Dear Sharkeisha,
Real recognize real, so I decided to write you today. I’m from (and live) in the Southside of Chicago so I understand street politics. I know that you can’t let disrespect go unchecked because you have to fend for yourself. The police that are suppose to watch out for us are the very ones that hurt us. Teachers don’t care what goes on in the school because they’re too busy focused on other things. No one is watching out for us. No one is looking out for our best interest. Therefore, we must do it for ourselves. That is why disrespect can’t go unchecked. I know that letting a little disrespect slide opens the door for people to get bolder with their antics. But let me say again – I live in “Chiraq.” After so many killings I’ve come to ask certain questions, questions I will ask you now…
1. Whose respect are you fighting for?
2. How much is their respect worth?
3. How would your life be different if people respected you enough not to disrespect you again?
It’s clear you’re reaching for respect because since your viral video, you’ve posted at least four more videos of yourself fighting other girls. Don’t be fooled by these folks out here that “like” or “retweet” every fight video you post. Their respect is worth less than the cost of a rock in my backyard. And I’m telling you, if you reach out for their respect you’ll forever be hungry but never satisfied. ALL YOU HAVE IN THIS WORLD IS YOUR NAME. That’s it. Don’t let it be ruined by folks who could care less for you.
You’ve seen the stupid memes on Instagram…
You are part of a world larger than yourself Sharkeisha. There are many women with names like yours that can’t get jobs because employers associate any name ending in “eisha” with words like: ghetto, ratchet, trashy, uneducated, loud, obnoxious, etc. As far as they are concerned, you prove their point.
Did you read what happened with Teyana Taylor from Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music label? She lost a huge contract this month with Adidas all over a verbal fight she had with Rihanna over Twitter back in September. Even though her fight, like yours, speaks little to the person that she actually is, all Adidas saw was some angry black woman named Teyana that’s too embarrassing too associate with. And the result? They distanced themselves from her.
Learn from Teyana’s situation because unlike the jokers that like every video you post, in the real world your name is all you have. By the real world, I mean the racist male-dominated one. The one where you’ll have to find a job, start a career and live your life. And just like Teyana, the world will distance themselves from you if they get a chance. That is not a life you want to live.
I write this because, if my research serves me correct, you’re 16 years old. Soon you’ll be seen as an adult legally. All the advantages of being a youth will end. You will be out here in the world with just your name and your skills, and so far a good street fighter by the name of Sharkeisha will not get you far. How will you make money off of that? Build a career off of that? Start a life based on that? And do you think that these videos won’t come back to bite you? I assure you they will. Remember, we live in a racist, unfair society. The moment the world has a chance to distance themselves from you – they will.
Personally, I don’t want to see you on WorldStarHipHop again still fighting as a woman in her twenties and thirties. I don’t want you to be the laughing stock of some nigga somewhere who’s unemployed searching the internet. Don’t live for the respect of a nobody.
True respect, the kind that lasts and enriches your life, comes from fighting battles for people instead of fighting people themselves. The life of Nelson Mandela is a prime example of that. Or Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and so forth. But these are lofty examples so I’ll provide my own…
I am very respected here in Chiraq. Not because I beat people up, but because I serve my people. Because I fight for my people’s needs, I am respected across enemy lines. The respect protects me. Recently, I managed a project that fed 3,000 families in my local area for Thanksgiving. I personally handed food baskets to people and I kid you not, folks still smile and greet me when I simply go down the street to the local Walgreens for some items. And by folks, I mean the rough kind. The kind most would be afraid to speak to. They know me. They respect me. And I didn’t have to throw a single punch.
The same went down when I lived in the southside of St. Petersburg, Florida. Once again, not a safe area to live in. One night, a gang was having a party across the street from my home. The music was vibrating my windows, and I was desperate to get some sleep. So I got up, put on a robe, and went across the street. I walked through the entire crowd, found the DJ and asked for the music to be turned down. The DJ looks at me and says, “Oh, you’re Bryant!” I didn’t know the man so I was confused. “All the kids around here love ya man. Thanks for looking out for them. Whatever you need I gotcha.” He respected me because for the year I lived in St. Pete, I mentored and tutored the kids in the area. Some of those kids were their little brothers and sisters. Respect bought me a night’s rest. Months later, when my home was broken into, respect had the community find the culprit on my behalf. By community, I mean brothers with jail records longer than my arm.
