Society lied to me, and I believed it. They said I was the least of us. I bought into the narratives of those who did not look like me. In fact, I took to heart many of the things these people had written about me, and the things that were projected through film and media. Think about it like this: almost every movie, but not all, present images of African Americans in a negative light. All too often we were portrayed or typecast as the bad guy, rapist, murderer, drug addict, drug dealer, pimp or con-man. The news projects these same negative images of African Americans. Unfortunately, I grew up watching these images as America continuously perpetuated the lie that the African American is either the victim or the victimizer. As a result, I grew up surrounded by this lie which the media then uses to deceive my people into believing that their lies were in fact the truth.

There were a few media portrayals — The Cosby Show and A Different World — who told me the truth about my people: my reality was not the only reality for African Americans because there were black doctors and lawyers and a whole generation of African Americans who were college educated. However, these shows were so far from my reality that it seemed like they were the lie. I grew up in a marginalized community from which no one was expected to make it out. The system seemed to be rigged to keep marginalized communities in their current state with their lack of affordable housing, poor health care and a broken education system. The people in these communities are not representative of the characters I saw on The Cosby Show and A Different World because these communities are just existing, and not thriving. I’m a product of this environment.

I speak from the experience I gained in my environment. I whole-heartedly apologize to all the brave people from the civil rights movement who looked death in the eye and fought for our right to be free. This apology is especially true for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who dreamed “that one day all of God’s children would have food and clothing and material well-being for their bodies, culture and education for their minds, and freedom for their spirits.”

In my community, Dr. King’s dream was overcome by society’s lie, as educational resources were lacking. I am a product of the Detroit Public School system, which was broken. To call this system broken is not a slight on the teachers — there were a lot of them who genuinely cared about their students, even though most of them were overworked and underpaid. Classrooms were overcrowded, and textbooks were so old that pages were missing. The settings in most of these classrooms were not conducive for prime learning opportunities, so the dropout rate was high. And as a result, I spat in the face of those who made sacrifices for freedom, equality and the right to be educated properly as I chose not to take my education seriously. However, I apologize to those who came before me, because in the past I bought into the falsehood that education was not important to my survival.

Education was not celebrated in my community. In fact, I have been to more going away parties for men going to prison than for men going off to college. This is a sad reality, despite that it was my reality. Therefore, I did not see how education could help me to overcome the circumstances of my life, circumstances which required me to get a job when I became old enough to work. Moreover, in my mind, education was not in my future because I could not afford college, nor did I see myself attending college. Not to say education was not attainable for the people in my community — some of them went to college by playing sports, and a few even received academic scholarships. However, none of the people I hung out with made it to college. So for me, education seemed to be unattainable for many people in my community.

Individuals who lived, or live, in marginalized or poverty-stricken communities are detrimentally influenced by their surroundings more often than those who do not. When you are surrounded by so much negativity, the power of that negativity tends to mold and shape you into being someone other than who God intended you to be. This negativity becomes a part of you, and you start believing exactly what society teaches you about yourself.

Early on in my childhood, I realized I wasn’t learning much in school, and teachers were passing me for simply showing up. I went from middle school to high school with the same knowledge I had in elementary school. In my opinion, I learned more in the streets than I ever could in school. I am by no means trying to glorify the streets over formal education, because I would have made better choices knowing what I know now. However, pursuing education was not easy when your friends — I’m talking about teenagers — are literally making more money than your parents and teachers. Consequently, the negative influences from my friends of hustling in the streets began to look like positives. As a result, I gave up on education and I started to justify my actions by claiming they were necessary for me to survive.

Education, however, is a God-given right, and I chose to exercise that right when I decided to join the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) program. For me, life comes down to choices, and I was faced with the choice of either giving myself a chance at education or continuing down a path to nowhere. I chose education, and I am now a member of the Mighty Eighth Cohort — class of 2027. I must admit that coming into this new arena was quite challenging to say the least. I had to relearn how to learn all over again because I was not allowed to participate in any educational programs for over two decades. The prison system basically gave up on me due to my substantial prison sentence. Most of the programs were for individuals who were close to going home. Educational programs were not offered to guys like myself, or those who had life sentences, but the CPI program was different.

The CPI program is one of a kind, as it actually seeks out people who are doing long indeterminate sentences or life, which speaks volumes about where the CPI program stands. CPI views us as a community of learners, and not a number or something sub-human. This reminds me of the Impact Church slogan, which states, “Every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God.” This statement means everything to me, and this is what the CPI program exemplifies. Therefore, I wanted to be a part of this program because they seemed to care about all people. I must admit, I really was not ready for the type of environment that CPI created. I had to adjust to the outside professors and CPI staff who greeted me with the same respect and dignity as shown to every student on the Knollcrest campus.

I got off to a rough start when I arrived at Handlon, as I was given a personal computer I honestly did not even know how to turn on. My pride would not allow me to seek help from one of my peers — I was embarrassed I did not know how to work a computer. I am not tech savvy, so I politely yelled for help during our first all-student-body meeting. I got the much-needed help I asked for and, although I am now a senior, I still do not know everything about this computer, but I know enough to get my assignments turned in on time.

Though I am far from being a computer wizard, I recently received my Associates Degree. This was a proud moment for me, as my family and friends were able to see me receive this monumental achievement. It brought me great joy to know my family and friends were able to see me doing something positive despite that I am in a negative environment. As a result, my family, friends and I celebrated this milestone proudly. This is truly what taking advantage of an opportunity looks like. I now know the importance of education, and my degree helps me to understand why our ancestors fought so hard for the right to be properly educated.

I hope to use my education to give back to the very community from which I have taken so much. My motivation to help my community started years ago when I finished the Chance for Life program (CFL). CFL teaches incarcerated men communication and conflict resolution skills. This program rehabilitated my mind as it was established on the biblical principle, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2, KJV). My CPI education contributes to the renewal of my mind by equipping me with the knowledge, skills and tools I will need to be a positive influence on the at-risk youth in my community.

I am passionate about mentoring at-risk youth in marginalized communities, and my goal is to reach youths before they get caught up in this system. Simply put, I want to contribute to putting an end to the preschool to prison pipeline. The servant leadership skills I have gained from my CPI education will enable me to liberate the minds of at-risk youths so they can be turned from the negativity of the streets to many different positives. Thus, my CPI education will open a world of opportunities for others in at-risk communities. As a result, the next generation of children from my community will not need to come to prison to receive a proper education because I am a perfect example of what it looks like when the least of us becomes the best of us.