(ThyBlackMan.com) A new born baby is brought into a family where the father is gone and the mother is left to work multiple jobs just to take care of the baby. An easier route would be for the mother to get on welfare and depend on the government to take care of the family, but no, the mother decides that is greater than the welfare system and takes on the responsibility to raise the child on her own and the only way she knows how. But is it possible for a woman to transform a baby into a man? And what about the baby?
When he gets old enough, how will he take on the responsibility to rise above his stereotypes and make it out of his community alive? Although many odds are against this mother and baby, there is one way that all this can be made possible, there is a way that the impossible can happen and this baby boy ends up becoming a somebody. This way is by having faith in God and creating a hope that the road is brighter on the other side.
That baby boy that I just talked about is me, and the mother is my mother and the father is my father. I’ve come a long way since those times, but I can’t say that it’s been an easy road to where I am today. I’ve walked a road that I wouldn’t wish anybody to walk on. Growing up in the city of San Bernardino, I’ve watched a lot happen, my only family has fallen apart, I watched my own personal friends fall away and fall victim to society, but even worst of all I’ve had the pain of watching my own fathers life fall apart before my eyes. Experiencing these things created an anger in me, it made me feel as if I was never going to be anything because I was just like these 
people that lives fell apart. I tried to gain the courage to have hope, that I would be the difference and make it out of this situation alive, but it’s hard trying to find hope in a place where hope died a long time ago.
In high school I felt as if I had lost everything, my mother and father had gotten a divorce, the only family I had broke apart because of scandal, and I became all by myself. If I was going to succeed it was going to be up to me now. I was put back into the situation of that little baby boy, the same situation that had no hope in sight. But just like that mother gained the hope to rise up and gain courage to take care of her son, I decided to find the same strength and do what I was destined to do. Sometimes when there is no hope you have to create it, even when the goals and dreams are obnoxious, you still have to work for something that will get you away from where you are.
I’m glad to say that I came out that situation stronger than ever. But since experiencing all this, I’ve allowed my mind to open and I see my life very differently now. I’ve had the great opportunity to travel all the way to Africa and learn the place that my ancestors called home. I’ve read dozens of books from love romance to college level professor books and now my eyes have truly been open to the real world. I now realize that I cannot sit around and cry about the bad life I’ve had, there are tons of bigger problems going on in the world than mine and I should do something to help fix these problems. I now have a passion for helping people get through things that I went to.
My career goal is to be a lawyer because I believe that there are a lot of holes in the legal system that affects youth that I would like to fix at least in my community. My friend and I have even started our own club called Black Talk where students can come and discuss current African-American issues and then we all work together to find solutions to these problems. My other contributions is volunteering through my church and mentoring other young people. Although my contributions are small I still want to do something that can spark a change in this long forgotten city.
So that’s my story, young black boy born into a family where the father chose not to be a father and a mother who sacrificed everything for her child. It’s been one heck of a long and hard road for me, at times I just wanted to quit. But the past is the past now, I defeated all odds that were put against me, I’m going to college, but this is only the beginning of my journey. Until the day that I die I will not stop fighting for these inner city boys and girls that have been through the same things that I went through but unfortunately didn’t make it out. I want to show people that no matter what they’ve been through, no matter how hard it is to keep going, to keep hope alive and keep their faith strong in God. For I know now that the road is brighter on the other side.
Staff Writer; Brandon Watts