Zócalo Public Square

Mentoring programs like Big Brothers, Big Sisters have been highly touted as a way to keep troubled kids off the streets. But can an outsider who has never been homeless or been recruited into a gang actually help a kid who knows those experiences all too well? A quarter-century ago, John Prendergast, now one of the most prominent activists on human rights issues in Africa, took on a 7-year-old “little brother,” Michael Mattocks, who lived in a dangerous neighborhood of Washington. They’ve both confronted violence and tragedy since: Prendergast in the war zones of Africa, Mattocks through his life as a drug dealer in the nation’s capital. They got together occasionally but never fully confronted the monumental challenges each faced until nearly 25 years after their relationship began. Now, each man names the other as a profound influence on his life. Prendergast, author with Michael Mattocks of Unlikely Brothers: Our Story of Adventure, Loss and Redemption, visited Zócalo to discuss his relationship with his