UNDO CULTURAL TABOO
Over the past couple of years, Kyle Santoro, the filmmaker of Fentanyl High, has had a chance to see how different cities, towns, and communities have organized to present his film, as well as the wide range of audience and government responses, stories, and questions. Several black and Latino community leaders who have seen Fentanyl High have told him that their cultural context for understanding and responding to the fentanyl epidemic is completely different than the mainstream, white community.
As a result of these many conversations, he decided to design the UNDO CULTURAL TABOO PSA videos to address the language barriers and cultural stigmas that many ethnic communities have when talking about the fentanyl epidemic. Kyle’s hope is to include as many voices within the local and national conversations about teenage fentanyl poisoning as possible.
01
THE MAJOR MANNING STORY
Rhonda Manning, mother of Major Manning, who also appears in the feature film, Fentanyl High, strives to prolong the lives of teens by sharing her story. Her son, who attended Mountain House High School in California, died from a counterfeit pill laced with Fentanyl. Her voice encourages parents of the black and all ethnic communities to be aware of not only the dangers of Fentanyl poisoning, but also the dangers of silence in a time when there is no room for experimentation.
02
THE FERNANDO SANCHEZ STORY
Lisa Marquez, a mother in Gilroy, CA, lost her son, Fernando Sanchez, at just 17 years old to a Fentanyl poisoning. She strives to tell the story of her son, as well as to break down the taboo within her community around substance abuse, mental health, and the importance of keeping an open line of communication within a family’s household.
03
THE JACOB VASQUEZ STORY
Geralyn Vasquez, a middle school art teacher, lost her son, Jacob Vasquez, to a Fentanyl overdose. As an educator, she has first hand experience interacting with teens and seeing the stresses that live among them, as well as the academic pressures that are applied by parents. She delivers an important message and perspective to parents about protecting teenagers from unhealthy coping mechanisms.
This PSA initiative was supported by the Rotary Club of Los Gatos.
