In Our Own Voices: Conrad Cheek Jr.

Former biomedical engineer and graduate of George Washington University, Conrad Cheek has been an artist/vendor for Street Sense Media since its first issue in 2003. Cheek reflects on his experiences as a biomedical engineer at Arlington Hospital, as well as being the first African-American to work at the UCLA Medical Center’s Biomedical Engineering Department. He discusses his experiences with being homeless off and on over the years, after struggling with discrimination in the workplace, particularly at UCLA. His article on his father is at https://www.streetsensemedia.org/article/an-unsung-african-american-hero-my-father/#.Y_z2-R_MIdU. He also chronicles his experience living in his car, being kidnapped, carjacked, and stealing his own car back. His article on that is at https://www.streetsensemedia.org/article/kidnapped-carjacked-and-i-stole-my-car-back/#.Y_z_PB_MIdU. He discusses how he found out about Street Sense during its founding. Cheek was interviewed October 21, 2022 fellow Artist/Vendor Aida Peery as part of Street Sense Media’s Oral History Project, “In Our Own Voices: Artist/Vendors 2003-2023.”