By the time he finished high school, he had been
exposed to more aspects of street life than most children ever see.
Although Ishmael directly saw and experienced certain aspects of the streets,
he was fortunate to have relatives that placed reality in its proper
perspective: street life often leads to prison or death. Respected street
figures talked to him about avoiding the pitfalls of crime and drug abuse, and
he learned to survive that era.
The images that are glorified in entertainment
today reflect an underworld landscape that is known all too well by most
inner-city youth. During the Reagan and Bush presidential administrations
of the 1980s and 1990s, he corrected some of his past errors and kept attending
college, but there weren’t ever any scholarships waiting. The economic climate
was more suited for criminality, so without a scholarship or other economical
ways to pay for an education, adversity defined his fate. At the same time,
many of the people that he was either related to, or closely associated with,
were thriving in the streetlife. Instead of that taking that route, he worked
menial jobs and attended community college, while those around him lived
lavish lifestyles that were supplied by the streets.
While working an assortment of low-paying jobs,
well-known street figures would see him working to get through college
and probably thought that he was either a closet drug-addict, or that
he was too stupid to quietly pursue the wealth that could be made in streetlife. Others
knew who he was and realized that he had to live life a
different way.
Life’s journey is sometimes based on enduring
another day. Through hard work and determination, he earned
multiple degrees from a major university and is an example of what can be
done by anyone.
and had a perfect life for someone that grew up
in an inner-city environment during the 70s and 80s. Although his family
worked hard to provide a stable environment, he still ventured out into
the streets. By the end of middle-school, Ishmael had been in serious
legal trouble and had already dropped out of school a year earlier.
By the time he finished high school, he had been
exposed to more aspects of street life than most children ever see.
Although Ishmael directly saw and experienced certain aspects of the streets,
he was fortunate to have relatives that placed reality in its proper
perspective: street life often leads to prison or death. Respected street
figures talked to him about avoiding the pitfalls of crime and drug abuse, and
he learned to survive that era.
The images that are glorified in entertainment
today reflect an underworld landscape that is known all too well by most
inner-city youth. During the Reagan and Bush presidential administrations
of the 1980s and 1990s, he corrected some of his past errors and kept attending
college, but there weren’t ever any scholarships waiting. The economic climate
was more suited for criminality, so without a scholarship or other economical
ways to pay for an education, adversity defined his fate. At the same time,
many of the people that he was either related to, or closely associated with,
were thriving in the streetlife. Instead of that taking that route, he worked
menial jobs and attended community college, while those around him lived
lavish lifestyles that were supplied by the work that was done in
streets.
While working an assortment of low-paying jobs,
well-known street figures would see him working to get through college
and probably thought that he was either a closet drug-addict, or that
he was too stupid to quietly pursue the wealth that could be made in streetlife. Others
knew who he was and realized that he had to live life a different way.
Life’s journey is sometimes based on
enduring another day. Through hard work and determination, he earned
multiple degrees from a major university and is an example of what can be
done by anyone.
