As I am getting to know my new community, I want my new community to get to know a bit more about me as well. In America there are a number of negative statistics that involve young black men and by all accounts I should fall into them.

I was raised by a working, single mother in a very urban area. Growing up my biological father wasn’t in my life and my first step-father was often incarcerated and battled with sobriety, which was something that mother hid from me very well. In fact she didn’t tell me about his drug problems until I was well into my 20s.

By all accounts I should be another black male statistic. However, all the number crunchers in the world seemed to by all accounts underestimate the will, the strength, and the extraordinary determination that a mother can exhibit in dire situations. My mother helped me defeat the odds.