So this incredible story calls for great applause and admiration.
You must see the world with different eyes to truly appreciate the plight of this great man that lead to unbelievable triumph.
Put your pre-conceived notions down and know that people can change. This is something I swear by. I always find it so disheartening when people say with conviction people do not and cannot change.
It’s simply not true. And here’s the thing. We cannot judge someone based on an incident or circumstance in their life that lead to something they would later regret.
We all live with regret. We all wish we could’ve, should’ve and would’ve at some point in our life.
And this is very much the case for Reginald Dwayne Wetts.
He does not want his past to define him and nor should it. We say this when we’re offering up advice to friends and family about hardships or bad relationships from the past. We cannot and should not let it define us.
While our past may shape us it should not define us. It should not become us and it should not make us who we are today.
So why Wetts’ story is so remarkable is because he was a convicted car jacker at sixteen, tried as an adult and spent eight years behind bars, fourteen months of it in solitary confinement. And this change of events set the stage for the most exceptional comeback ever.
While incarcerated he got his high school diploma and studied relentlessly. He began reading and writing poetry. After being released he went to on to get a job at a bookstore, was promoted to manager and then began a book club for Black youth while attending college.
And this was only the beginning. His achievements are many and accolades even greater.
