metamorphosis describes an amazing
transformation
one example is unattractive color pillar
turning into a majestic butterfly at the
age of 13 I was a hopeless caterpillar
with an insatiable appetite caterpillars
eat one green leaf after another
chomping away with no boundaries as for
myself it was one crime after another I
come from a big family uncles aunts and
a lot of cousins and in community where
crime was the norm
my family was supported at knowing so I
was exposed to a lot of crime and
violence but it didn’t bother me I was a
straight-a student and I got treated
like a child prodigy but I was entered
that treatment secretly I wanted to be a
gangster a men of power and respect my
mom smoothers from that community so me
and my siblings could grow up in a
better environment but destiny but say
otherwise I was allowed to spend
weekends in my old neighborhood with my
cousin’s so I was living a double life
going to school during the week and
partying on the weekend so I got
arrested when I was 14 my mother said to
whoever’s has become me and gave me some
words of wisdom she said don’t bring
what you’re doing the streets to where
you got to let your head burst I would
take the heart and apply soon the
streets of South Central Los Angeles
would become my home but I wasn’t
welcome everywhere there are dozens of
gangs in the city of Los Angeles I was
from one of the biggest gangs and we had
a lot of enemies I dropped out of school
and devoted my life to the game I was
embraced by those who were known to make
things happen they told me everything by
the age of 17 I was a menace to society
all I knew was crying
and I fed on it with reckless abandon it
I was very spontaneous deliberate and I
never hesitated so when I pulled my gun
during a robbery I was serious about
what I wanted I wasn’t trigger-happy but
I won’t think twice neither the irony is
money meant nothing to me I wasn’t
motivated by greed I was into splurging
and having a good time
every day was a party for but the
realities of my lifestyle made me
ruthless the gang violence was real I’ve
been to a lot of funerals going up and
on a few occasions I’ve been to two
funerals in one day I had a reputation
for doing a lot of shooting I did John
bars but I was known for jumping out and
chasing people down I was so deep into
this lifestyle that anything outside of
it was foreign to me including being
intimate I had some pretty girlfriends
but I prefer the company of prostitutes
so it was no surprise that my appetite
will lead me to prison where immediately
I began to feed on the violence and
hypocrisy of prison politics you would
think at the years of indulging myself
crime would be like pesticide to me but
after being released from prison my
appetite only increased allowing me to
savor the bitter taste of recidivism
there is nothing more hopeless like
coming back to prison
in my case coming back with a hundred
and sixty years to life at the
caterpillar stops beating expense itself
into a cocoon there undergoes this
gruesome process of dissolving and
digesting well there’s no longer needs a
process I know all too well so there
after my incarceration I began to
self-destruct
using your drugs always mentor booting
me because I sold it and so the effects
of yet there are worse getting high
heroin and crystal meth I had a strong
support system a family of friends who
would send me whatever I export they
didn’t know what my drug use so I lied
and made a reasons why I needed money I
was a clown in so many ways
that it was impossible for me to take
anything seriously my self-destruction
was inevitable and I was beginning to
embrace my hopelessness but suddenly in
January 2016
Jesus Christ became my Lord and Savior
and I stopped using drugs none of this
was planned trying to know what I was
doing there was no step-by-step manual
on how to change your life in prison
plus my sudden change brought out the
skeptics you think TMZ is something they
don’t have nothing on the paparazzi’s we
have in prison so I had to deal with all
of their criticism their rejections and
their gossip all in a non-violent way
shouts out to Martin Luther King who
said the ultimate measure of a man is
not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience but where he
stands at a time of challenge and
controversy told us every to block up
the rhetoric and focus on my change
that’s the purpose of the cocoon right
but only dismiss new to me I felt like a
child I said I would start Life all over
again I never felt so vulnerable in my
life so sensitive the entire process was
emotional forgiving and letting go I
accredit the mental health program here
and RJ Donovan Correctional Facility so
much of my coping skills and character
development as a result of their
professionalism I was beginning to see
purpose and all of my experiences the
word coincidence was losing its value to
me but the word perfect’ was beginning
to me everything
doors were opening and good people were
coming into my life or December 21st I
learned I was selected to be part of the
first ever TEDx Nunavut correctional I
don’t think I qualified I never been a
part of something positive so my joy
inspired me to make a decision I never
thought about me on Christmas morning I
let it be known the gang life was over
and a few days later I’ll be crying in
the shower as I thought about all the
people who died for this lifestyle so
many who would have been proud of my
choice
I entered 2017 giving God glory
preparing me for the day of the TEDx
Donovan correctional event I was to lead
us to a position that told me the true
meaning of humility I was being of
service without being seen but she was
new to me because every event a bench in
my life I was used to being seen so this
experience was foretelling that all
that’s about to change things were about
to be different for me just like Jesus
was led into the wilderness to be
tempted by Satan so is our letter to the
summer of 2017 to be tempted by one
situation after another and in
accordance with that my pastor were
challenged to congregation to a 40 day
fast or giving up something we love I
love music the rhythm the harmony the
passage and took me to a whole nother
world crunking I’m on surroundings but
it was no more than the fast forced me
to deal with people and situations that
were unpleasant to me it was a powerful
experience that ultimately that’s my
breakthrough I stepped out of my cocoon
marveling at my new identity checking
out my wings I now have hope the
possibilities are endless for me
no situation doesn’t have to be as
rather for his mind but don’t itself
hopelessness
do have a choice so choose hope but
believing it’s something greater than
yourself but forgiving yourself and
forgiving others being open to new ideas
and most importantly getting help people
do care and for y’all who do have hope
you know it’s contagious right spread it
but being kind humble and serving others
you never know who’s ready to experience
their own metamorphosis
[Applause] [Music]
transformation