True respect comes from fighting battles for people. Serving them. Meeting their needs. Your kind of respect, the one you fight for, is fleeting. It doesn’t last. And the way viral spotlights work is – you have people’s attention until the next viral sensation, which comes every month. After that, no one will care about the epic fights of Sharkeisha. Don’t get caught up in the followers on social media because they won’t pay a single bill for you.
Whose respect are you fighting for and is their respect worth it in the first place? I ask, please ponder on those questions. Also, imagine having the kind of respect that lasts. Now, I’m no prophet but if I must say – you’re way smarter than you appear. I’ve done some light research and based on your posts, you can seriously be a writer. A novelist. You have deep insights for a woman your age and you know how to communicate them effectively. That is a rare gift. I definitely can see you as a writer, novelist, poet or something. I just want to call out those gifts in you because I don’t know if you ever heard them. I don’t know your life, but I do know the world. I’ve been in it long enough to know the game, and as a player in it, I want you to win. I want you to succeed.
The point isn’t whether your fights are justified or not. The point is that you live in a larger world that you will enter into soon. And as a Black man in this America, I want you on top, not on the bottom because you spent your energy competing for the respect & attention of losers who actually think watching high school girls fight is entertaining. You’re bigger than that. You’re more than that. Now it’s just time to let the world know as well…
Sincerely,
Bryant Cross
Bryant Cross 
Truth, I really hope she takes this advice.
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I am quite sure she won’t take this advice. From what she has portrayed she lacks the skills to comprehend the entry of this letter.
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This may be the reason she may not.People like you who would downplay a CHILDS potential because of your lack of. It is never to late for a child, you should learn that. I to believe she could become something greater than what she already is.
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Sometimes it takes one person to see something in you that you never knew was there to change your life for the better. Before you say discouraging words which is probably how she became the person she is today why not say something positive. You never no, she just may have read it and the comments as well. Haven’t you heard, if you tell a child their nothing long enough they begin to believe and live the life of the nothing everyone so see in them? ijs Everyone can change, lets help provide the tool to make that happen for this child.
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So, whats your reasons, she may not be able to comprehend? How as African-American sister, you down play a child, so clearly you Cant comprehend his message
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Dear Anonymous
You should research a person before you make accusations that they are the cause of Sharkeisa’s behavior and they down play a child’s potential. Sweetie I am professional with three advanced degrees in education who uplifts students daily. However, I am a realist. It’s possible to make a negative assumption about Sharkeisha because she has already displayed her negative behavior. It is people like you who stand behind excuses who make it hard for today’s youth. Some of them have on blinders and think the world will make adjustments according to their lives; or think that what they do is excusable because no one held their hand long enough when they were a child or they didn’t get a pair of True Religion jeans. There is a consequence for every action that you make (that is cause and effect). Yes, a person may change when he or she sees that there is a problem with their behavior. However, I didn’t think that she sees that there is a problem with her behavior. As of now, her behavior is bringing her notoriety and popularity. So why would she change?
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I somewhat agree with you Sonya. This is not an innocent one timer…this is a career neighborhood butt kicker. She hasn’t spent all these years building a rep to just walk away from it. And like I said in an earlier post..again it starts at home. The letter was heart felt and there were good intentions no doubt. But telling her what her teacher, counselor, and probably coach has already said..sounds repetitious. And she’ll probably never see or be interested in this letter. WHAT REALLY KILLS ME..is that people keep calling this “a fight” I’m in my 30’s and back in the days a so -called “fight” took two people…The young lady who was jumped on never threw 1 punch. She was caught of guard…played…hoodwinked..bamboozled..sucker punched…then kicked. A fight, again I say, takes two.swinging. When did the defendant swing back…….Some time in juvy…will give S’Keisha some time to think and maybe the correct counseling she needs.
