CONVERSATIONS EPISODE 2: PART 1

With Irving Torres, Assistant Director of Member Engagement at Vibrant Pittsburgh

In this episode, I virtually sat down with Irving Torres, the Assistant Director of Member Engagement at Vibrant Pittsburgh. Posing to him questions around community development and engagement, Irving shared his candid perspective and experiences on them, drawing from his many years of experience within the DEI space. From the importance of investing in DEI to the importance of inclusion and education within the space and how hierarchy plays a role when it comes to funding minority-led organizations or funding solutions that pertain to challenges that particularly affect minority groups, this insightful, nuanced and riveting conversation provided powerful insights that are beneficial for both the nonprofit and philanthropic space at large. You can find more details about his work in the bio at the end of this part of the conversation. Per usual and much like the aim of this series, we hope this meaningful conversation adds to the existing catalog of what it means to do community work that truly makes a difference. We also hope that it’ll drive change within donor communities and enable them to understand the importance of funding and extending resources to those who often don’t get access to the needed resources to fulfill the mission and vision of their work.

To learn more about Vibrant Pittsburgh, visit them here: https://vibrantpittsburgh.org/.

Thanks for staying tuned.

Ophelia Akanjo (OA): So, before I interview anyone, I like for them to be the one to tell me about themselves. I kind of don't want to spoil it for them or the audience. And so my first question would be, if you can share your history within the space that you're in. And tell us what space and role you are currently in.

Irving Torres (IT): Absolutely. So currently, I work for Vibrant Pittsburgh. We consider ourselves to be an economic development nonprofit, you know, helping to build an inclusive and thriving Pittsburgh region. And for my role, I'm the Assistant Director of Member Engagement and what I do essentially is connect with our members and also prospective members and help them seek the value of what a membership with Vibrant Pittsburgh would be. So a lot of that is listening to their diversity, equity, and inclusion journey. So, understanding what their challenges are as well as successes, and then, in conjunction, talking to them about Vibrant Pittsburgh and what we have to offer because there are so many different things that we do. In conjunction with consultation services that you may see organizations offer, we provide a lot of spaces and opportunities for organizations in the Pittsburgh region to share, network and engage in professional development surrounding DEI. And so I connect with those organizations to ensure that they're utilizing our various opportunities, but also listening to where they're at within their journey and then helping them understand what initiatives they should be partaking in as a result. 

OA: Why and how did you get into DEI? 

IT: So this is going to be a long walk to get to, perhaps this answer. But I am going to start with growing up in New York City. That was where I was born and raised. SouthSide Jamaica Queens and then I also lived in Harlem for school. And for me, I didn't know what I wanted to do growing up. I didn't know what I wanted to be in life. I think a lot of it was looking at what I would say my parents and “society” wanted me to do or be, and so it was either a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. And being part of a Caribbean family, that was really impressed upon me that that was what it meant to succeed in this world. And so I remember going to college, and I was in a B.S./MD program, and I did that for about three years until I figured out like, Oh, man, this is not what I want to do with my life. And so I switched to English and Theatre and that was like my calling, my passion and then I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree. Now I wish someone would have told me that when you graduate with the Liberal Arts degree that it would be very difficult and challenging to find an occupation unless you like want to be teacher in that respective field, or getting into the writing industry or getting  into an industry that's aligned with whatever you were studying in the Liberal Arts degree. I wish someone would have told me, because afterwards I struggled and I struggled hard and then lived back home with my mom and grandmother at the time in Queens. And then my sister actually had the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh and she was like, hey, do you wanna come with? And I think at that time in my life, I wanted something different. I was struggling with finding a job and I was like, you know what, I think I want a change in my life. And so we packed up our things and moved to Pittsburgh. My sister was a doctor and we went to the same program. Actually, she was like four years ahead of me. But she was going to do her fellowship at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. And so I was like, yo, I don't have anything going on. And so actually, her boss was hiring for her research lab on social behavior that focused on addressing sexual violence prevention predominantly in adolescence and also reproductive health and gender equality. These were a lot of the things that aligned with my own personal journey. And so her boss had asked if I also wanted to join her lab, and I'm like this is great. I'm not making any money so, like sign me up, let's get going. Let's do this. And so that was the context. That was the history. But I would say before I moved to Pittsburgh, and what really shaped where I am today is switching from I think the B.S./MD program, which was geared towards folks from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds because they wanted more black and brown individuals in Pcp positions and primary care physician provider  positions. So that was always in the back of my mind; thinking of how society's addressing various inequities that are existing in this world. So that started with that particular program, and a lot of the courses that I took had that underpinning. So we were learning a lot about disparities in that program. And then I shifted to the English creative writing major and a minor in theater and that also opened my eyes to a variety of artists and writers who would also talk about these particular topics, and so to do that in a classroom setting, and have these various conversations, discussions and dialogue were also very important for my journey. 

