We may not directly control the politics in government; white corporate America, educational institutions, Hollywood, the judicial system, and financial institutions, but one thing we do have absolute control over is our own lives and choices that we make. I know choices can be influenced by our circumstances: the reality of police brutality, drugs, unemployment, poverty, broken families, poor education, and gang violence. Personal responsibility is a hard pill to swallow because it is easy to wallow in the misery of being a victim. “I have a felony conviction and can’t find a job so I’m going back to the streets” is an attitude too many young brothers commit to. Too often the fear of incarceration is no longer a deterrent for not going to prison. Lockdown has become a badge of honor rite of passage that some brothers proudly proclaim membership.  It’s difficult to have hope when your future is unclear, unpredictable and bleak because you have an arrest record that the job ma...