PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brandon Wallace 202.271.7409
Email: wallace.motley@gmail.com
March 31, 2009
Motley Management LLC.
Make Moves, Make Memories, Make a Difference.
VIOLENCE SURVIVORS UNITE TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF THE CARTHAGE, NORTH CAROLINA NURSING HOME MASSACRE AND THE BRUTAL MURDERS IN MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS
The William Kellibrew Foundation and ROOT Inc. (Reaching Out to Others Together), on behalf of all victims of crime nation-wide, would like to send condolences to the people of Carthage, North Carolina and Milton, Massachusetts.
The gruesome killing of eight innocent victims in this North Carolina nursing home is incomprehensible. The brutal murder of a five-year-old child and a seventeen-year-old makes plain the notion that no one is immune to violence.
William Kellibrew IV, National Coordinator for Black Youth Vote for the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation said, “These senseless acts of violence take a toll on our community, but with resolve, we can work to ensure that victims receive adequate attention to get through these tough times.”
Kenneth E. Barnes, Sr., MS, founder and CEO of ROOT Inc, an organization
committed to helping communities take a proactive approach to reducing gun
violence, stated, "Deplorable assaults on our safety are taking place far too often in America. We must work steadfastly to ensure the eventual cessation of these preventable, unspeakable crimes."
These are immensely challenging atrocities having overwhelming ramifications that will resonate through devastated communities. Violence can occur in homes, businesses and even religious institutions.
A stronger more steadfast commitment to the prevention of crime through parole regulations, offender rehabilitation and violence prevention education is critical to bringing an end to the senseless violence that plagues all Americans and citizens around the world. We stand in unity and in full support of the people of Carthage and Milton; but specifically for the family members who lost loved ones in Carthage and the grieving family that will bury three of its closest members in Milton.
# # #
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
A Young Boy's Pain and How to Cope
I spoke to my nephew last night. He is going through a tough time. Over the past weekend one of his friends, a ten year old boy, was stabbed to death by his stepfather. Not only did the stepfather kill the ten year old, he stabbed his brother and his mother. In fact, the mother still had a piece of the blade from the knife lodged in her head.
So, the reason I am blogging about this is 1) that my nephew was a friend of the ten year old and spent the night at his house a week before his death, 2) to air my concern for my nephew and others who are dealing with this tragedy - to express my condolences, and 3) talk about coping.
1) It seems like tragedy is around the corner for my family. We deal with tragedy quite frequently. There is never a dull moment in my life as it relates to dealing with tragic circumstances and friends and family who suffer from violent acts. My nephew is facing his third tragedy in his life. The first was his father going to prison. Although he was young at the time, he still has some memory of his father and now that his father is out of prison they are building a relationship. The problem is that there was another male role model who replaced his father and that was my sister's husband. The two share a wonderful relationship, but my sister is now divorced and that also played a heavy role in my nephews sorrow and every day life.
Secondly, my Godsister and his play Aunt, Tiffany Gates, was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend who illegally walked away from a halfway house. He stabbed her nearly 50 times and ended her life. This was a devastating blow to my nephew and everyone around us. I saw that he was intuitive and wanted to know why it happened and where was she after she died. My sister did an awesome job in explaining where Tiffany was. She mentioned that Tiffany is not suffering and that she is in a better place away from hurt harm and danger. The children seemed to understand that death is a part of life and sometimes tragic things happen, but we have to cope with them as a team.
Lastly, my nephew suffers from this tragic circumstance. When I spoke with him I asked him did he know what happend. He told me the story and was pretty graphic about what he knew. He also mentioned that he played football with him recently. I acknowledged his pain and asked how was he coping and was he really sad. He said that he was sad and cried earlier. However, he mentioned that he also prayed. "Who did you pray for?" I asked. He said, "I prayed for his grandmother and his family." I told him that I thought that was really nice of him to do. It was a pretty honorable thing to wish the best for his family. I also told him that I would attend the funeral with him and that if he needed anything to make sure that he gave me a call.
I remember when I was ten and watching my mother and brother die at the hands of her killer. I thought I was a pretty bright boy, but nothing had prepared me for what I saw. It affected me for the rest of my life. Sometimes it wrapped me up like a sandwich and would not let me go. I felt despair and unspeakable pain at times - trying to cope with the loss.
Just recently, I cried about the situation. Some of the questions came into my mind. Why did this have to happen? What can I do to continue to cope? And, above all. Through these difficult times, I simply missed my mom. You see, my mother was a bedrock in my life. I was a momma's boy. I wanted to go everywhere with her at ten. I was heavily attached to her hip. And, to lose her so tragically was devastating to say the least. So, just a week ago, I took some time out to cry about it. Now, what triggered it? I was going through other problems that crowd my daily life and I reflected for a moment. What would my mother say? How would she help me cope? When those answers could not come, I cried. I was hopeful and optimistic about the future, but I was still sad.
You know, these times are going to come. They are going to enter our lives when we least expect it. I think and feel that it is okay to cry about it. It is okay to deal with it. That made me stronger that day. I am stronger today because I dealt with it and did not hide or suppress it. When I was ten, I suppressed it until I was thirteen years of age. That's when I wanted to commit suicide.
