My Word is My Rep Bruthas.. We need More Soldiers.
well i said i was gonna try to do this Obama thing yes we can and all that so staying true to form, i signed up this past winter for the Brother to Brother mentoring program that targeted black males in the high school here in Montclair NJ..the program is relatively new and we only had about 15 regular students but it's catching on..We met every other thursday in an empty classroom at the high school.. We had brothas from EVERY walk of life, corporate, private, and public sector, college students and entrepreneurs so it was a nice mix.. The rap sessions started off slow at first.. It took some time to build the trust and respect that needs to exist before men and boys can really dialogue..the kind of trust that says i won't judge you because i've been where you're at..but once that bond was established the conversations got pretty intense.. We had our last meeting and dinner with the boys and their parents last week and as each kid stood to thank the group of men who dedicated their time and even their money, it struck me how theurapetic this time was for me. I began to realize how much i look forward to kicking it with these young soliders and how disappointed i was when i couldn't make a session. I must admit that it did my heart good to hear young brothas vibed on a variety of topics from hip hop lyrics to Washington politics.. i realized how us men benefitted from the rap sessions as much as they did.. We needed to believed that the generation behind us is not lost jsut like they needed to believe that we have not abandoned them..and i think these young cats prove that to us.. THey are not lost.. THey are just disengaged.. They have thoughts, ideas and philosophies about their world but no one is engaging them in those kinds of conversations.So when it came my turn to speak that nite, i looked at each and every one of them and thanked them for their time, their dedication and for renewing a sense of hope in me.. And i thanked the mother who raised the manchild alone and told her not to worry, her son really did hear the things that she had been telling him all along.. and then i told them the the relationship needn't end after dinner.. we were all accessible to them whenever for whatever... Trust me you can't buy this kind of fulfillment bruthas..Ain't nothing like having a young cat and his moms come over and say thank you my son really like what you had to say and can you keep in touch with him..see that's God right here brothas and this is His work that we do.. and we need more soldiers in His army..come put some work in baby.. you'd be surprized.. the life you save could very well be your own..don't miss your blessing
Much respect Donnie. 
Oh so now they wanna have a program in Montclair to try and save the young black youth now that I'm all grown up and have since moved away from the town. See, when I was a lower case "g" the old heads ain't have no time for me and my crew. ***sings (This is how we do it)***
"But now that I'm a big G,
the girls see I got the money - $100 bills y'all.
If you were from, where I'm from
Then you would know..."
Anywhoo...
Donnie, my main man, we gotta hook up and sit for a minute or two and chat. You and I have so mu*****ommon from the places that we both lived; to the way we both see life now; down to the our style of drink ("damn that Cognac..." LOL). I think it's fantastic what you're doing with the kids in Montclair. Much respect, Bruh.
Yet another reason to respect you to the utmost!!!!!
