An article that's dedicated to the late Terrance J. Brown
This article is based on my cousin Terrance J. Brown; A 24-year-old man who was killed by a stray bullet near his home.
Within this article, I am touching base on how his death surfaced through the family and neighborhood.
But the main question what it really meant to everyone surrounding him
What can we African Americans do to stop this for our kid's future?
Today, I want to share something that has been bothering me for months. Just within the end of 2018, my family and suffered a loss that created a shift in our lives. For instance, this loss reminds me of a baseball game in the last inning. As a result, the winning team lost due to a strikeout. However, that strikeout for my family was the loss of Terrance J. Brown. As a result, he suffered a horrified death from the act of gun violence.
Terrance J. Brown was a positive role model to everyone in his group of friends and family. In addition, he was an outstanding icon on and off the courts of basketball. Even though he was very ambitious and determined, he intended to take on the challenges of the world we live in. Yet, his death concluded to one of the most important topics that occur within the community. One of those topics that continues to linger throughout the African American communities is the act of gun violence.
I. The Act of Gun Violence
Terrance J. Brown resulted to becoming one of those people in the black community that suffered from gun violence. For many years, many African Americans deaths resulted to this and things don't get better for us. Gun violence is another form of an act created by mankind themselves. The debate of this issue and implications on human rights to life leads to many conclusions. Today, African Americans are more likely to pick up a gun for many reasons.
Statistics within the years varies as the bullet of gun is shot from another black male creating black on black crime or a police officer wrongly killing them over false claims. Months and years before this incident, innocent black males were killed by the acts of a stray bullet closing their chapters in their lives. Statistics even reveal that the life expectancy of a black man is the age of 25 years old. As you can see, my cousin was just 24 years old. His 25th birthday was a few weeks away. That shows right there that this must stop.
Gun violence within the black communities continue to rise over previous statistics that were already present. From my perspective as an African American, this brings tears to my own eyes. Losing someone you grew up with to gun violence takes a toll on you. Not only it took a toll on me, but it struck my family like the domino theory.
The most crucial part about this is how his parents and siblings had to bury him. Coming from a strong Christian family, the right way is to bury our parents instead of them burying us. Today, I still feel uncomfortable about how my cousin Terrance Brown was taken from us all. His death resulted to the outcomes of what African Americans face daily.
Every day, African Americans face things that not too many people from other ethnic backgrounds are facing and already faced. We all know the history that our ancestors encountered. Today, we are still in the cycle of what our ancestors faced but with more a technological approach of enhancements in many things.
Many questions continue to rise within the black communities throughout the world. How can we stop stuff like this from occurring? The only answer that is present and still can be effective is to rise as one and help one another. Instead of burying a loved one, we can pass the knowledge to the younger African Americans to let them know that we are at risks in society. In addition, we must put the guns down and replace the negative energy with the aspects of love. Like my grandmother Dr. Pearl Marie Brown said, "Love conquers all and we must obtain to save us all".
Today, I'm here to say that we must create change within our communities. Also, I'm here to say that Terrance Brown didn't deserve this at all. Although this resulted to him being a statistic, African Americans all over must act now and prevent more killings from occurring. And to my fellow African Americans...Are you ready for change?
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