HAPPY HARVEST!

by, Maafa M. Muhammad,

Author Of 20 Years Later “Redemption"

Contributing Blogger For Unheard_Voices19

Today in Pittsburgh's Black community, we have young men who are addicted to the criminal lifestyle. They're gangbangers who use and sell drugs and then have unhealthy sexual relationships. If they are fortunate to go to jail instead of the other end of that road (an early grave), they may come in contact with a reformed prisoner who has spent years studying the wisdom of history's greatest minds in order to escape those old ways.

This man has devoted his life to the redemption of our brothers. All that's missing is the nurturing power of our people to help complete a young student's transition into a dutiful brother. We reaped a thug during harvest season (his teen years) because as a society, we taught him virtues of selfishness. As a child his father thought that it a good idea to break up his family to be a player, which denied him a role model. Then his neighbors took advantage of his mother's addiction by buying her food stamps at a fraction of the cost, this denied him nourishment. When he reached puberty he noticed that women were attracted to men with money, this taught him MOB (Money Over B**ches).

Being poor as a child was painful then the streets presented an illusion of success. His village didn't raise him so when he bought a new truck he didn't respect the neighborhood enough to turn down his rap music as he drove down the street in the middle of the night.

When the cuffs locked around his wrists, you were relieved because of the hell he raised but 95% of them will return to our neighborhoods. Finally, he faced the Justice system alone. Crack. The judge's gavel introduced him to his first positive mentor, his cellmate. While the farmer is sowing our crop, it may be wise to help him cultivate the fruit by adopting a prisoner. Or we will reap what we sow, again. #HAPPYHARVEST!