By WILLIE SPEARS, Guest Columnist
On December 4, 2009, T. Harris lost her son Gene. He was murdered.
To avenge his murder, her sons Chris and Joshua went after the killer.
This landed Chris in prison.
Ms. Harris lost two sons: one to the grave and one to the system. On March 21, 2022, Chris was released from prison. The family celebrated his release.
The smile on his face was infectious. Ms. Harris celebrated her son’s release by having all his children there to greet him. This was the first time all four children saw him at the same time.
No parent wants to lose two sons, one to the grave and one to the prison system. No one wants to experience their son having his freedom taken away and not having the opportunity to see his children.
I stopped asking kids what they want to be when they grow up, and I started asking them what they don’t want to be when they grow up.
Chris did not want to be in prison, away from his family. Chris did not want to miss birthdays, holidays, cookouts, family reunions and milestones. Gun violence has taken so many of our young people, and when another young person kills them, there are two lives affected, cut short and forever impacted.
There are two families, two sets of children, parents, siblings and friends impacted as well. Last week, Reginald Summage was shot and killed in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was a 20-year-old honor roll college student. A 21-year-old shot him.
In January, 21-year-old Jeffery Reed was murdered in Montgomery, Alabama, by a 23-year-old. Seven hundred ninety-seven people were murdered in Chicago in 2021, and so far, 121 have been murdered this year.
This is not an article on gun violence, but about consequences. I wish there were a way to pause life right before we are about to make a bad decision. During the pause, we would get a glimpse of the consequences of our actions.
Our actions affect us, and our actions also affect our friends and family. Imagine the pain Ms. Harris feels every December or every time a sound, smell, thought, show, car or moment reminds her of family tragedy. The decisions we make today will determine our tomorrow. Those decisions will also determine the tomorrow of our loved ones.
Do you want to miss your child’s birthday? Do you want to miss Mother’s Day? Do you want to miss the funeral of your loved ones? Do you want to miss out on life?
Do you want others to feel pain because you’re incarcerated? Do you want to be a bad example for those who look up to you?
Willie Spears is a Northwestern alumnus, motivational speaker and author. For more information, visit www.williespears.com.