Piri Thomas (born Juan Pedro Tomas; September 30, 1928 – October 17, 2011) was an American writer and poet of Puerto Rican-Cuban descent, whose memoir Down These Mean Streets became a best-seller.
[1] As an Afro-Latino man, Piri Thomas not only experienced racial discrimination based on his complexition within his neighborhood, but also within the ingrained colorism in his household.
[4] While spending seven years in prison for an attempted armed robbery, Thomas reflected on the teachings of his mother and father, and realized that a person is not born a criminal.
Consequently, he decided to use his street and prison know-how to reach at-risk youth, and to help them avoid a life of crime.
The book follows Thomas as he converts to Christianity, helps inner-city youth, finds job employment, and how he gets married.
[11] Thomas was an influential precursor to the Nuyorican Movement which included poets Pedro Pietri, Miguel Algarín, and Giannina Braschi, who wrote of life in New York City using a mix of English and Spanish.
[12][13] Thomas worked on a book titled A Matter of Dignity and on an educational film entitled Dialogue with Society.
Thomas traveled around the U.S., Central America and Europe, giving lectures and conducting workshops in colleges and universities.
In 2003, Jonathan Meyer Robinson made a film Every Child is Born a Poet: The Life and Work of Piri Thomas, which featured a soundtrack by Kip Hanrahan.