Father Boyle before and got a chance to understand his non-profit organization.
“We met with Father Greg Boyle and had a thanksgiving lunch,” said Butler. “We had a process to select a book and invite the author to see if they can come. Father Boyle was very generous and came for low funds.”
John Garcia, treasurer of the sociology club, said that Father Boyle was someone he looked forward to coming to the campus.
“We really enjoyed his speech and we look forward to have more events like this with ‘One Campus One Book’ sponsoring it,” said Garcia.
Miguel, a “homie,” that came with Father Boyle, said that Homeboy Industries gave him a chance.
“I chose it because no one hired me,” said Miguel. “They helped me become a better person and helped me find a job. “
Father Boyle’s compassion for others, no matter who they are and where they come from, shows us that with a little help, it sends many to accomplish great and wonderful things.