But, my, how far we have come. I am tougher and probably more sensitive than I have ever been. Coping with tragedies, I found, is a part of life for me. I am getting better and better at it. It sounds kind of crazy though. But, I have accepted that tragedy can and will happen. We must be armed with the coping tools to deal with them. So, these are some things to think about.
1) Talk about it. Get whatever you feel out in the open. Find someone you trust and talk about what happened. Find someone who will listen to your entire story from beginning to end no matter how long it takes. Getting the whole story out is crucial and imperative for your success in coping. I found that holding it in just left me feeling more empty, confused and actually lowered my self-esteem. Eventually, I lost my strength to deal with it on my own and the only avenue I had was to want to die. Luckily, I had some people in my life at the time I trusted, like my junior high school principal, Mr. Charles C. Christian. Thank God for him.
2) Find recreation. Find some time for you to do what your passion or hobby is. I like tennis and travelling. When I do these things, my mind is free from the pressure of coping with tragedy. Besides, when the tennis ball is coming my way, I do not have time to be thinking about anything else unless I want to feel the pain of a ball in my eye.
3) Consider professional therapy. That really helped me. It made me realise that there are things that I am doing that I do not understand. I was hurting myself with my behaviour. I was not treating myself properly and with respect. I had to learn how to respect myself and then respect others in the process. But, that came with time and great therapy sessions. Now, it took me years before I found the right therapist, but when I did, I was happy about attending the sessions.
4) Volunteer. I have become a huge advocate for those affected by tragedy. I do not try to act like a therapist. I leave that job up to the pros. But, I do listen. I support. I encourage. And, most of all. I love. I love to give my time and energy to help those who sometimes do not have a clue that they need the help. It's about giving and not looking to receive. So I sacrifice.
Thanks for reading this far. I had a few things on my mind this morning. There is so much tragedy in our communities it is hard to cope. I wanted to take time this morning to address the issue. I know it is hard, but let's push for more understanding and acceptance for no understanding at all.
Til next time...
So, the reason I am blogging about this is 1) that my nephew was a friend of the ten year old and spent the night at his house a week before his death, 2) to air my concern for my nephew and others who are dealing with this tragedy - to express my condolences, and 3) talk about coping.
1) It seems like tragedy is around the corner for my family. We deal with tragedy quite frequently. There is never a dull moment in my life as it relates to dealing with tragic circumstances and friends and family who suffer from violent acts. My nephew is facing his third tragedy in his life. The first was his father going to prison. Although he was young at the time, he still has some memory of his father and now that his father is out of prison they are building a relationship. The problem is that there was another male role model who replaced his father and that was my sister's husband. The two share a wonderful relationship, but my sister is now divorced and that also played a heavy role in my nephews sorrow and every day life.
Secondly, my Godsister and his play Aunt, Tiffany Gates, was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend who illegally walked away from a halfway house. He stabbed her nearly 50 times and ended her life. This was a devastating blow to my nephew and everyone around us. I saw that he was intuitive and wanted to know why it happened and where was she after she died. My sister did an awesome job in explaining where Tiffany was. She mentioned that Tiffany is not suffering and that she is in a better place away from hurt harm and danger. The children seemed to understand that death is a part of life and sometimes tragic things happen, but we have to cope with them as a team.
Lastly, my nephew suffers from this tragic circumstance. When I spoke with him I asked him did he know what happend. He told me the story and was pretty graphic about what he knew. He also mentioned that he played football with him recently. I acknowledged his pain and asked how was he coping and was he really sad. He said that he was sad and cried earlier. However, he mentioned that he also prayed. "Who did you pray for?" I asked. He said, "I prayed for his grandmother and his family." I told him that I thought that was really nice of him to do. It was a pretty honorable thing to wish the best for his family. I also told him that I would attend the funeral with him and that if he needed anything to make sure that he gave me a call.
I remember when I was ten and watching my mother and brother die at the hands of her killer. I thought I was a pretty bright boy, but nothing had prepared me for what I saw. It affected me for the rest of my life. Sometimes it wrapped me up like a sandwich and would not let me go. I felt despair and unspeakable pain at times - trying to cope with the loss.
Just recently, I cried about the situation. Some of the questions came into my mind. Why did this have to happen? What can I do to continue to cope? And, above all. Through these difficult times, I simply missed my mom. You see, my mother was a bedrock in my life. I was a momma's boy. I wanted to go everywhere with her at ten. I was heavily attached to her hip. And, to lose her so tragically was devastating to say the least. So, just a week ago, I took some time out to cry about it. Now, what triggered it? I was going through other problems that crowd my daily life and I reflected for a moment. What would my mother say? How would she help me cope? When those answers could not come, I cried. I was hopeful and optimistic about the future, but I was still sad.
You know, these times are going to come. They are going to enter our lives when we least expect it. I think and feel that it is okay to cry about it. It is okay to deal with it. That made me stronger that day. I am stronger today because I dealt with it and did not hide or suppress it. When I was ten, I suppressed it until I was thirteen years of age. That's when I wanted to commit suicide.