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It is never too late for anyone to change and anonymous was speaking based on your comment. You may have helped people, but that doesn’t make the comment you made okay. I am speaking from the other side of the fence as someone who was in a similar position and grew up around people in similar positions to this girl. When people speak about you as if you will never change or get better it does make you worse. I can’t speak on her specific situation, because I didn’t live her life, but I know growing up it was the people who told me I wasn’t smart, couldn’t do anything, I was crazy & would never do anything with my life that made me so destructive in the first place. People started telling me these things back when I was quiet, kept to myself & didn’t bother anyone. I began to believe it and turned violent after not before. As children you are very impressionable & they may act like they don’t, but every word affects them no matter how small. I am not saying you don’t do anything good, but as the realist you claim to be is it in any way beneficial for you to make a negative statement about this girl? If help children then you should know more than anyone that if you don’t have good things to say just don’t say it. people improve based on what you tell them(including improving on the negative traits). Trust me. If the right person comes into her life it will change her. There is always an underlying reason that requires someone who understands. I have friends who work with children & people who worked with me and honestly none of them helped me or most of those children, yet when these people who made a living working on children asked me. The person who as a child fought against these people who dedicated their lives to helping children, because I felt like they only made things worse for me….we received interesting results. I found that the children they couldn’t help would respond to me very well. Where as the ones they were able to help didn’t respond to me, so I believe that there is something much deeper and it involves certain personality traits that can connect and those children who seem hopeless are being helped by the wrong people. The problem is that the person who can help them won’t be seen as the right person by society
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^ what she said… preach brother!
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My reply is to Anonymous. She was already in juvy/did some time for this. This is an old fight (according to Sharkeisha). And we see that it did nothing for unfortunately. As for most of her posts (now referring to the article), they are not original. Most of them are just quotes picked up from else where as I am ALWAYS reading them on someone’s timeline, meme, instagram, etc. Nevertheless, this is an amazing article
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This is simply gorgeous, wow I actually have tears in my eyes, thank you.
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wow…….(applause).
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Im glad you wrote this…I hope she sees it!
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Seeing it won’t help her unless she has an understanding of what it really means. Understanding is a gift. I just don’t think she’s got it.
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This is a child, apparently a broken one. How are your words conducive? And you’re right “understanding is a gift”. It takes a special person with that gift to understand when a child is lacking encouragement and self esteem. I guess you’re without that gift as well, huh? ijs
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well said and very articulate. sadly i know adults who have entertained this fiasco more than children have. sad
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Mentor…indeed! Thanks for these motivating words.
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This was a very touching and inspiring letter. I pray she is able to find the path to greatness that all children deserves.
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This is a post of true loyalty in better the youth around the country. Its very disappointing when you see African American youth be praised for their fighting skills and not academic. Its even more disappointing when the adults are participating in the hot mess via instagram or Facebook. This letter should be sent to every “street fighter”; “mortal combat” individual. Great letter!
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I first saw this video this hurt my heart so badly. I made a comment about why is it 99%of these fight video of Afiican American. Black people. We will never ever grow as a race.
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This letter should be posted on every social media site that exists. Incredible words of wisdom and motivation… We need more people in the world who care enough to mentor our youth. Are young people are completely out of control in 2013… Rap music, violent video games, lack of guidance in the home, drug addicted parents and friends, sexual content on television, bullying, materialism, police brutality, overcrowded classrooms, cutting sports and music programs, no real computers in urban schools and low paying jobs in urban communities are all issues affecting our youth. One more issue I would like to address… I’m a 35 yr old African American women, I was raised in both an urban and suburban area. I have no children, never been to prison, I don’t work in a dead end job, and I’m educated. Stop the stereotyping, all African American women are not baby mommas, are not rude and are not on welfare. Please stop the madness people. We also need more men to step up and be fathers! Our future is at stake.
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No one every “stereotyped” African American women, but even if that was the case it’s true. It’s sad to say but that is reality! I had to learn that if a general statement did not apply to me, then it was not demeaning. There is always exceptions but what they see of the majority is the end result people are going to get. Don’t get offended, help change it!
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I believe you mean “What they show is what you believe.” It is not the majority of our realities. It is what they show. More 18-year old Black males are in college than incarcerated. It is not reality. It is what they show. You would never know that if you took what you’re provided via the media at face value. We have barely any control over our representation in the media. If you believe the picture they paint describes us as a whole, you have to do better at seeking information about your ppl.
Since the beginning of time they have branded us as savages. SMALL SEGMENTS of us are at fault for helping their portrayal. But that does not excuse the centuries old, manipulative way they represent us. It’s done strategically. If our children believe MOST of us aren’t worth anything, and focused Blacks are a rarity, they’re not encouraged to aspire to more ’cause they’ll feel defeated before they even try.
Please don’t help perpetuate that myth.
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Jane, well said! I appreciate you setting the record straight. Folks are so quick to believe the media which has portrayed the lower class of the black community as being the majority. To those believers, I challenge you to take a trip to the next NSBE (National Society for Black Engineers) convention & witness the multitude of black professionals. Do some research and learn the truth. I hate to be the one to inform you, but productive blacks are the majority. The media sensationalize the lower class blacks because that’s more interesting to folks than to read, hear, or learn about the prosperous blacks. I feel bad for the ignorant.
