the Gentle-man

On his 16th birthday, Karanja and his best friend were playing around with a gun they had found in their neighborhood.  His best friend pointed the gun at him jokingly and KJ got upset.

“Chill out, I know what I’m doing”, said his friend.

Telling KJ that it wasn't loaded, he pointed the gun at his own head and pulled the trigger,

killing himself,

in front of his best friend, on his 16th birthday.


When I first met KJ, I knew this brother had a testimony.  Accepting a job as an Economist for the city, he moved back to Richmond last year after receiving his Master’s from Savannah State.  We worked on several projects together and at the same time he was in the process of becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and was a mentor for Big Bro, Big Sis.  I thought I was a busy person but it seems KJ always had one up on me.  He always takes initiative and never slacks when we are involved in any projects for our organization.  I get inspired by people I see out here grinding, taking full advantage of the world.  One day we were editing a video we made and I blurted out, “Where do you get your drive from”.  If you know me, you know I talk a lot and I ask a lot of questions.  You can say I was being nosey but I wasn’t.  I wasn’t trying to get in his business but I just had to know what kept him motivated to handle and conquer so many responsibilities. I know my question caught him off guard, but being the gentleman he is, he laughed it off and simply replied, “long story”.  I didn’t press any further.



You wouldn’t know that KJ witnessed his best friend kill himself from the tailored suits he wears.  You wouldn’t guess that all of his role models when he was a boy sold drugs and resided in penitentiaries from his chivalrous mannerisms and the way he always holds the door for women.  You wouldn’t imagine that he was expelled from high school and even landed in a jail cell himself from the smile he that is always present on his face.  KJ told me that it was his mother, who constantly prayed for him that helped him overcome adversity and that he wants to be the role model that he desperately sought out as a kid.  After talking with KJ about his story, all I can say is, “That’s God”!  Today, I salute my friend Karanja and say that you ARE that role model for young men and continue to let your light shine.  We’re watching and its evident, Your Gift Looks Good on You.

-grannyBee