Congratulations to Logan and Ryan Dawson; two young brothers who have graduated high school, escaped the trappings of the stereotypes of young black males, all the while earning a record number amount of scholarships from America’s top Universities.

And the young men give all of the credit to their mother, their original Queen who instilled a strong work ethic and sense of determination into the two twins. Penn State, Univ. of Chicago, Cornell and University of Georgia are just some of the schools that these two talented young men have been accepted into for the fall.

I am thankful for young brothers like these but because they defeated the odds that are some times so heavily stacked against minority men. Secondly I truly wish to commend their mother who raised these two young men as a single parent. Her tireless effort is paying off in the millions right now for these two young men. We often discuss when their are negative issues to report, today let’s celebrate our triumphs!

For more on this story check out
http://www.newhouse.com/super-students-offered-3.58-million-in-scholarships-2.html

Today we have a piece that far too many black men can relate to from one of my favorite poets merged with a stunning photographer and artist; The Poet Nightday and Michael Wilson present Tired of Waiting for My Father. I hope you all enjoy!

Tired of waiting for my father

As I sit here on these steps waiting,
Eyes grow weak ,
Weak from tears that flow,
Flow for a perfect image lost.

Looking through a squint
Dreaming of a dead beat ready to become a man,
Fatigued from dreams becoming nightmares,
Drained from thoughts of lost promises.

Weary of lies spoken,
Falsehoods that make traps.
Body bushed from continues emotions stomped on
A rolling stone rolled over his son.

Finally understanding that this is the only option
To let go of the thought of a relationship,
Giving up unable to go on
The hope that was had fell from untamed skies.

Looking through these closed eyes
Closing is my only true escape,
Time to get up and move on
Its dark and I’m tired.

Tired of looking of down these streets
Waiting till the street lights come on
Finally realizing
That I am Tired of waiting for my Father.

You can purchase this book at any one of the following websites.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Man-Possessed/Steven-A-Lewis/e/9781425991562/?itm=1

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Possessed-Steven-Lewis/dp/1425991564/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208818776&sr=8-5

www.Authorhouse.com

To view more artwork from Michael Wilson please click:

If you are not familiar, I encourage you to get FAMILIAR with Avenue Report; the young professional man of color’s guide to business, health, fashion, music, and politics. I currently write a column for this Lifestyle magazine which specifically serves men of color. The column is titled “Real Talk” and it seeks to address an array of issues that affect our people and solutions on how to deal with fighting stereotypes, crime in our neighborhoods, and the stresses of growing up in a single parent home among other things. Please check below for an excerpt of Real Talk in this upcoming issue. For more information on how to subscribe and become a part of the AR Family, feel free to check out http://www.avenuereport.com

START SNITCHING

We see it glorified in old mob flicks, rap records hail it as the sin of all sins; the number one code of the streets; “don’t snitch”. LOYALTY, I understand the concept very well, but when does it border stupidity and become a cause in fact of the violence and destruction of our neighborhoods. The “Stop Snitching Campaign” was subliminally etched into our minds long before the celebrated t-shirts with stop signs and the word snitching embedded within. Well please forgive me, for I am about to break the ultimate code of honor, I’m about to become the rat of all rats, because my charge for us as a community is to… “START SNITCHING”.

There, I said it, START SNITCHING, start snitching if you want your children to live to see past their elementary school graduation. Start Snitching if you want to stop living in fear as you walk to the corner store. This is heavy, because as a people we have a strong distrust for law enforcement. I mean, why wouldn’t we, after seeing many of our leaders crippled by this system of American Justice. We vividly remember news clips of the Civil Rights Era, watching police officers brutally attack people of color with water hoses and K-9 dogs? Many of us can attest to the “random” car stops, the harassment and brutality that our people face on a daily basis from those who are supposed to protect and serve. Yet I still say START SNITCHING, far too many of our children are becoming victims in the crossfire of drug wars, domestic disputes and other various forms of crime that begat violence.

http://www.avenuereport.com/index.php/ar_pages/subscribe/