Momentum: Q&A With David Rojas Jr.
Presented by Moments Media, TA98’s Digital Storytelling Division
By Araceli Ramirez
David Rojas Jr. is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Alliance 98 (TA98), a nonprofit organization based in Chicago’s Little Village. A proud first-generation social entrepreneur and Posse Scholar, Rojas launched TA98 in 2018 to address the barriers faced by young adults aged 16 to 24. Since then, the organization has helped more than 600 youth explore career pathways, unlock their creativity, and build a sense of community.
This year, under Rojas’ leadership, TA98 is expanding into digital storytelling with Moments Media, a new branch focused on capturing and celebrating the people, places, and movements that make Little Village thrive. One of its first initiatives, Momentum, will highlight individuals, businesses, and institutions creating change in their communities.
We sat down with Rojas to reflect on TA98’s roots and what this new chapter means for the community.
Q: Can you start by sharing a bit about yourself and your journey?
A: I’m from Little Village, born and raised. I’m also a first-generation college graduate and a Posse Scholar. I’ve always felt a deep sense of responsibility to my neighborhood, especially when I left for school and started thinking about how I could bring resources back.
We officially launched TA98 in 2018, but the real work started when I was still in college. In the summer of 2013, we received a $10,000 grant from the Davis Foundation’s 100 Projects for Peace to help fund our vision. The previous summer, a 6-year-old girl was shot two blocks from my house—that tragic moment pushed me to dig deeper into why violence keeps showing up in our neighborhoods and what I could do about it.
That summer, we hired five members of our local youth, hosted community events, and began building. Three close friends and I made up the first board; it was grassroots from the beginning. We didn’t have all the answers, but we knew we wanted to do something for our neighborhood and our city.
Q: What does TA98 mean, and how did the name come about?
A: We started by asking a simple question to a focus group of young people: What do we need more of? A lot of words came up—resources, opportunities, mentorship—but the word “alliance” really stood out. It felt like the right energy. It’s about building cultural bridges and aligning our efforts.
The number 98 has two meanings for me. First, it was the year my family purchased our first stable home in Little Village. I remember waiting at the window for my dad to come home from work, spotting his red shirt, running to open the door, and turning on the TV to watch Michael Jordan play. That memory ties into MJ’s legacy and what he meant to the city. It’s that feeling of doing something meaningful for your people—and doing it at a high level.
Q: How has being from Little Village shaped the way you lead and build TA98?
A: I love my neighborhood so much. Being from here helps me relate to the challenges our youth face, as well as their brilliance. There’s so much talent in Little Village, but our young people are often overlooked. That’s why it made sense for TA98 to become a place where youth can bring their ideas and lived experiences to the table. We tell them, ‘Let’s write it down. Let’s reverse engineer your vision. Let’s build it together.’ And it works.
Our mission is about empowerment, but that always starts with connection. Growing up here as a first-generation student has made it natural for me to build those relationships and walk alongside our young adults.
Q: Why did you want to launch Moments Media and Momentum?
A: We’re simply tired of our neighborhood only getting bad press—that doesn’t reflect what we see every day.
There are so many incredible stories here. Many businesses, families, organizers, and leaders are doing work that deserves to be recognized. Creative journalism is powerful; it’s how we shape narratives and reclaim space. We fully believe that storytellers are the new athletes.
For example, we have a neighborhood ice cream shop that often provides free ice cream to our young people and always invites them to hang out or asks about their day. Those gestures created a safe space for the youth. Now they go there to do homework and work on projects. That’s what community investment looks like, and we need to highlight it.
That’s what Moments Media is about. That’s what Momentum is about. If we can get businesses, government, nonprofits, and schools working together, we’re not just preventing violence—we’re building an economy rooted in community care.
Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to leave us with?
A: We have one of the youngest populations in the city and some of the most talented. But too often, our young people don’t see themselves reflected in the stories being told about their community.
That is going to change.
When we showcase youth voices and local stories, we remind young people that their dreams are valid and worth pursuing. That their paths matter. That they have the power to shape the narrative.
Moments Media and Momentum are just the beginning. We’re creating a storytelling ecosystem where Little Village isn’t just heard—it’s amplified.