When people look at me, they assume I won’t amount to anything because I was born in poverty. When in reality, I have worked so hard. I earned my GED. I have a steady job. I just got married to my high school sweetheart. I love God and I serve faithfully in my church. I’ve managed the pain of having my father killed when I was young. I look after my mother, my younger brother, my nieces and my nephews. I want to see all Black boys and men succeed.

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When people look at me, they assume I am not a man of God based on what they think a man of God should look like. When in reality, I am a man of God and grew up in the church. As a Black man I’m just like you, regardless of skin color or culture differences. We all have different struggles but with those struggles come growth, and with growth comes change. We all want and need to grow and change, which leads to changing the world in a way that only unity can bring.

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When people look at me, they assume I am “guilty by association” based on what I wear, the color of my skin, and the assumptions cops and other people make about me thinking I am a drug dealer. When in reality, I just want to feel the same as everybody else, I don’t want favoritism from anybody. But I don’t want a falsified narrative about me as a person because of certain things that society placed on TV or the stereotypes they place on me. I am a family man and I am into fashion. I’m a man of my word and I make the most of every opportunity.

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Don’t judge me.

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When people look at me, they assume I am not intelligent or cultured. When in reality, I am a soft spoken lover of all things music. I am always listening to all kinds of music. I love the stories music tells, because everyone has a story. We should listen to these stories instead of judging a book by its cover. People also assume I’m a deadbeat father, when in reality, I love being a dad and look forward to each moment I get to share with my son. I love my son so much and just want him to be safe, and have the opportunity to be a child.

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Don’t judge us.

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When people look at my son they assume he must be headed for trouble as a little Black boy. When in reality, he loves to help people, he is strong, and he is caring. He is genuine. I don’t want his innocence to be messed up. I want a child–my child–to be a child for as long as he can. Let him play outside. Let him live. People assume his father isn’t in his life, when in reality his father is his primary caretaker, not by force but by choice. People rarely acknowledge single dads. We are more than people imagine.

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When people look at me, they assume the worst. They stereotype me as a thug, drug dealer, or troublemaker who is up to no good. When in reality, I get joy from bringing others joy and making others smile. I always try to do that. I wish people would push past their perceptions and get to know me as a Black man. They would be intrigued by what they find. I’m a data scientist. I participated in a program for people of color to learn more about data science while I worked on my GED and now I teach the program to help others. Don’t judge me. Don’t judge us.

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When people look at me, they count me out. People told me I would never be nothing. My journey was hard. Being told at the age of 15 that I would never see the age of 21 was hard. When in reality, I am a survivor. As a Black man in this world right now, I’m a survivor. There are a lot of good brothers out here. Don’t judge us. We just need a little guidance, understanding, and some patience. That’s what we need.

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When people look at me, they assume I am a thief, dumb, unapproachable, and not a nice person. When in reality, I am actually pretty nice and I’m very smart. I’m proud of myself for working toward my goals and striving to complete my education. I’ve been hurt by the pain of seeing friends injured and killed by violence in this city. I’ve also been hurt by false accusations of criminality when I’ve simply been trying to shop. We need love and support, not judgement and profiling.

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When people look at me, they assume I am just a DJ and another Black man trying to make it in the music industry. They assume they “know my story” without knowing me. When in reality, I am also a youth recruiter, and someone with drive and passion. People would be shocked to hear all that young people in this city live through on a daily basis. I work to help my community by connecting others to opportunity and helping them develop skills, too. We need quality opportunities for our people, especially our youth.

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When people look at me, they assume I am up to no good. They assume I am making bad decisions and getting caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. When in reality, I am resilient. I am most proud of being 63. I have overcome incarceration and I experience freedom from drug addiction. I can tell you to push on for others.

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When people look at me, they assume I am violent, a threat, and want to bring harm to them. When in reality, I am not dangerous. I am genuine and enjoy speaking life into people. I am honoring the lives of my deceased brothers – one killed in a crash and the other killed in the streets. We called ourselves triplets. They live on through me. Whatever happens, God got me. I just live life day to day. We all are just going through trials and tribulations. Give us positivity and lift us up.

