NEVER SOUL'D DOPE: A BLACK BOY'S PLIGHT

“Never Soul’d Dope” is a compelling story of a mental struggle within the soul of an individual that battles with good and evil, right and wrong, church and street! The dichotomy of what real-life is versus what your imagination creates caused conflict in the life of Steven Curtis Bryant II. The juxtaposition of 2 souls connected, but very different altered the path he chose. As early as grammar school, he learned how to bottle up his emotions and not confront the problems he encountered. As odd as that sounds coming from a 5th grader, the black community conditions you to hold on tight to all the trauma you experience, black men in particular! “Aye, man up! Stop cryin’, ain’t nothing wrong with you. You aiight. Men don’t cry!”...But there’s a plot twist, no one mentioned that all the pain you’ve bottled up and harbored will eventually burst open! You have to deal with your issues! “You never know what someone is going through” is a phrase that’s commonly used by us! It suggests that there was no open dialogue about the problems we all go through. If we don’t address the lack of mental health treatment in our community, then we will have an influx of 32 year old “11 year olds”, plagued with 20 years of damage! Drug and alcohol abuse, gang violence, sex, dope dealing, and suicide contemplation were among the issues he faced, but not the worst! What can be worse than that? Your father is what makes you into a man! Your father is who prepares you with the tools to navigate through life, but what if he vanished? How will this black boy survive in the tough streets of the west side of Chicago? Steven’s story resonates with the average person walking around smiling as if everything is okay! Understand how he reacted to certain triggers, and what led up to him making the decisions he made. The way he handled pain and trauma isn’t worth applauding, but it’s his story! What are you holding onto in your life that limits you from being the best version of yourself?! Read more