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Newsletter ANTWONE FISHER AND THE STAY STRONG FOUNDATION YOUTH The Stay Strong Foundation presented a special screening with Fox Searchlight Pictures for over 350 inner city youth to see the movie Antwone Fisher, starring Denzel Washington and Derek Luke. The film’s screen writer, Antwone Fisher, greeted the young people after the screening, listened to their reactions, encouraged their hopes and inspired continued courage. “Don’t allow anyone to write your life story, regardless of how it starts out. You are the controller of the beginning, the middle and the ending, The movie teaches us never to give up,” was the message delivered to youth by guest speaker, Eric Adams, President of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. The youth invited came from: Children’s Village, The Stay Strong Foundation/BP America Mentoring Program, Boys and Girls Harbor Inc., NY State Office of Children and Family Services, Jewish Board of Family and Children Services, Greater Hartford Pro Am, Mentors for Harlem, Youth4Seniors, Girl Scouts, Kaplan House and Youth 4 Peace Radio. They experienced foster care first hand and spoke of separation, abuse, neglect and abandonment. It was clear, they identified with Antwone Fisher’s life. “ I had to raise myself from age six to fourteen years old,” said, John Dominicci of Friends of Island Academy. After roaming the streets of New York, he started getting into trouble and was eventually arrested before joining the program at Friends. All of them had stories to share with Antwone Fisher during an emotional Q & A session following the movie. Inspired by the movie, a Stay Strong Foundation youth spokesperson, Reggie Hatchett (a.k.a. WATER), debuted his powerful poem Somebody Please…Listen! (attached). The poem expresses the feelings of a child who craves attention because he is too often ignored. Fox Searchlight was so impressed by the impact he had on the crowd, they donated full-page advertisements in The New York Times and The L.A. Times, on behalf of the Foundation. The ads featured Hatchett’s work. “The response has been overwhelming,” said Terrie Williams, Foundation founder. “Reggie’s spirit and words seem to have captured the heart and emotions of both the youth who have been in the system and adults who are reminded of why they got involved in their lives in the first place.” (See Reggie's Poem following this article) Said Foundation Founder, Terrie Williams “After seeing this film, I just knew in my heart that we had to find a way to share this story with as many young people as possible. This is an amazingly powerful tale of inspiration, overcoming the odds, and the importance of reaching for one’s goals. At the Foundation, these are the type of life lessons we work to instill in the young people we work with. I also ‘adopted’ a group home a few years ago—the Kaplan House in Manhattan—and I have seen numerous examples of kids who have somehow, through all the pain, risen above the challenges.” Foundation Program Director, Veronica Jones coordinated the event with Advisory Board member Tanya Odums. Jones said “Antwone’s courage to break the silence, break the patterns of abuse, deal with the anger and heal through the process is an example to us all.” **************************************************************************************************************** Inspired by the movie Antwone Fisher… Published Friday, January 17, 2003 in the NY Times & LA Times SOMEBODY, PLEASE...LISTEN! By: Reggie Hatchett a.k.a. WATER When I was younger my teachers would always tell me I made too much noise, But I was only considered a minor nuisance because “boys will be boys.” I always wanted to be the class clown or the kid with the quickest temper, Yeah, I guess you can say I craved attention for as long as I can remember. You may have seen me in the principal’s office or even had me in your class, You may have whispered under your breath, “Somebody needs to whoop his ass.” I may have made you clinch your fists or even grit your teeth, But did you ever stop to think to yourself “What really lies beneath?” I tried to get your attention with anger, and you had security beat me down, I tried to get your attention with laughter, and you labeled me a clown. I tried to get your attention with crazy hairstyles, you told me I looked absurd, I tried to get your attention with grades, and my peers called me a nerd. I tried to shut down and appear uninterested, you told me I had ADD, So I tried to be hyper and energetic, you had the guards come and medicate me. I tried to start conversations, you told me you didn’t have the time, I made myself good in sports and all you saw were dollar signs. I tried becoming a slouch, that made me unhealthy and heavy, I tried promiscuity, that made me a father before I was ready. I tried drugs and alcohol, that made me even more sad, I tried hanging with the wrong crowd and you told me I’d be just like my dad. The few times you offered your help, it was only for a minute, Because loving me wasn’t convenient your heart truly wasn’t in it. I guess you wanted me to jump for joy, be happy and accept it, Well excuse me for being a skeptic but I’m used to being neglected. I’m not so easy with my trust, which is sad for a child to say, But I’ve reached for too many extended hands that were only snatched away. So finally I tried running away hoping someone would find, And since you never seemed to have enough, the system gave me time. Now, this was just an illustration of the pain that people don’t see, No child is gonna come up to you with a sign that reads, “Help me!” But they’re out there in your path and you see them everyday, Most of them slip through the cracks and slowly drift away. Our children are being ignored, neglected from the day they are born, They may be screaming out for help, but in a non-verbal form. So extend your hands and open your heart and give redemption a try, You have no idea what that child could be, or who you let pass you by. The next Malcolm X, the next Tupac Shakur or the next Muhammad Ali, Or think about if it had happened to you, I wrote this because it happened to me. © 2003 Reggie Hatchett (Stay Strong Foundation Youth Spokesperson) Let's Talk! | Press Room | Contact Us Privacy Statement |