I grew up in the Hood; I grew up in one of the projects in Toronto during the 1970s (I and my friends were that original “70s Show”). It was great. Lots of kids in and around my own age. The project was divided into courts and each court at that time was an assorted colour, so there was always a type of build in rivalry as a result. For the most part, we all got along well with each other; since, we were all lived in the same project and we all went to the same schools.
My childhood was great. When not attending school, nor doing our homework, we all hung out together.
We would play road hockey, hide-n-seek, or one-man-chase. Yes, I played as well.
Even though I had a bum leg, because of having Cerebral Palsy, I still participated. There was no real thought on the others of excluding me. Quite the contrary, my friends always included me and never really treated me any different. They were great guys and gals.
Growing up in the project meant that we had each others’ back. Even the parents showed this: All the other parents, kept an eye out for all the other kids in the project. It was truly unique to growing up in the project, but perhaps it was more growing up in the sixties and the seventies. Either way, it was special.
Those were good times.
—Robert Confiant 9 April 2017 (mod 25 March 2018)