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Thank you Mr. Cross. Pehaps you can change the name so othere ncan see themselves and it will go viral like some of this foolishness
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Great letter, I tutor math what can I do to help you cause in chicago?
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Wonderful reaction letter to this young lady. More people should reach out this way to help our young people understand what they are setting themselves up for in the future. Bravo!!!!!!
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I am also a Chicago native, and these are remarkable words. I really do hope all of our young people, not just Sharkeisha, take heed to this message. That would definitely be a huge step in the right direction for our youth! We need more people like Mr. Cross, in this world!
Thank you Bryant!
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Awesome letter. Problem is; her mentality is she wants all this attention for the wrong reasons. She having her head blown up with foolishness and street cred. She won’t learn until the tables are turned. I would love for her to read this and change herself; I just don’t have faith in her. Unfortunately her parents not disciplining her or teaching her…especially if she’s still posting videos. Smh. Keep up the good work though man!
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WOW, I’m also a resident of Chicago, west side and I grew up with the saying it takes a village. I so wished people still believed in that and This letter was very outstanding and I pray that it not only reaches Sharkeisha but many youth male & females out here like her. Well done Mr. Cross I see you do believe in it takes a village. God Bless you
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I think your message to that young lady was awesome.Keep up your inspiring words for the youth n it will get reconized by somebody.My kids said that your message was deep n we all ♥ it!Keep It Going n God Will See You Threw.Have A Bless Day n A Early Holiday Wish 2 You n Yours.”Merry Christmas n Happy New Year “
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AWESOME! IM AT A LOST FOR WORDS..WELL WRITTEN AND I THANK U FOR BEING A MAN OF GOD U ARE TRULY A BLESSING TO MANY…..THANKS MR.CROSS
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My heart broke when I watched her video! My eyes filled with water as I read this letter! Thanks for your words Bryant. I pray she listens.
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Question now is will she read this, understand it, and take reference from it? The open letter was very heartfelt and the truth. We have to quit condoing, laughing and acknowledging this type of behavior from our youth from our people PERIOD. It was very disturbing to see the video that adults thought was funny. Not once did they stop to think would if this was my kid or my little sister. The laughs would have stopped there. As a society we have to do better!
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Awesome letter, the simple fact that this letter comes from a man who would highlihgt the good in this young lady, skills that she may not she as a man has highlighted her options for her, this is epic!!! Thank you
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I have to agree not only did he chastise her for her behavior he also praised her for her positive attributes. I hope that she and other young people read this and truly think on it’s content.
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Respect King
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You got that Right Bro
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Peace, Blessings and Much Respect <3
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Awesome. The tone and the message convey so much. Than you brother.
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well said…….
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Love it! God bless you
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Great letter Mr Cross. I too am from Chicago’s westside. I wish more young ppl would read and take heed to the great advice n words of wisdom in this letter. IMO the violence in our city stems from a lack of respect. I go to the westside and see the youth disrespecting each other in ways that truly hurt my heart to its core. This isn’t the Chicago I was raised in. Keep doing what you’re doing I pray it will catch on to our youth. You are truly an inspiration!!
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Well stated.
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Beautiful thoughts.. If only our young would hear us…..
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respect my man
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This was a really good write but lets be real here. With a name like Sharkeshia snd seeing her video its very obvious that she; 1 doesn’t read so I can assure you this will never reach her and 2 if it does in fact reach her she’ll get through the first few sentences then give up because she can’t comprehend what is being said to her. Again this was a good read just not the best way to reach a hoodrat like her.
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Amen!!!!!
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The fact that you took time out of your schedule to reach out to her says a lot about your character. This was an awesome message that many can learn from. Much love and respect…
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If she lives in Chicago and you think she would make a good writer tell her to look into Young Chicago Authors. It is a program that teaches Youth Spoken Word. They send a team to Brave New Voices every year and puts on Louder than a Bomb. (the largest youth spoken word event in the country). I am a youth participant turned mentor in a similar program in Baton Rouge that was started by the same woman who co-founded YCA. I can say that it kept me out of A LOT of trouble. From one young black woman to another I NEED her find her voice and her value. Sharkeash, you have a story and it is worth telling. Do you know why? Because you are the only one who can tell it.
