A Message To The Community: A Letter From Prison
Reggie
CLF Member, incarcerated in PA
I offer my condolences to the families who have lost loved ones
And became victims to the violence
I offer my apologies for having been derelict in my duty and responsibility as a man
In not being the guardian, educator, and leader my communities needed
In order to be vital and life-affirming
I want to inform you that it is my goal to counteract
the insanity of the destructive mindset
And I do not embrace those who prey upon any people
But particularly, my people
I want my voice to be heard:
Let the violence, drug dealing, physical, and spiritual
abuse of the communities stop
As a man, I want it to be known that I have come to value and recognize
That the children need and deserve a safe and secure
environment in which to grow and develop,
Be educated, have access to equal opportunities to excel
And become who the Creator intended them to be
I ask that everyone reading or hearing this looks at a child
Whether at home, school, at play, in church, or mosque, and consider these words:
I am the African child
The whole world awaits my coming, all the earth
watches with interest
To see what I shall become
Civilization hangs in the balance; for what I am, the
world of tomorrow will be
I am the African child
You have brought me into this, about which I know
nothing
You hold in your hand my destiny
You determine whether I shall succeed or fail
Give me, I beg you, a world where I can walk tall and proud
Train me, as is your duty unto me
To love myself, and my people
And to build and maintain a great nation
It is I who proclaim
I am the African child
The whole world awaits my coming, I shall not delay it
For I too have a dream
- A Message To The Community: A Letter From Prison - March 1, 2022
