Parent Talk Live
Ameer Baraka
Candidly Discusses His Struggles with Dyslexia and How it Impacted His Life

Warning:  This conversation contains mature and possibly controversial content
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@LetTheHoodTalk
Ameer Baraka, the New Orleans-born actor and activist who co-starred on Fox’s hit, American Horror Story, HBO’s Treme, and Oprah Winfrey’s Black Board Wars, embarks on a national campaign to change young people’s lives with his autobiographical, The Life I Chose. Baraka’s book, hailed by critics as a scintillating page turner and an absolute must read, chronicles his transformation from a wayward, illiterate juvenile delinquent wreaking havoc in New Orleans most crime-infested ghettos and housing projects, to a celebrated author, motivational speaker, and one of New Orleans’ most celebrated and sought-after citizens.

Dr. Mike Robinson, host of Parent Talk Live and his guest Ameer Baraka discuss his  struggles with dyslexia and how his disability impacted his life.

​This conversation contains mature and possibly controversial content.
Baraka uses the book as a teaching tool to show readers how he overcame having been incarcerated as a youth, diagnosed with dyslexia, raised in an impoverished single-parent household, inducted into a vicious street gang, and introduced to drug use by his own absentee father who would later spend decades behind bars.
Ameer Baraka has achieved acclaim on the small screen in HBO’s Treme, set in his native New Orleans, and on the big screen alongside Academy Award Winner, Forrest Whitaker in My Own Love Song. His incredible story of ascendancy from juvenile delinquency to prominence has inspired the likes of Oprah Winfrey to feature him on her “Blackboard Wars” program for his devotion to the mentoring of at-risk youth. Further biographical information about him can be found at http://KingBaraka.com .
Baraka also used his personal experience to write and direct a dramatic series called “N.O.L.A Life” with Daniel R. Garcia of New Kingdom Pictures. Described as one of "the truest, grittiest, most realistic depiction of New Orleans life and culture ever rendered to film," “N.O.L.A. Life” is a new web series premiering on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/ondemand/nolal 
Growing up in the streets of New Orleans, Ameer Baraka found himself in constant trouble with the law, which eventually led to his incarceration. Through inspiration and determination he has turned his life around. He is now an author, activist and actor. Baraka hopes that in sharing his struggle, he can encourage others.