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Well written! I hope she takes this advice and understand that the very world she is trying to impress is not impressed by her actions. It’s cute until you can’t get a job.
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SO REAL
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Thank you.
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This is wonderful advice. You mean to tell me Adidas dropped Teyana over a verbal fight and now is endorsing Kanye West who is utterly a disgrace to the human population? Smh
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I really do love this!! Thanks for sharing because this applies to more than Sharkeisha!!
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to bad it will fall on def ears
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Well I hope she gets to see this!!!!
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I HOPE SHE READS THIS AND GET SOME SENSE FROM IT. SO MANY PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THAT GOING FOR BAD AND POSTING PICTURES OF IT IS LIKE A DEATH SENTENCE. WAKE UP YOUNG LADY! WAKE UP! BECAUSE YOU ARE REALLY ONLY HURTING YOU!
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Reblogged this on News, Random Stuff, and more Crap and commented:
We need more positive black people like this
When life hands you lemons, add some salt , a Corona and toast the author of this letter
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Oh god please make it stop. Did this dumb nigga just say Chiraq ?????? He ain’t no better than her with his glorification of ghetto ass Chicago. Puhleaaaaase. Folks wanna act so hard behind a pc and oh I’m from her and there and this that and the third. Why did anyone need to know what city you from???? What does that have to do with ANYTHING PERTAINING TO SHARKEISHA? get a grip and take several seats …#DumbGhettoBamas
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It’s called ethos; he’s establishing his own credibility and showing not only Sharkeisha but the rest of the readers that he understands her plight because he, too, has been where she is.
Perhaps *you* are the one who needs to sit your behind down somewhere, since you’re clearly incapable of understanding any of what he said other than where he’s from.
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You are a special kinda of STUPID son! Your comment was better left unsaid, If your simple mind can’t ascertain the correlation between the mention of Chicago (Chiraq) and the author’s premise, I recommend a trip back to elementary school. Further ever heard the saying if you have anything good or relevant or even grammatically correct to say STFU! Well NOW YOU HAVE!!! You should have several seats in the 7th grade hater,com section.
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That was almost exactly what she needed to hear. Almost. This is a perfect example of how a few words can ruin the entire message. What was intended to be a positive message, quickly turned negative when race was brought into it. People are held back by the limitations they put on themselves. It is almost 2014. Stop blaming others for your hardships. It is no ones fault but our own if we fail. Likewise, it is on us if we succeed. I went to a high school with a reputation for violence. I have friends that are no longer on this earth because of THEIR life choices. I have friends in jail because of THEIR choices. However, I also have feiends that are young, BLACK, and very successful. Why? Because they chose not to be who our neighborhood implied they were. They worked hard and made themselves who they wanted to be. They are making 6 figures and have everything they ever wanted. They travel the world and have no struggles. These are the people we should be making mention of. Instead of always blaming society for our own short comings. I could go on, but I’ll stop here. I’ll leave on this note, ignorance is NOT bliss. Let’s get educated and stand on our own as the human race.
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Great post James. Our kids CAN do just as you have discribed if they have the right guidance from home, the community, and school. Unfortunately God did not create us already knowing right from wrong. That has to be taught. We had it when I was growing up, hopefully we can get it again. Just my two cents. Peace
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Reblogged this on syncopated hustle and commented:
simply outstanding…
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She’ll be dead in a years. Sorry to say. Being a black male myself, you have to live in reality. This is what black people think is “cool”. I agree with Dr. Cosby, the parents of these black youth need to pull their heads out of their asses and parent. I think there is a dummies book for it. Respect is earned, not given. For instance, black folk fight over a scuff on a shoe, even if it was an accident. In some neighborhoods, starting a fight over something so small can get you killed. I hope those shoes are important enough to die for. We need to stop the “Feel bad for me because I am black and we were slaves once.” The year is 2013, we have come a long way from slave days. Besides, the Jews were slaves long before us for a long time. It’s in the Bible. You hear them complaining? No, because they moved on. Do something useful like open a book that doesn’t have pop up pictures or actually attend school, rather then post videos of your dumb hood rat ass fighting.
