Written on June 7, 2020
If there is one thing that I am thankful for, it is the fact that I was raised to think for myself at an early stage in my life. Therefore, when I heard those senseless affirmations coming out of Papa Biron's mouth, I knew that he was completely being ignorant and stupid. Evidently, that verbal exchange led to me to avoid my grandpa for the rest of his stay in Montreal.
Two years later, in 2001, my mother received a call from her brother Mario; he was calling to announce the unfortunate news that Papa Biron had been shot three times in the neck by some thieves in Haiti. It was an obvious shock for my whole family. What really hurt me the most was to see my mom’s pain when he was pronounced dead a couple of days after she had received the initial call.
Looking back on that memory, it brought me to the realization that I need to do everything in my power to cultivate a truthful and morally strong outlook on the world. I want to do so to avoid being like my grandfather and pass on toxic thinking to my youths. Once I am done with my senior years, Lord willing, and leave planet Earth, I want to be remembered for spreading a truth-filled narrative to my successors…something that, unfortunately, Papa Biron failed to do with me. And the biggest proof of his failure is that when he died, instead of mourning his death, the 15-year-old me was wondering if the men who brought him to his final breath were dark-skin…or light-skin niggaz.
''Once I am done with my senior years, Lord willing, and leave planet Earth, I want to be remembered for spreading a truth-filled narrative to my successors…something that, unfortunately, Papa Biron failed to do with me. And the biggest proof of his failure is that when he died, instead of mourning his death, the 15-year-old me was wondering if the men who brought him to his final breath were dark-skin…or light-skin niggaz.''
- 7 in the AM