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When people look at me, they assume I am dangerous, I don’t have potential, and I don’t want the best for myself. When in reality, I am not dangerous. I am just a Black man living in America. We all are just going through trials and tribulations. I am a genuine person, a great father and taking life one day at a time.

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When people look at me, they assume I am not a hero to my community. When in reality, I have spent the better part of my life being a Community Advocate. I am a single father who raised my daughters from infancy and nephews, too. I grew up in East Baltimore in a neighborhood filled with family values, community pride, and spiritual guidance. With the help of my Lord and Savior and the ancestors, I continue to fight for those left behind in neighborhoods that have been designed to decay. I am still the same person at heart that I was as a child. I will stand up for my village and future generations to come, even when it costs. We will Change the Game.

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When people look at me, they assume I am a product of my environment, taking part in the violent acts happening in my community. When in reality, I am a hard worker and a positive person. I always set goals for myself. I dream big. I work hard to live a nice life and strive to experience a better lifestyle. The pain of having my brother and my sister murdered forever changed my life. It disrupted my education and my plans for college. I know violence is not the answer and it was hard losing people close to me. That pain motivates me to experience more than Baltimore.

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When people look at me, they assume that my past is what defines me. When in reality, I have a lot of perseverance. Looking at how far I’ve come, I believe you can still make it through your situations as a Black man despite how hard life may seem, and how hard society may make it. I find joy in the journey of getting to know myself.

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When people look at me, they assume I am not a good father. When in reality, I’m a great father. I’m the oldest of eight kids and I have a soon to be 15 year old. I didn’t ever think I was gonna have the opportunity to have kids. People should judge me off my actions and judge off my words, don’t assume. Don’t make assumptions about me or my race for that matter. You would probably be wrong.

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When people look at me, they assume that I am mean and I am a criminal taking part in the violence in Baltimore. When in reality, I am not violent. So many people in my circle are dying, I am starting to become numb to it. I am a family man and a proud father. I take care of my family. I am funny and goofy. Don’t judge me.

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When people look at me, they assume I am a bad kid and I’m mean. When in reality, that’s not me at all. People mistake my thinking face for my mean face. I love to draw and hope to become an architect. I have goals of getting my GED and driver’s license. I’m proud of myself for working on that every day for the past two months at YO! I have been mistaken for a thief before and treated worse than the person who was eventually caught. When this happened, I felt scared because I thought the cops would kill me. I also felt disappointed because I did nothing wrong and I was treated so badly by the police. Please don’t judge me.

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When people look at me, they assume I’m someone who will cause a lot of problems. When in reality, I am a good man. I do my best to stay good and I don’t get into trouble. Everyday is the same thing and I thank the Lord I am still here.

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When people look at me, they assume I am a criminal for a crime I was falsely accused and convicted of but I didn’t commit. When in reality, I am like many other Black men–I was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. I am a caring, loving person. I love everybody. This is the way I am. I care about anyone’s well being. I am friendly and don’t want to be a product of the system of injustice. I am not a product of my environment or past situations.

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When people look at me, they assume I’m incapable of doing better than my past. When in reality, I am moving toward pursuing licensure to continue to help people. I am capable of doing anything no matter the hand I was dealt. You can overcome any obstacle as long as you keep the faith in the power greater than yourself.

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When people look at me, they assume they can implement my ideas to improve the lives of Black boys and men in this city without including me in the effort. I’ve been saying for years that our young boys need counseling to address the trauma on top of traumas they have experienced from an early age. I have watched past and present city leadership try to rollout my ideas without me and it hasn’t been effective. Over my life, I have started a center for men and families to help connect them to care and equip them with skills to navigate the healthcare system. This is important to me because coming up in East Baltimore, not too many people had access to health insurance. Over the years, I have been offered opportunities elsewhere, but I am committed to improving the lives of Black men and families right here in Baltimore.

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When people look at me, they assume I am standoffish and unapproachable. When in reality, I am a proud Black man who is not afraid to use his voice to lead or advocate for others and myself. I am very skilled, ambitious, and well-rounded, but I am also very flawed. However, I embrace my flaws because they are what make me so skilled since I am open to knowing what I need improvement on, thus making me well-rounded.

