Don't Leave Before the Magic Happens

Bys: Humphrey, Sr., Julius Kimya, Steven Telfor, Cesar F. Villa, et al.

There is an irony to be found inside the stories written by the incarcerated men who have created a community inside their walls of concrete and steel. A place where differences are accepted, and the family bonds they build are kept intact and protected through their own worth and knowledge. These men dug deep into their history, exposed the brutal truth about their path to prison, and have worked tirelessly to address what needs to be reformed in order to have their positive transformations reach beyond their walls. The Delancey Street Honors Program is a replica of the platform developed by Dr. Mimi Silbert, president and CEO of the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco, California. The residents of the Delancey Street Honors Program continue in what was already accomplished in the outside world; demonstrating that Dr. Silbert's blueprint is sorely needed for positive change by many others. Out here, Americans have the freedom and resources to make a difference in families, communities and society, yet most choose not to take action. How ironic it is, that this country keeps locked away through mass incarceration, the very people who possess the courage and wisdom to affect change in a positive way beyond their cages. It reveals our weaknesses. The residents are determined to make Dr. Silbert proud, so if they get knocked down, they get up and preserve; resolute in fulfilling the long-time motto from past and present men, "Don't Leave Before the Magic Happens." Yet their accomplishments would not have been possible without Dr. Silbert's vision, and as a tribute to her indefatigable endeavors, the authors have published their success stories here, as a way to let her know how priceless she is to them. From Julius Kimya Humphrey, Sr.: The essays formed in this book describe behavior created by conditions and circumstances in the environment where these men were raised, changing the trajectory of how they envisioned their lives would be lived. For many, it caused their accomplishments in society to be short lived. None, while growing up said to themselves, "When I get older, I want to spend the rest of my life in prison." Unfortunately, the conditions and circumstances existing in many communities, host activities in which prison is created as a strong possibility in becoming a direct part of their lives. At age 67, I'm still learning how to change my habits of dysfunctional thinking and addictive behavior that led me to spend over 45 years of my life in and out of the California prison system. The adults who contributed to my upbringing as a child, woefully came from dysfunctional families themselves. They did not live under the norms of society, so I wasn't encouraged to graduate from high school, join the military or become a responsible adult who works, gets married, and raises children. I was taught to be everything a person should not be. Yet, after all the negative influence and bad decisions I made that created the alcohol and drug addiction, resulting in criminal activity and prison, my intuition always reminded me I could do better. It's never too late to change. My past does not define my future, and it's pivotal for whoever reads this to know and believe change is possible for everyone. It doesn't discriminate. Change doesn't value one person over another. If your life has become unmanageable, don't wait to find yourself in my position to start changing.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0D7T8GCYL
• ISBN13: 9798329006834
• Release Date: June 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.2" x 5.3"