Why did I join a gang? Family issues. I didn’t get along too well with my family. I was insecure. I didn’t feel respected. I felt a sense of respect when I was with my homies. We didn’t have any high expectations for one another. We just accepted each other for who we were.
I don’t regret ever being in a gang, but the lifestyle that came with it became a burden. At least it did for me.
Being shot at, jumped, in and out of jail and ultimately prison. For years I didn’t care if I died or not, so the fear of death didn’t cross my mind. Prison slowed me down and gave me plenty of time to think. Prison gave me time to think about my life.
I would ask myself, “Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life?” I felt lost. I searched very hard for an answer. I started reading the Bible looking for answers.
I was still hanging with gang members in prison. My cellmate took notice and started talking to me. He started talking to me about Islam.
He would give me reading materials that I wouldn’t read. I would still hang out with gang members and smoke weed. He wouldn’t give up.
He invited me to one of their meetings where the Muslims gathered to study. Some of the older brothers that he had told about me would talk to me. They would try to teach me about Islam, but I was stubborn.
Stubborn as I was, my cellmate wouldn’t give up. Eventually, I started reading the material that he gave me. I kept going to the meetings, and when I got out of prison, I joined the Nation of Islam.
I enjoy being part of something that does not involve getting into trouble or getting high. I left gang banging, alcohol and drugs behind. I now devote my life striving to help others to find and create a better life for themselves.
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