# @thirteenwnet on YouTube

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=tX1JE8aOs2M
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/71620770-thirteenwnet-youtube
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/287e2b81ce.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-10-04T13:00:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** THIRTEEN (@thirteenwnet) — https://gondola.cc/thirteenwnet

## Caption

In this documentary directed by Gordon Parks in 1968, author and poet Piri Thomas confronts the harsh realities of growing up in impoverished Spanish Harlem. An Afro-Latino of Puerto Rican-Cuban descent, Thomas' memoir "Down These Mean Streets" became a best-seller in 1967.

Street scenes, Thomas' prose and poetry, and children's answers to questions about their lives paint harrowing accounts of rat-infested tenement buildings, drug addiction, prison time, and street violence in "El Barrio" of New York City. Children's drawings and voices add hope for the future.

"The World of Piri Thomas" aired in 1968 on "NET Journal" and is part of the THIRTEEN Vault. "NET Journal" was WNET's news anthology and documentary series that featured content about the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Nixon administration, New York’s Spanish Harlem, life on Native American reservations, and more from 1966-1970.

From September 15 through October 15, The WNET Group celebrates Hispanic and Latino history and culture with the community’s unique voices in Honoring Our Stories: Hispanic Heritage Month. Dramatic films; profiles of literary, music, and artistic visionaries; commentaries on identity and history; landmark series from the THIRTEEN Vault; and culinary explorations make up the diverse programming offered for broadcast and streaming audiences.

Subscribe to THIRTEEN newsletters to stay informed:https://www.thirteen.org/email-preferences/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=HonoringOurStories&utm_id=HonoringOurStories

#PiriThomas #SpanishHarlem #ElBarrio #PuertoRicanHistory #EastHarlem #THIRTEEN #PBS #TheStoryOfNewYork

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THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.

## Stats

- **Views:** 32,209
- **Likes:** 434
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 23

## Tags

thirteen, puertoricanhistory, pirithomas, spanishharlem, thestoryofnewyork, eastharlem, pbs, elbarrio

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