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When people look at me, they assume I am just into sports and there is not much more to me. When in reality, I am a clinical therapist who works to heal individuals that look like me. Additionally, I love cycling, playing spades, and coaching sports. I am a human and have hobbies and interest just like you.

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When people look at me, they assume they can take me for granted. When in reality, I will never accept being mistreated or misused. I don’t deserve this. I am a very loving person. I thank the Lord I’m still here. I want people to know I love sports. I’m a sports minded person. I also love doing things for people, but I’d hate for people to do unfair things to me. I’d rather they tell me the truth or nothing at all.

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When people look at me, they assume things, but their opinion doesn’t matter. What matters is who I know I am. Everyone calls me “King” and that calls me higher. We all have struggles and they will either make or break you. I was incarcerated at the age of 17 and I’m just getting home. When I was younger, I didn’t see and value the things that matter most: Family, making a contribution to society, and staying out of trouble. I’m really proud of how much I have matured and how much my understanding has deepened. Everyone needs someone in their corner, rooting for them. That’s prevention.

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When people look at me, they assume I’m not trying. I had my struggles and a lot of doubt, but I’m gonna show up tomorrow because I’m going to keep trying. I am a good man even with the struggles I had. I come from a good family. I love my children and grandchildren. They bring me joy and give me hope. I have had long periods of employment, I am dependable and I believe in myself even when others don’t. All I need is a chance. When given the opportunity, I make the most of it.

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When people look at me, they assume that I’m a playboy. When in reality, I am ultimately about change and not becoming a product of my environment. Instead, I let my environment become a product of myself.

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When people look at me, they assume I am not a man of God or I look like a rapper. When in reality, I am a pastor and I love God. It’s not easy being a Black man in our society. I am eager and prayerful to see the end of systematic racism.

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When people look at me, they assume that I am unintelligent. When in reality, I am a smart, hardworking, strong Black man. I really like to read books, and I am also a good father.

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When people look at me, they assume my world is small and the possibilities of my life, narrow. When in reality, I am a proud Black man from East Baltimore–a gentle giant—who has travelled globally, loves golfing and giving back to my community. I have taught my own children to dream and I take great joy in mentoring other young people to pursue their aspirations. The game was never explained to us because of systemic racism. But as long as we stay connected to community, faith-based and historically Black institutions, we will be okay. We will rise from the ashes.

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When people look at me, they assume I’m just a color. When in reality, I am more than that. I’m not only a Black man, I am a father, a husband, a son, and an uncle. I was even a firefighter for Baltimore City, and it was one of the best jobs I ever had.

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When people look at me, they assume I’m lazy. When in reality, I am extremely hardworking. I believe that regardless of any obstacles you go through in life, you can overcome them.

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When people look at me, they assume they can take advantage of and take for granted my family legacy. When in reality, I am devoting the rest of my life to bringing genetic justice to my grandmother, Henrietta Lacks, and her descendants. My family is an important part of my life, which is why I put pen to paper to tell the untold story of my grandmother. I didn’t want her to be portrayed as an illiterate, poor Black woman, and I am proud to help spread Mrs. Lacks’ true and full narrative. I want people to know about the legacy my grandmother has left in our nation’s health and medical advancements.

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Don’t judge me.

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When people look at me, they assume I’m a mean person. When in reality, I’m really nice. If you really get to know me, I’m funny, sincere, and kind of goofy. I don’t gossip. Truth be told, I don’t really care of what you might think of me. At the end of the day, I’m just going to do my own thing.

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When people look at me, they assume I am not hopeful. When in reality, I am a Christian and a God-fearing man. Regardless of struggles, I’ll never give up and I will continue pushing.

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Don’t judge me.

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Don’t judge me.

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When people look at me, they assume I am a younger man. I am 66 and that means a lot. I fought to get to this age. I really had a rough time, but I overcame drug use and I am proud of me! Now, I do drug classes and programs to give back and help others. I’m looking forward to retiring so I can travel and enjoy life while I can. I want to see Black boys and men in this city respect each other. The killings and crime in this city is ridiculous. It’s pathetic to me that we have lost respect for one another. I think if we get the respect back, the senseless killing will stop.

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Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman

Don’t judge me.

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#InAllWaysHuman