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Great post. Unfortunately this young lady is a product of what is soooo terribly wrong in the AA community today. Anyone who works with AA youth can relate to where this young lady is coming from. It’s sad to say, but we (adult AAs) have to shoulder much of the blame for a young lady feeling that she has to fight to gain respect in her community. Once respect was given to those who excelled in the classroom or on the playing field, or carried themselves in a respectable way. Now it’s given to those who act more clownish, or emulate the street code of saggy pants and adherence to the “no snitch” rule. When you think of all the people who sacrificed their freedom and sometimes their lives to gain the opportunities our youth enjoy today, you have to wonder where did we go wrong. Personally, I think it all boils down to greed over morality. Morally responsible people would not post fights and such that encourage our young people to engage in such activities. Morally responsible music publishers would not produce the filth being recorded and sold to our youth. Sharkiera is a child, she is a produce of what she is taught and what she sees. Adults are her teachers. Next time YOU’RE in someone’s face using profanity in front of kids because you think you’ve been disrespected, think about the Sharkieras you’re influencing with your behavior. Just my two cents.
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A lot of you wondering if she will be see this and I honestly say she will and she will comprehend it. Whether she takes the advise or not it has to be when the time is right for her. She is trying get respect from those who could care less and may someday turn their back on her even worst than see did to her friend. We all were a young adult before not taking the advise from others but that’s how we learn to be better individuals and change the world.
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I like how the writer refers to Sharkeisha as “fighting girls”, when in fact she launched a solo, unprovoked assault on a victim unable to fend her off.
Sharkeisha doesn’t deserve an ‘open letter’ written for her betterment. Sharkeisha, like anywhere felonious offender, deserves prison time.
It’s time to stop coddling someone who would stomp your brains out, if given the golden opportunity.
This letter is dribble.
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Then don’t read it! You kneegrows never cease to amaze me with your negativity when this brother is trying to be positive! SMH grow up!
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Well be positive and comfort the victim.
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the only thing I disagree with him on is the fact that he brought up ghandi in the same sentence as MLK, NELSON MANDELA, AND MALCOM X.I preferably would of mention the big six which is Martin Luther King Jr, James Farmer, John Lewis, A Philip Randolph, Roy Williams, and Whitney Young.
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I love this. I absolutely love this !
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I pray this gets to her. Very powerful letter.
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I to like u mr Brian I more embarrassed for than anything if respect is the only thing u have I feel so sorry for. U as your friends stood around and watch u beat this girl I really wonder what was they thinking about u because my sister n five yrs uwill b a lonly bitter young women try an education fight for that get respect from that it has a return on its iinvestment. ,
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…what?
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your grammer is terrible what are you saying?
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Extra ugly ass woman
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@ Mary…grammar**…and yes, it is terrible.
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comment negated because nobody can understand it.
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SHARKESIA IS NOT FIGHTING FOR RESPECT SHE IS FIGHTING FOR A SHOW AND IF SHE WANNA BE SEEN SHE SHOULD SIGN UP AT A LOCAL GYM AND BECOME A BOXER I BET SHE WONT DO THAT WITH HER PUNK ASS SHE OBVIOUS SET THIS UP SO THAT IT COULD BE SEEN WHICH MEANS SHE ATTACTED THIS GIRL WITHOUT A FARE WARNING PUNK SHIT NO MATTER WHAT PART OF THE CITY YOU FROM IT JUST IS WHAT IT IS . SHE GOING GO WHERE PEOPLE NEVER PUT THEY GUARD DOWN AND I BET SHE DONT TRY THAT SHIT UNLESS THEY GO AT HER THIS SOICAL MEDIA HAS PEOPLE WHY OUT OF CHACTER JUST TO BE SEEN AS A CHARCTER SMH . I THINK THAT WAS A GOOD LETTER BUT SORRY TO SAY SHE WONT EVEN READ IT BECAUSE ALL SHE LOOKING FOR IS JOKES BUT SORRY TOO SAY THE JOKE WILL SOON BE ON HER TRUST AND THE PERSON WHO WILL GET HER IS KARMA BELIEVE ME HER DAY WILL SOON COME AND SHE WILL NOT RECOVER BECAUSE NOW SHE HAVE SOMEONE OUT LOOKING TO SABOTAGE HER NAME SEE HOW FAST THEY CAN KNOCK HER ASS OUT BAAMM NO VIDEO DOWN GOES SHARKESIA!!!!
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Punctuation is key for any logical statement, and take off the damn caps lock
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You whole rant – was completely lost with the all caps and mispelled words. Next time, think out your comment and respond accordingly — to me your comment was no better than the Sharkeisha fight — Loud, wrong and out of order.
