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“Until the lion writes his own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”

The Soy Autor writing process was developed in collaboration with young people at-risk of, victims of or perpetrators of violence in El Salvador. In 2017, this innovative program expanded into Chicago to create positive opportunities that nourish the minds, ideas and words of the underserved and underestimated.Through the process of drafting, revising, illustrating and publishing memoirs, the Authors’ Circle develops reflection, critical thinking, camaraderie, conflict resolution and positive self-projection.

In collaboration with:

Chicago CRED

Next Chapter Dontrell Willis

I got tired of feeling sorry for myself. A man is supposed to never cry but I did because I felt like I had no help. Like a baby crying for its mother was how I felt in this world of chaos. Nothing mattered, not even my own life. My depression was eating me alive.

Until a man whose name is Mr. Rogers Jones.

He wasn’t even my father but he still came into my life and demonstrated what a man does to better his life the right way. He gave me a job and made sure I was on the right path to success. The father I had was no father. M.J. came into my life and simultaneously changed it.

But the person who actually birthed me was nowhere to be found. My father was dead to me. I had no heartbeat for him no love or care. I wanted him to die and for Mr. Jones to take his place. It felt good being loved. Being loved by your actual family feels dependence.

When I was little, I lived with my mom and my eight brothers and sisters. There was a lot of fighting, over money and stuff.

I didn’t really go to school. I dropped out when I was a sophomore. I didn’t think school could help me. I didn’t think I needed it.

At 17, I committed a crime that I’m ashamed of and embarrassed about. When I did the robbery, me and a friend, the only thought that was going through my head was I needed money. There was no food in the house. And I needed clothes to wear. Them thoughts was the only thing I was thinking about. The consequences I was not thinking about at all.

When me and the guy who was helping me finally robbed the house, I stole cell phones, watches, anything valuable. My friend stole whatever he could find, of course. We got caught, I guess, because we got nervous. Actually, I don’t know why we got caught. Afterwards, I was walking down the street with a different friend when police pulled up. I had everything in my shoes and socks.

They threw me up against the wall and found everything I had.

But the person with me, he didn’t commit the crime. I told them he didn’t do it, but they weren’t trying to hear that. They arrested him anyway, only because of the color of his skin.

When the police caught us I didn’t go to jail and didn’t do time. But instead, got off on probation because my background at that age wasn’t bad. I was 17. My friend also didn’t do any jail time.

The reason I did the crime was because I had nothing. Being poor made me angry and hate the world because I thought it owed me something. But it really don’t.

Mr. Jones made me feel like I had a new life and was given a chance that other young black males don’t get. At a young age having a father figure person to show me the way and the steps to build my life up to where I’m successful and can provide for myself the right way.

It was like a breathe of fresh air knowing that I had a person who can help me through hard times.

There’s been a lot of black families where there’s no male figure or a role model to teach the young people how to be responsible, like how Mr. Jones showed me.

In today’s society, life don’t give you a lot of chances and meeting that one person who can change your life don’t happen so often. There’s one method that teaches us that we all are human and that no life is greater than the next person no matter what color of skin you are and that’s death.

All humans someday have to die. Death got no racism, it teaches us that we all are human: white, black, Asian or Latino. Once we all experience death we answer to only one god.

Now I’m at a point in my life where I m on a path to being successful with the help of Mr. Jones, I’m in a position where I can say I got control of my life. We all need love and that’s one thing we all share in common.

I am Dontrell Willis I am from the Bloodline of Slaves.

From jewelry and family.

I am from the city’s chaos.

Murder, jail, racism.

I am from abandon houses, Houses so beat down you couldn’t even consider living in them.

I’m from barbeque and playing spades.

From Demetrius and Angelo.

I am from all loving, all is well, togetherness.

From “Santa Claus is real” and “the Tooth Fairy is gonna take your teeth.”

I’m from the family of Christmas, From Englewood, soul food and pizza.

From my mom catching me with a girl doing explicit things.