Welcome to the meanest streets in America. Where Wesley Hawkins grew up, abandoned buildings were called “abandominiums.” More families lived in these burned-out houses without utilities than could afford rent or running water. Neighbors shared electricity by running extension cords out of their windows, and and anyone had anything, shared.But it wasn’t all tales of heartwarming community. In such extreme poverty, drugs were the only way out. Whether you were using them – like Hawkins’ mother, whose heartbreaking story inspired his mentorship work – or selling them, like Hawkins was by the age of eleven in order to help feed his brothers and sisters.Some of you readers know exactly the America that Wesley Hawkins grew up in. You know it because you live there too. The most surprising part of this story, for you, might be the triumph through which Hawkins got out of the drug game and dedicated his life to helping other kids succeed and move up in the world while avoiding the drugs that destroyed his family, and killed his mother and her husband. Hawkins hopes his story will show you new worlds that are possible for you.Other readers may be more shocked by the true stories of tragedy contained in these pages – the sexual abuse suffered by Hawkins’ grandmother and his mother, the abuse of children in underground fighting rings, and the deaths and his mother and her husband from drug-related causes. Hawkins hopes this book might change the way you see your neighbors, and those laws which show little regard for their well-being.Hawkins’ non-profit, The Nolita Project, seeks to show youth raised in poverty that a better future really is possible for them. The Nolita Project provides mentorship, supportive relationships, tutoring, classes, and other services to kids from neighborhoods like the ones Hawkins himself grew up in.
Wesley Hawkins’ journey from the harsh streets of Baltimore to becoming a mentor and community leader is a testament to resilience and hope. Through his nonprofit, The Nolita Project, he strives to inspire youth to overcome adversity and build a brighter future, just as he did.
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