Landing in  Pittsburg and focusing on a research lab that wanted to address gender equality, we had to understand obviously the patriarchal hegemonic society and how that exacerbates a lot of the inequities, you know, in the workforce, and in our domestic life as well especially if you're in a heterosexual relationship in general, or if you identify as being a part of the Lgbtq plus population or in general, if you are just a human being to extrapolate a bit more. And for me, I think that was a really important step in my career with understanding how to look at a particular problem, and understand the history and the context of how this appears in society in a variety of ways, and then tailoring an intervention to address a subset of that particular problem was really important for me, doing research as well as interventions as a result. With the interventions that I was hoping to lead it was looking specifically at adolescent males. And how do we change their attitudes towards women and towards the Lgbtq plus population, towards relationships, towards sex and sexuality? And if we do that, would that lead towards less violence perpetration, or attitude towards perpetration. And so there were a variety of programs that we did along that path, and I would say the height of my time with the University of Pittsburgh during those programs came when I was tasked with helping to lead what we called Manhood 2.0 that focused on a lot of those initiatives. We brought in various stakeholders, and community champions and leaders to also be a part of these conversations to engage with young men over a prolonged period of time. Throughout those discussions, yes, we focused on those initiatives  but we also focused on race and the disparities pertinent to race. And so being in that space was like the launching point for me, because I work at the intersection of community based programming as well as addressing inequities. 

I just aligned so wholeheartedly with that conversation surrounding what it means to be a man–it resonated with me so wholeheartedly. Just navigating those realms throughout my own personal life. And then hearing the stories of the men that we interacted with was also so impactful and powerful. So that was the starting point before I went off into the health department, where I was solely focused on health disparities and addressing health disparities in underserved communities. And we did that through the Americorps program where we brought in a cohort of perhaps 15 to 20 Americorps members per year, where they engaged in service for a 10 month period and volunteered with various organizations throughout their journey there. But because they were going into these organizations where they would interact with individuals who did not have a lot of the resources, who had barriers to health and wellbeing, having conversations surrounding privilege, conversations surrounding trauma informed care principles and how we meet people where they're at, conversations about the inherent power and imbalances that exist within a lot of these institutions was really important. So I did that for 5 years and felt like I needed a shift, you know. I think this was all embedded in diversity, equity, and inclusion. And then I think I saw an opportunity, and I learned about Vibrant Pittsburgh and what they were doing for the workforce predominantly. 

OA: Yeah, that's really good. Oh, you have an interesting background for sure. And I was going to comment on the fact that you know, regardless of whatever field it seems you find yourself in, like the example you use about moving from wanting to pursue medicine to studying theater and writing, it seems like majority of the issues that are discussed or addressed are very much about the human condition, very similar, you know. Whether you write about it or operate on people, they kind of seem like you want to tackle the same kinds of issues. So that's a really good thing. And I wanted to ask about the study that you were doing previously with the male population. Was it race specific, or was it across races?

IT: Great question, I believe this was in conjunction with a grant that we had, or collaboration that we had done with another entity. But it was focused predominantly on African American males in underserved communities because we were looking at the intersection of not only domestic violence or adolescent violence, but we were looking at violence at large, you know, within various communities. The intervention was the programming that we were doing. But then the control was a job readiness program. And so it was tackling a variety of issues all at once. Because one thing that we all had thought about during that time too, was like no, this is not just pertinent towards one race. This is pertinent to all individuals, all men from various backgrounds, and even though it was tailored towards African American males, anyone could join those conversations and discussions. It was really looking at some of the intersection of the issues that were predominant within Pittsburgh especially when it came to adolescent males in Pittsburgh. So that's a really great question, because It is something that we thought about while doing that. That study and the intervention even though it was tailored for African-american males, it was definitely applicable to all males. 

OA: Do you remember one or two key points that emerged, or that you guys took away like in terms of behavior, mindset, attitude or whatever, especially amongst I guess in this case, African American males, as it relates to violence towards women, or towards even just the men in general that you guys worked with?

IT: Absolutely. Oh, man! So I have probably a couple of anecdotes or things that stand out for me. Things that I remember when helping to facilitate the majority of these interventions. One thing was when we had done the contraception lesson, the contraception piece and looking at how the participants dealt with the information that we presented, and then also them presenting the information that they had themselves and what they had known about contraception in general, we heard so many different ideas and thoughts, beliefs and misconceptions surrounding reproduction and surrounding what it meant to do family planning. It was very eye opening for us. I know a lot of folks in the field who taught health education or sex ed could definitely relate to those conversations. But just seeing how rampant misinformation was, and where folks were receiving that information, especially if they're not having conversations in the household or in school appropriately, how that did impact behavior. And so it was just really looking at the education that we're providing and where the kids are receiving their education. You know, through the Internet, through different videos, through Youtube, and how that information is not being audited. Hey, like even though it's on the Internet, it does not mean that it's true, you know. So I wanted to start there because I heard so many different beliefs that folks had surrounding what it meant to safely have sex. And that was one thing that stood out to me. Another thing that stood up to me, and I'll never forget was when we had conversations surrounding what it meant to be a man. You'll hear thematically from them it was very akin to heteronormative general roles, you know, similar to oh, a man has to take care of the family, protect the family, be the breadwinner and along those kinds of things. But what was really apparent was when we would talk about race and looking at the intersection of that, and how they dealt with race within the locale of Pittsburgh, within their own neighborhoods. And so we spoke about relationships with the police and how they view the police. And then we also spoke about their view on whiteness, and how and I remember one participant said that he believed his life would be a lot better if he were white, and that really impacted me, you know. So that was speaking to so many different concepts and all deeply rooted emotions. I know for me  being black and afro latino, finding identity has always been a hard thing for me because I'm Haitian and Dominican, and if people know the history surrounding Haiti and Dominican Republic they understand what I'm referring to.