But, my, how far we have come. I am tougher and probably more sensitive than I have ever been. Coping with tragedies, I found, is a part of life for me. I am getting better and better at it. It sounds kind of crazy though. But, I have accepted that tragedy can and will happen. We must be armed with the coping tools to deal with them. So, these are some things to think about.
1) Talk about it. Get whatever you feel out in the open. Find someone you trust and talk about what happened. Find someone who will listen to your entire story from beginning to end no matter how long it takes. Getting the whole story out is crucial and imperative for your success in coping. I found that holding it in just left me feeling more empty, confused and actually lowered my self-esteem. Eventually, I lost my strength to deal with it on my own and the only avenue I had was to want to die. Luckily, I had some people in my life at the time I trusted, like my junior high school principal, Mr. Charles C. Christian. Thank God for him.
2) Find recreation. Find some time for you to do what your passion or hobby is. I like tennis and travelling. When I do these things, my mind is free from the pressure of coping with tragedy. Besides, when the tennis ball is coming my way, I do not have time to be thinking about anything else unless I want to feel the pain of a ball in my eye.
3) Consider professional therapy. That really helped me. It made me realise that there are things that I am doing that I do not understand. I was hurting myself with my behaviour. I was not treating myself properly and with respect. I had to learn how to respect myself and then respect others in the process. But, that came with time and great therapy sessions. Now, it took me years before I found the right therapist, but when I did, I was happy about attending the sessions.
4) Volunteer. I have become a huge advocate for those affected by tragedy. I do not try to act like a therapist. I leave that job up to the pros. But, I do listen. I support. I encourage. And, most of all. I love. I love to give my time and energy to help those who sometimes do not have a clue that they need the help. It's about giving and not looking to receive. So I sacrifice.
Thanks for reading this far. I had a few things on my mind this morning. There is so much tragedy in our communities it is hard to cope. I wanted to take time this morning to address the issue. I know it is hard, but let's push for more understanding and acceptance for no understanding at all.
Til next time...
Monday, March 16, 2009
A Call to Decision -- Can You Help?
Good evening folks. It's been some time since I checked in. So many things have been going on. I feel like my world is moving fast and I cannot stop it. As I mentioned, there are so many things that are happening. So, let's get some things out in the open. I think that is the only way that I am going to sensibly deal with what is going on.
First, I am in the battle of my life with this proposal that Dr. Sessoms and the Board of Trustees is proposing. If you are not aware, my university, the University of the District of Columbia is undergoing a tuition increase battle, an attack on open admissions or admissions standards and the erection of a community college. Students are very upset about the proposed changes and I actually started a petition outlining my discourse with the proposal. This moved to facebook and then to the campus for a rally. The group was named Operation Save UDC. I decided on the name and a student named, Joshua Lopez, joined the effort as a beginning copartner. The group quickly grew in numbers and in support. We were able to move the administration to 100% over two years instead of 100% beginning in the fall. This may not be the best synopsis of the proposal, but for more reference just simply google "udc tuition increase" and you should be able to pull up something, anything, enough to get you caught up.
Well, this effort has taken a lot of energy and frankly I am in a situation where I have to decide whether I should drop courses and alter my semester. I donated so much time and energy that I simply mismanaged my time. So, what do I do? Where do I go from here?
What would you do?
Readers, if you are out there, let me know what you think. This is an opportunity for us to dialogue about important decisions in my life and perhaps your life. Maybe we are one in the same. Maybe you are going through a tough time in your life and need somebody who listens to you.? Well, this is our opportunity. Let's dialogue about the tough decisions and hopefully, I will gain some insight as to what I should do.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Til next time...
First, I am in the battle of my life with this proposal that Dr. Sessoms and the Board of Trustees is proposing. If you are not aware, my university, the University of the District of Columbia is undergoing a tuition increase battle, an attack on open admissions or admissions standards and the erection of a community college. Students are very upset about the proposed changes and I actually started a petition outlining my discourse with the proposal. This moved to facebook and then to the campus for a rally. The group was named Operation Save UDC. I decided on the name and a student named, Joshua Lopez, joined the effort as a beginning copartner. The group quickly grew in numbers and in support. We were able to move the administration to 100% over two years instead of 100% beginning in the fall. This may not be the best synopsis of the proposal, but for more reference just simply google "udc tuition increase" and you should be able to pull up something, anything, enough to get you caught up.
Well, this effort has taken a lot of energy and frankly I am in a situation where I have to decide whether I should drop courses and alter my semester. I donated so much time and energy that I simply mismanaged my time. So, what do I do? Where do I go from here?
What would you do?
Readers, if you are out there, let me know what you think. This is an opportunity for us to dialogue about important decisions in my life and perhaps your life. Maybe we are one in the same. Maybe you are going through a tough time in your life and need somebody who listens to you.? Well, this is our opportunity. Let's dialogue about the tough decisions and hopefully, I will gain some insight as to what I should do.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Til next time...
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