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2 A Half-Full Glass of Family Bonds A Cultural Self-Portrait: D’Leon (in His Own Words) This Is Me Bottled up inside Are the words I never said The feelings that I hide The lies you never read You see it on my face Trapped inside are the lies Of the past I can’t replace Why can’t I be happier? Today’s a brand new day! I hope to be a visionary—someone who is driven by dreams and fueled by faith. My professional interests are not merely monetary or rooted in my own ambitions . Instead, I hope to transform others with the fruit of my lips, labor, and love. I am optimistic in every aspect of life and all avenues that I pursue. I want to make history by just following my calling in life, which is helping others prosper . Knowing that my word is my bond to everyone that I encounter in life, I plan to make a lasting impact on people by being genuine, honest, humble, loyal, and fearless. My interests also include finding ways to appropriately and effectively inspire African American men. I will be a positive example for all African American men, because it is important to counter the impact of the atrocities in our history and culture that have occurred. I would like to think that I’m a good representative of how to create better opportunities for shared experiences within our 34 Chapter 2 culture. I have a passion for youth, because many of the underrepresented high achievers are just that, underrepresented especially among young African American males. I am passionate about life and being able to live to the fullest. Family is like breathing to me, and they have always been one of my strongest tools for success . My family is my foundation and reason for living the way I do, for the pursuit of helping others. My cultural background stems from my upbringing in my grandparents’ house. I didn’t have the typical childhood living with a mom and dad. I had the privilege of hearing all of Papa’s old stories whenever I wanted and got to eat all of Mama’s good southern food, especially those cakes and pies. In our family, it’s a part of our culture to call my grandparents “Mama and Papa” regardless of age. Mama and Papa’s house serves as the root and foundation of my life. It’s where I learned the basics: right from wrong, good and bad, and most importantly good morals and leadership. Our home is exceedingly special because of the tradition held in it and legacies that will be left. This place is also special because at one point most of my relatives on my mother’s side lived under Mama and Papa’s roof. It was Mama (Eula), Papa (Lou), my mom (Deborah), aunt (Donna), uncle (Louis), cousin (Troy), grandma (Lydia), brother (Jerome), and me (D’Leon), of course. It was a packed, but loving, household where many lessons were learned and legacies were started. This is an extraordinary place that is welcoming and where I can let my guard down and always feel protected. On October 5, 1989, our home burned down, taking all our memories with it, but leaving our traditions in our hearts. When our house burned down, the community was exceedingly helpful, especially our church. This tragedy left my family hurt mentally, financially, and spiritually. But the community stepped in to help my family in this time of need. We had a large family with tons of duties such as school and work. The community helped us get clothing, meals, and transportation . Even though I was young at the time of this event, looking back on it, I noticed how civically engaged the community was with our family, and I can see my family doing the same for others. This experience made our bond stronger not only with ourselves but also with the community. After our home was restored, my grandmother started to get lots of business for her famous cakes and pies. Also, her sewing business boomed, especially during prom season. My uncle and grandpa’s barbershop in the basement was so busy that they were forced to relocate to a central location in the community. From these experiences I learned that though our place was once destroyed, we grew and learned in ways that benefit our family and allow us to better connect with our community. Home...

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