Last Tuesday morning, as I was driving into downtown St. Louis, I was going over a speech in my head.
I had been asked to discuss my career, my education and how I got to this point in my life. It was standard stuff for me. I don’t take any opportunity to address a group lightly. It is a gift from God to encourage others. However, this appearance would be different from most.
I parked in the Gateway Classic Center’s parking lot, checked the mirror one last time and got out of the car.
These were high school seniors, who would do a visual sweep of your person, determine if you had anything worthwhile to say, and either listen or tune you out from the moment you stepped to the mic. I’m not shallow, just understanding of my target audience.
This was the 23rd annual Media Conference sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Black Media Coalition. Chairman Matthew Knuckles said he wanted to inspire teenagers to extend their reach.
If the kids were paying attention, Knuckles himself was all the motivation they needed to straighten up and fly right.
Before he introduced the morning’s speaker, he asked for prayers for his family and his nephew, Donald Jones. Jones was facing execution that very evening for brutally murdering his grandmother, Knuckles’ own mother.
“We don’t understand why the governor won’t listen to the family. We are the victims.” That’s what he told me that day when he learned that the governor refused to grant clemency. He was shaken, his voice cracking, as he spoke to me about his nephew and how the family believed that the grandmother he’d stabbed to death wouldn’t want him executed.
After I left the conference, I wondered if the audience of 17- and 18-year-olds got it. I wondered if they knew they were looking at a man about to drive to an execution chamber and watch a family member die for his crime.
Instead of talking much about my career, I asked the teens if they wanted to be something. Everyone raised their hands.
I told them that, if they want to be something, they should act like it, rather than acting like nothing. The world is more than willing to accept you acting like nothing, because many expect that from you. You must expect more, I told them.
What I should have said to them is, “Do you want to die? Do you want to watch a family member die?”
I should have said, “Do you see yourself getting so high that you feel a monster inside you controlling you?” That’s what Donald Jones said happened the night he committed murder. Several family members say it wasn’t the Donald Jones they knew who killed their grandma. I should have asked them if they think such a thing could happen to them.
Jones got the drugs from someone. I should have asked them if they see themselves selling drugs to others, knowing they may snap like Donald did.
I should have asked them if they knew how to not end up like Donald Jones.