174400
5
I am a father of one, husband and son, middle aged, middle management, view slanted, started writing instead of fighting, words serve to calm my nerves, author, former Naval Officer, Hampton University graduate, landlord, but can’t afford the same luxuries as some of these (my contemporaries), vowed to fight for Christ at the age of 14, Baptist, rap this, without beats, no MP3s, criticize and admire most MCs, never smoked trees, my Great Grandfather was literally 12 years a slave, born in 1852 marked on his grave, my grandfather, his son, wasn’t born until he was 53, he and my grandmother had my dad when he was 50, if you’re keeping count, my number of generations removed from slavery is just three!
I grew up in Indianapolis, life was difficult, but still fabulous, by the law of averages, my brothers and I have done well, three of us in our 40’s still alive, making a difference in our communities, and never been in jail, products of the 1980’s, school integration, culture, media, gangs, drugs, and the police state of Reagan's Bush's and Clinton's administration, credit to mom and dad, without their guidance and sacrifices, we might all be living in crisis, raised to seek love, faith, history, education, and solutions, I write to speak truth and begin the next revolution…
