When a 45- caliber slug exploded into 17-year old Sha's head, there was none of the cinematic effects you see in the movies. He heard no fanfare or applause from the audience as his dead eyes stared outwardly, seeing nothing. No Doughboy from Boyz In The Hood or O-Dog from Menace To Society to rally the troops and avenge his death. All that remained was a limp body and wet brain matter splattered on the shelves of the bodega he attempted to rob. And oh yeah... a mother left to grieve her only son.
At school, we talked about his killing for a few weeks, but then he became a distant memory. We had a prom, school trip and SAT's to worry about. He didnt have many friends. After all, Sha was a bully. He was more infamous than popular. Those that didnt know him (or his unfortunate victims) would probably even call him a menace. But, regardless of what he may have believed, he would never be a martyr.
However, Sha had succeeded at becoming a statistic. He was a young Black male that didnt reach the age of twenty-five (or is the age Black men should be surprised to reach twenty-one now). Sha dropped out of high school in tenth grade, just as the American Youth Policy Forum states that 50% of African American students do. And if he had survived the shootout and been incarcerated, he would have been like 70% of all prison inmatesfunctionally illiterate or reading below a fourth grade level (according to a report by Literacy Behind Prison Walls).
Sha was functionally illiterate, per the standards established in my school. The educational system had abandoned him when he was only an elementary school student. That was back when his name was simply, Raymond. Born addicted to crack and raised in a single parent household, Raymond had his fair share of issues. His mother didnt nurture or read to him. She hadnt been taught to read either. He often drew vivid pictures with the level of detail that would impress a seasoned artist, but no one noticed. Back then, he would often talk about the problems he was experiencing at home, but no one really cared.
Raymond was already a statistic. He was one of the many that wouldnt make the cut. In a school system that was overpopulated, understaffed and poorly funded, it would be easier to cast him away into the sea of no return called Special Ed. Once Raymond landed in Special Ed, he began his downward spiral. He became everything they had told him he was and exactly what society had expected him to be.
Soon afterward he would become a member of the Nation of Gods and Earths (an offshoot of the Nation of Islam). He would change his name to Sha, and he would start to prey on those that society had deemed as being better than himthose that were worthy of an education, mentoring and caring. He became a beast, a terrorist roaming the earth on borrowed time. He was destined to be in prison or a wooden box before he saw twenty-one.
Ironically, Sha was probably one of the most articulate teenagers you would ever encounter. As a member of the Nation of Gods and Earths, Sha prided himself on memorizing the nations daily lessons, supreme alphabet and supreme mathematics. This was a daunting task for anyone, especially for someone the school system had given up on.
I have a couple of memories of Sha. In high school, I remember having to drop off a note for my teacher to one of their co-workers that taught the Special Ed group. What Ill always remember is that the teacher was reading to the class from a Dr. Seuss book. This was a class full of teenagers with varying ages. The group included Sha. This stuck out to me because I knew Shas potential. But, the system had given up on him. A kid that could memorize the supreme alphabet and mathematics was being taught nursery rhymes as preparation to go out into society. Its no wonder that he turned to a life of crime.
The second memory I have of Sha is after he dropped out of school. I remember him approaching a teen that was reading a text book on a bench at our local park. I could see the fear in his eyes when Sha approached and asked, Whatchu reading for? You a nerd? With that, he took the boys book and his book bag, and tossed both of them over a fence. Sha couldnt read. Or better yet let me rephrase thatSha hadnt been taught to read, even though he was quite capable of reading. I wonder what would have become of Sha if he had been taught something that simple? I wonder if he saw light at the end of the tunnel, would he have remained in school?
Studies say that dropouts are 2.5 times more likely to die. 75% of state prisons inmates are high school dropouts. 59% of federal inmates dropped out of high school as well (American Youth Policy Forum).
As I write this, there are a thousand more like Sha, being prepped. This isnt preparation for society, its preparation for prison. They desperately need bodies in jail. A company named Unicor made $667 million dollars in 2003 alone, selling products to the federal government that were made by federal inmates paid about a dollar for each hour of work.
Unfortunately, they werent able to recruit Sha. He became a different kind of statistic. 70% of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate. So, it would seem almost like a given that as a nation we would be motivated to place the attention needed to improve literacy. But, with shares of companies such as The Corrections Corporation being worth more than $53 billion dollars, I wouldnt count on it. After all, these inmates are only statistics.
Moses Miller is an author, journalist and co-founder of Mind Candy, LLC, which is a company focused on book publishing and the development of creative and thought provoking screenplays. In the past, he has contributed articles and written for various websites and publications including The Voice, Newsday and 88HIPHOP.COM where he is currently the Editor in Chief of content. He holds a Bachelors degree in Business Management and a Masters of Science degree in Technology Management obtained from Polytechnic University. His first novel, Nan: The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones has received critical acclaim from critics, readers and book clubs around the world. He currently has a literacy contest entitled, American Me Voices of Our Youth, focused on African American and Hispanic teens. For more information, visit http://www.MindCandyMedia.com or contact Moses direct at Moses@MindCandyMedia.com
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