Plight: A Story for the Next Generation
by
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Edwin took a moment to look out the passenger’s window before he answered his brother’s question. He already knew the answer was “No”, but he wanted to look at the world around him anyway. Damian was driving by the housing projects, as Edwin gazed out the window. Edwin saw kids playing unattended in the streets, a baby walking outside in only a diaper with no parent around, and a look of hopelessness on a man not that much older than himself. Damian asked, “Do you know who Malcolm X was, Edwin?” Edwin described a picture he saw, “He’s the guy in the picture holding an Ak-47 while looking out a window. You have the poster hanging in your room.” Damian replied, “You’re right and you’re wrong. He’s holding a M1 Carbine with an extended clip.” Damian asked, “Do you know why he was looking out the window?” Edwin was unsure, “I guess because people were trying to harm him.” Damian asked another question, “For doing what?” Edwin replied, “Fighting for civil rights, like Martin Luther King Jr.” Damian corrected his little brother, “Almost, like Martin Luther King Jr they had different views.” Damian asked, “What does civil mean?” Edwin replied easily, “Acting like a citizen. Being courteous and polite.” Damian nodded his head, “Now what does it mean to fight for civil rights?” Edwin started to get annoyed with Damian, “Yo, I just left history class a couple hours ago bro. Why are you asking me all these questions?” Damian replied short of patience, “Because it’s obvious they’re not really teaching you nothing but the same old watered down and manipulated version of history. That’s not Mr. Bowman’s fault though, I understand he has a family and wants to earn a paycheck. But you still need to answer my question or you’re walking home. What does “fighting for civil rights” mean to you?”. Edwin thought before he spoke, “Fighting for everyone to be treated equal.” Damian replied, “You’re right if you want to keep the definition simple. But to me it means fighting and dying for “US”, black people. It means fighting to get out of the rat race, the trap. People tried and succeeded in killing Malcom X and Martin because they fought for black people. Because they were trying to empower us, Edwin. So, we wouldn’t have to settle living in places like this. Now tell me if that’s right or wrong.”
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About the Book
This story is intended to reach anyone who is or has gone through a hard time in life. The word “plight” is a noun that means a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation; something that if you live life long enough you will eventually face. The important thing to know when facing an unfortunate situation is that you have two choices, either let it get the best of you or find a way to overcome it. Hopefully this story helps you make the right choice when you face your plight.
About the Author
He was born August 9th, 1994 to a single mother in Louisville, Ky. Until the age of seven he grew up in a housing community known as the Americana Apartments currently known as Heritage Green. For the first eight years of his childhood he was exposed to nearly every corner of the globe within in his community. He could go play tag with children who migrated from countries in Africa, learn to fillet a catfish from a fisherman from Vietnam, or learn how to tell stories from a Indigenous American man as he performed and danced at the author’s elementary school. His exposure to the beauties and the diversity of the world came to an end when his family became homeless. The life he knew as fun and games with an endless amount of inspiration for his imagination was gone, and he was forced to face the darker side of life for nearly a year. He was introduced to the ugliness of the world, abuse, hard core drugs, racism, and systematic oppression. A side of life no child should have to see or endure. Fortunately he was able to excel in school during his troubled times. A knee injury during his Junior year caused him to give up his hopes and dreams of being a professional athlete, and caused him to focus more on education. He graduated high school with academic honors, and special awards for minority students. He spent two years of college at Indiana University Southeast, then one year at IUPUI. He majored in psychology at both schools, but it was his Intro into Afro Studies and Creative Writing class that made college interesting to him. The author’s goal is to create innovative stories with diverse characters that can inspire other’s to pursue their passions and follow their dreams.