In 2000, a writing colleague rushed up to me, releasing a broad smile, then shoved a magazine into my hands. I eagerly read the title that I had never seen before"Port of Harlem"
(POH)
I narrowed my eyebrows, to which he responded, "They published my article!" I was elated for my friend, then quickly replied, "You think they'll publish mine?" He nodded his head in agreement enthusiastically.
Two significant events occurred in 2008. Number one, America elected the first African American president, and two, I met the love of my life, best friend, and eventual wife through POH.
This was my introduction to Port of Harlem 25 years ago. I was younger with a full head of black hair and incarcerated. Wayne Young published my first article, "Simply Walk Away." I attempted to expose the harsh realities of maximum-security prison life and discourage others, especially Black males, from entering the world of imposing barbed-wire fences and inhumane conditions. From the beginning, Young encouraged me to write about what I lived.
Incarceration is unapologetically heartless to its core. What I witnessed for 31 years: no human being should ever have to live through it. Port of Harlem was the conduit for me to release years of pain, anger, and major depression. It was my therapeutic muse. Whenever I was confronted with overwhelming circumstances, I quickly reached for my Brother word processor and talked about it in depth.
It wasn't only my situation that entered my mind and heart. My articles were well known in the prison, so many men read my articles, and then shared with me their unfair treatment by the prison administration, medical staff, parole commissioners, and the courts. The magazine gave many men, including me, a voice in the wilderness.
I recall an incident with a shop supervisor. He regularly read my articles but took issue with one in particular, in which I discussed what it was like to work in the prison-industrial complex. As I did for years, I exposed the truth about low wages and a blatant disregard for workers' welfare. He told me that if I didn't like working in the shop, I was free to leave. They provide jobs that inmates would otherwise not have.
Unperturbed, I calmly explained to my Caucasian supervisor that my focus is to dissuade others from placing themselves in this situation. I went on to say that I desire something better for young men. I explained the confrontation to Wayne, who was concerned about my well-being. I refused to stifle the truth to make someone else feel comfortable. Wayne concurred.
Two significant events occurred in 2008. Number one, America elected the first African American president, and two, I met the love of my life, best friend, and eventual wife through POH. Ivy read one of my articles and wrote me to say God told her to encourage me. That initial letter was the start of a relationship that resulted in marriage 14 years later.
Ivy became the waters that cushioned the fall at a time I genuinely believed I would die in prison. I felt the world had abandoned me, and I was in a dark emotional place, but this beautiful woman from Washington, D.C., restored my faith and then resuscitated my hope.
Wayne and she were my greatest advocates for a second chance. They wrote letters to the courts and the parole board. Their combined efforts carried them to the Maryland Parole Commission, where they spoke with a commissioner on my behalf. In 2022, then-Governor Hogan signed my release papers, and Ivy and I were married two months later.
The moment my shoes touched the streets of freedom, I hit the ground running. First, a Commercial Drivers License, employment driving a truck, speaking engagements, working with returning citizens, and teaching at a transition home.
POH readers even donated a stipend to pay me as I wrote these articles after my return.
Young and his readers kept me busy writing theater reviews, which I loved, and the free tickets that came with the review, POH readers even donated a stipend to pay me as I wrote these articles after my return. Not long after my release, Young introduced me to Carolivia Herron, a published writer, Howard University professor, and the founder of The Takoma Writers.
In this group of artists, I took my writing to another level. In 2023, inspired by my wife, I decided to write a stage play about how she and I met. In 2025, I completed my first full-length stage play called "The Waiting Room." I have presented two readings at different venues in Metro DC, with a third scheduled for Spring 2026. Currently, my wife and I are producing this play, which we will present on stage in September 2026.
This journey has been arduous, traumatic, and life-affirming. I am grateful for every bend in the road and every person God brought into my life who saw me through. Port of Harlem has been right beside me through it all.
