海角大神

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Dance was my salvation growing up in New York City鈥檚 Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. It kept me away from drinking, drugs, jail, and teen pregnancy 鈥� rites of passage for many of my friends. The arts helped me to think differently about myself. I believe they do the same for others.

I left dance behind because I wanted to help people, especially those on the opposite side of the law. I found that opportunity during a 38-year career with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. But my belief in the arts never wavered. I encouraged inmates to stage musicals such as 鈥淎nnie鈥� and 鈥淚nto the Woods.鈥� As I neared the age of 60 and the end of my career as a prison warden, I still saw too many black teens behind bars or pushing a stroller. I wanted to share my inspiration for a better life.

So in 2003, I founded . Our Rites of Passage program uses African storytelling traditions to teach teenagers long-forgotten African values and rituals. Hundreds of children have participated since we began. I鈥檓 proud to say that nearly all our graduates have gone on to college or military service; one young man is now a cadet at the United States Military Academy, for example.

I think Chiku Awali has been an influence in those decisions. If you are constantly saying to kids, 鈥淲hat college are you going to go to?,鈥� they鈥檙e gonna go.

The first rite of passage ceremony we focus on is the adinto ritual, when youths choose an African name and learn about a tribe鈥檚 traditions and customs. Each month, every child creates and shares a story based upon the previous month鈥檚 workshop. Participants also complete 24 hours of community service during the year.

The final ritual is the durbar, similar to a bar mitzvah, 辩耻颈苍肠别补帽别谤补, or dipo of the Krobo tribe of Ghana. Community members bring small donations to reward graduates for completing the program. But the most important rewards are the respect they earn and the personal insights they gain.

We focus on life and leadership skills, including conflict resolution, team-building, and etiquette. We also have fun, dancing and drumming. In fact, we use this time to teach the history of the djembe, the drum that many consider the instrument of Africa. We鈥檝e even traveled to Africa to perform. It鈥檚 amazing to watch a shy child jump up and dance to the drumbeats.

We had our etiquette dinner this year at a hotel. The youngest child, Skyler, said, 鈥淐an you imagine, if we鈥檙e doing the things that we鈥檙e doing now, how great we鈥檙e going to be when we get to college?鈥� She鈥檚 10 years old, but she鈥檚 a crackerjack. It鈥檚 that kind of 鈥淎ha! I understand鈥� moment: It touches my heart, and it鈥檚 why we do this 鈥� so they can do more.

If you say to people, 鈥淚 care about you, and I think you can do a lot with your life if you have a guiding hand,鈥� you encourage them to be better. You have to show them, too: We take our youths on college tours, and when they come back, their hearts are set on the schools they鈥檝e seen.

We give children a new vision of their past, so they can see their future. We show them we have expectations for them 鈥� and they rise to the challenge. They鈥檙e gonna do great things. Absolutely.

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