Lassana
“I’ve lived in Monticello for ten years with my wife and kids. My favorite thing about being a dad is having a positive impact in my kids’ lives and seeing them grow up to love and respect other people…and just being there by playing with them, helping them out with schoolwork, teaching them how to eat right, and just loving them as a father would love their kids.
What do I wish for my kids? Well, I pray and play my part because I want my kids to grow up in a society that sees the bigger picture…a society that sees that we are all humans, no matter where you are from, your geography, your location, or how much you have in your bank account. Respect. Respect. Respect other people and see them as a part of one human race. Don’t divide people because of how they look or that they live on the other side of the street. Love everyone as God loves us. Give back if you are in a position to give back. Help if you are in a position to help. I want to teach my kids to not be selfish or mean. One of my biggest wishes is for them to have their values, to know who they are so they stand for something… to believe in themselves, and to have character and principles. That is life right there.
It’s kind of tough to see how things have been going lately. One of my friends asked me if I have ever been in a position where I have been prejudiced against and I have been, on a few occasions. It is on my mind, but again at the same time I try not to pour my energy into it. If I can speak out, I want to voice a solution to the problem. I have a social media platform where I post things that people can read or watch to help get some ideas of how to fix the problem and not become a part of it… to become part of the solution so we can move forward to make America decent for everyone that lives in this great country of ours.
I’ve come a long way from Africa where I had a civil war in my country for 14 years. So, I never had a childhood experience like you did or how my kids do right now. They have friends. They get up and have food to eat, maybe three to five meals a day. For me, if I was blessed, I might have had one meal a day and that’s it. So, coming to America I see life differently. Like, man, why do people make excuses and complain? Why are people still not striving to become great and to make an impact?
When I first came over things weren’t all right. I struggled for a long time. But now, and I will tell this to anyone, I read and watch some things but my energy and mindset is what it is because I feed on God and this helps me get through any situation. When anything happens, I try to stay positive and take away something good from the bad and try not to just to focus on the bad but to turn it around for my good and the good of people around me.
To all those who are out there who don’t know who they are or who see people of color to be different people, we are all one people. If you bleed, it is blood and it is red. If I bleed, it is not green. It is not black. It is red. So that tells you that we have something in common.
Another thing that I want people to know is that no matter what we go through in life there is a solution to every problem. There is always a solution. I stand by that. Don’t give up on life. So many days when I was in my struggle and challenging times, I thought, ‘Why not just end everything’ but something kept playing in my head that said, ‘You are here for a purpose.’ So, I want people to know that no matter what obstacles or challenges you have in life that there is a way to come out and change it… and that if you change, you help people who are going through the same issues change. It says to them, ‘This is not it, this is not you,’. Let’s see how we can help you and fix this and get back on the right path.
Along with my job, I am working to become a motivational speaker. I want to help people discover their true self so they can live an effective and impactful life that makes our world a better place. “