one example is unattractive color pillar
turning into a majestic butterfly at the
age of 13 I was a hopeless caterpillar
with an insatiable appetite caterpillars
eat one green leaf after another
chomping away with no boundaries as for
myself it was one crime after another I
come from a big family uncles aunts and
a lot of cousins and in community where
crime was the norm
my family was supported at knowing so I
was exposed to a lot of crime and
violence but it didn’t bother me I was a
straight-a student and I got treated
like a child prodigy but I was entered
that treatment secretly I wanted to be a
gangster a men of power and respect my
mom smoothers from that community so me
and my siblings could grow up in a
better environment but destiny but say
otherwise I was allowed to spend
weekends in my old neighborhood with my
cousin’s so I was living a double life
going to school during the week and
partying on the weekend so I got
arrested when I was 14 my mother said to
whoever’s has become me and gave me some
words of wisdom she said don’t bring
what you’re doing the streets to where
you got to let your head burst I would
take the heart and apply soon the
streets of South Central Los Angeles
would become my home but I wasn’t
welcome everywhere there are dozens of
gangs in the city of Los Angeles I was
from one of the biggest gangs and we had
a lot of enemies I dropped out of school
and devoted my life to the game I was
embraced by those who were known to make
things happen they told me everything by
the age of 17 I was a menace to society
all I knew was crying
and I fed on it with reckless abandon it
I was very spontaneous deliberate and I
never hesitated so when I pulled my gun
during a robbery I was serious about
what I wanted I wasn’t trigger-happy but
I won’t think twice neither the irony is
money meant nothing to me I wasn’t
motivated by greed I was into splurging
and having a good time
every day was a party for but the
realities of my lifestyle made me
ruthless the gang violence was real I’ve
been to a lot of funerals going up and
on a few occasions I’ve been to two
funerals in one day I had a reputation
for doing a lot of shooting I did John
bars but I was known for jumping out and
chasing people down I was so deep into
this lifestyle that anything outside of
it was foreign to me including being
intimate I had some pretty girlfriends
but I prefer the company of prostitutes
so it was no surprise that my appetite
will lead me to prison where immediately
I began to feed on the violence and
hypocrisy of prison politics you would
think at the years of indulging myself
crime would be like pesticide to me but
after being released from prison my
appetite only increased allowing me to
savor the bitter taste of recidivism
there is nothing more hopeless like
coming back to prison
in my case coming back with a hundred
and sixty years to life at the
caterpillar stops beating expense itself
into a cocoon there undergoes this
gruesome process of dissolving and
digesting well there’s no longer needs a
process I know all too well so there
after my incarceration I began to
self-destruct
using your drugs always mentor booting
me because I sold it and so the effects
of yet there are worse getting high
heroin and crystal meth I had a strong
support system a family of friends who
would send me whatever I export they
didn’t know what my drug use so I lied
and made a reasons why I needed money I
was a clown in so many ways
that it was impossible for me to take
anything seriously my self-destruction
was inevitable and I was beginning to
embrace my hopelessness but suddenly in
January 2016
Jesus Christ became my Lord and Savior
and I stopped using drugs none of this
was planned trying to know what I was
doing there was no step-by-step manual
on how to change your life in prison
plus my sudden change brought out the
skeptics you think TMZ is something they
don’t have nothing on the paparazzi’s we
have in prison so I had to deal with all
of their criticism their rejections and
their gossip all in a non-violent way
shouts out to Martin Luther King who
said the ultimate measure of a man is
not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience but where he
stands at a time of challenge and
controversy told us every to block up
the rhetoric and focus on my change
that’s the purpose of the cocoon right
but only dismiss new to me I felt like a
child I said I would start Life all over
again I never felt so vulnerable in my
life so sensitive the entire process was
emotional forgiving and letting go I
accredit the mental health program here
and RJ Donovan Correctional Facility so
much of my coping skills and character
development as a result of their
professionalism I was beginning to see
purpose and all of my experiences the
word coincidence was losing its value to
me but the word perfect’ was beginning
to me everything
doors were opening and good people were
coming into my life or December 21st I
learned I was selected to be part of the
first ever TEDx Nunavut correctional I
don’t think I qualified I never been a
part of something positive so my joy
inspired me to make a decision I never
thought about me on Christmas morning I
let it be known the gang life was over
and a few days later I’ll be crying in
the shower as I thought about all the
people who died for this lifestyle so
many who would have been proud of my
choice
I entered 2017 giving God glory
preparing me for the day of the TEDx
Donovan correctional event I was to lead
us to a position that told me the true
meaning of humility I was being of
service without being seen but she was
new to me because every event a bench in
my life I was used to being seen so this
experience was foretelling that all
that’s about to change things were about
to be different for me just like Jesus
was led into the wilderness to be
tempted by Satan so is our letter to the
summer of 2017 to be tempted by one
situation after another and in
accordance with that my pastor were
challenged to congregation to a 40 day
fast or giving up something we love I
love music the rhythm the harmony the
passage and took me to a whole nother
world crunking I’m on surroundings but
it was no more than the fast forced me
to deal with people and situations that
were unpleasant to me it was a powerful
experience that ultimately that’s my
breakthrough I stepped out of my cocoon
marveling at my new identity checking
out my wings I now have hope the
possibilities are endless for me
no situation doesn’t have to be as
rather for his mind but don’t itself
hopelessness
do have a choice so choose hope but
believing it’s something greater than
yourself but forgiving yourself and
forgiving others being open to new ideas
and most importantly getting help people
do care and for y’all who do have hope
you know it’s contagious right spread it
but being kind humble and serving others
you never know who’s ready to experience
their own metamorphosis
[Applause] [Music]
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