OA: Yeah, thank you for that. And the more you discuss these things, the more it becomes apparent that so many things are interconnected. So going off the question or the topic on identity, how would you describe yourself whether it be on the personal, career, and family levels? If you were to summarize to someone, how would you describe yourself?

IT: So I took a test. It's called the Gallup strengths finder test. And you answer a series of questions and it'll help identify your strengths. When I took that test it indicated that I was a harmonizer. For me, I truly relate to that. I think empathy is a huge part of who I am, and my value system in terms of my relationships and family. I would say, also being black and being afro latino is a big part of who I am. And as I get older, identity is something that you can always continue to learn about yourself, and as I've gotten older, I've understood it more and more over time, you know. I think, growing up in in the neighborhoods that I grew up in and then going into high school and college and going to Pittsburgh, I took something from each of those experiences of when and how my identity showed up, and whether or not there was conflict or how I was navigating conflict in those various stages of my life and my journey. And so yes, being a harmonizer, being black, being afro latino I would say, being a helper addressing (and I'm not saying that just because I've lived in Pittsburgh for 10 years, and and Mr. Rogers is like kind of coined as the the person that said that to be the helper and things of that sort) but that has always been something that has been a part of me. Is to look at those who have been suffering, or have gone through injustice, and see how we can help them out in whatever capacity we can. Perhaps because it was the neighborhood that I grew up in. We didn't have access to a lot of things. We were in a food desert and there wasn't like in terms of looking at the structure and access to healthcare and other resources that was I would say, robust and available as it is in areas like for instance, when I did move to Pittsburgh, and I lived in the North Hills, and I was experiencing more access to certain things than I ever did in my entire life. And so I think it started from a young age of seeing family and seeing the people around me, and seeing society and how we didn't have access to these things and wanting to help those individuals. And so that's kind of like how I sum myself up, you know, a harmonizer. My identity of being black Afro latino and being a helper, and caring for others. And I do that through the work that I do.

OA: Do you find that these sort of descriptions about yourself sort of conflict with the notions of masculinity that exist in our society? 

IT: I do. I think because a lot of these components have to deal with vulnerability. And I think, in our society, certain levels of vulnerability aren't as acceptable when it comes to the masculinity norm or box as others. You know, It's more acceptable to cry when you're playing a sport for men as opposed to crying while having a conversation with a friend or saying that you need help with something or saying, yo, you hurt my feelings, you know. It's harder to say those things, and in order to do the work that I'm doing and being in these various roles, you have to be able to do that. You also have to be able to admit your mistakes. And I think that's another huge element of vulnerability. And I think a lot of that does conflict with the norms of masculinity, with always having to wear this tough machismo, this tough bravado and not be able to show any form of weakness. Because if you do, you know that has its own kind of connotations of who you are as a man and even blackness. And in 2023, I think people still equate blackness to certain stereotypes. We know in 2023 we're not a monolith. No one's a monolith and so what it means to be a man and black looking at that intersection, there are “rules” that you should abide by, and if you break outside of those rules you’re looked at perhaps differently. And so there's always a hesitancy or a trepidation for folks to exhibit those levels of vulnerability. 

OA: Preach! 

Thank you for reading till the end of this part. We truly appreciate you!

Stay tuned for part 2 of this convo on 10/20/2023 at 11am EST. Until then, please engage with us by sharing your perspective here and on all our social media accounts @accralit

About Irving Torres:

Irving Torres is responsible for overseeing Vibrant Pittsburgh’s member retention strategy, data and processes related to member recruitment and retention, and managing the logistics of all member engagement events. 

For the past 7 years, Irving has been involved with spearheading a myriad of community-based programming initiatives throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. These initiatives include coordinating gender-based violence prevention programming through the University of Pittsburgh and directing Pittsburgh’s National Health Corps, an AmeriCorps program, dedicated towards mitigating health disparities in underserved communities via the promotion of health access and health education.

A New York City native by way of Queens and Harlem, Irving considers Pittsburgh his second home. Irving is interested in creative writing, mental health advocacy, mindfulness, and finding a variety of ways to share a laugh with loved ones.