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Hopefully she can read better than you write…..and stop screaming!
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Your post is simply laughable ….SHARKEISHA is this you!!!
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PREACH
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I’m sure you mean well with your comment, but it will never be taken seriously in the manner that you presented it. Please proofread your comments before you hit enter. There are so many grammatical errors and misspelled words that a person can’t even get past them to fully understand your points. Furthermore, you refused to exercise your right of punctuation correctly. This reads like it was written by a 3rd grader, not to mention that you have used all caps. You need to do better.
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Firstly, she did not post additional videos…a lot of this is social media. I know this young lady personally and while it wasn’t a smart thing to do, it was done. She doesn’t like the fame or all the attention she has gotten. In the beginning it was funny…as most teens do, stuff is done in the moment and people pump you up…etc. No she probably won’t read this right away because she has pretty much avoided social media. Keep in mindshe is still young and can learn from her mistakes.8
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@ Muliebrity:
You wrote, “She doesn’t like the fame or all the attention she has gotten. In the beginning it was funny…as most teens do, stuff is done in the moment and people pump you up…etc.”
Ummm…are you serious? What she did was “funny” to you? She doesn’t like the fame or attention? It was RECORDED and she KNEW it. In a court of law, that spells intent to distribute with today’s social media hype. Get real.
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Yes I agree someone will wany to challenge her because she think she is bad , and they want yhe same attention .
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@ You Are Driving Me Nucking Futs
You misunderstood what I was saying… or perhaps it was the way I wrote it. It was funny to her at the moment. Now that all this has blown up like it did….she does not like it. Yes there was intent…it was like I’m gone catch her slipping. ..trust I am real and realistic
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Hey anonymous…RE-READ YOUR POST- you are as uneducated, grammar-wise, as a barrel full of ROCKS!!! When you are trying to get a point across, you must use the correct form of SPELLING and Punctuation!!…ding, ding, ding , ding, ding!!! You sound ridiculous.
Typing in all CAPS, screaming, and cannot be heard for the point you are making, because no one can connect your preschool dots. What are you really saying? did you even read the ‘Open letter’ with ANY understanding? I do not think you have.
Your mere attempt at lashing out ‘your’ anger for this ‘Sharkeisha’ girl and her ridiculous actions,- because let’s be honest here -[what you are really saying is],- ‘she needs to get her ass beat down’, [and], I’ wish it was me she tried that shit with’,- This has caused you to veer off of a very valid point you could have made, had you slowed down and taken the time to understand what the author was saying, and reflect and internalize it, in a more sensible fashion to then reach the masses. These are the one’s that need to hear the ‘true’ message in this letter/post.
Go have a glass of water, sit down, and think about the next semester of classes you may want to take. This way, you may soon get enough education under your belt to be ‘heard’, and not looked at as another ‘ANGRY BLACK BIRD’!!…tick…tick…BOOM!!!!!!
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Caps, or no caps. Well said. People forget, u reap what u sow & it doesn’t always come back the way u sowed it.
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Really? Mary just spelled the word Grammar wrong, and did not capitalize her sentence. Wow!! If you are going to criticize the author, then your post needs perfection.
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Wow, all of yall tried to attack her comment, when you know **** well you understood her completely. Don’t fake. And yes I said YALL, if you don’t like it, fix it your damn self. CLOWNS.
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I would say I hope it doesn’t unless the writer wants a soul removing Chuck Norris punch from left field.
The motivational letter should have been directed towards the victim. And all of this attention.
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Right, because allowing for the creation of more victims instead of remedying the source is more important…
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Then WHY DON”T YOU WRITE ONE! I’m so over all of you negative ppl who don’t get off their arse to do a damn thing, Yet will sit back a criticize the next brotha on something positive, and we wonder WHY!
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The fastest way to solve a problem is to go to the source. The perpetrator of the fight is responsible no matter WHY she did it. This letter was right on time. What does it matter to write a letter like this to the victim? She is not lacking in support by any means and furthermore, Sharkeisha has no actually support. At the end of the day, she is a kid that has seen this behavior around her and who has acted it out as well. She is in the wrong but she also needs to be inspired to do BETTER. She’s so young, instead of talking down on her and calling her names, people need to evoke a change in young people who think this behavior is right. If you are passive to the people, you’re active in perpetuating the problem.
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AMEN indeed!
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I think the letter would have been better had it focused on the self respect Sharkeisha can garner for herself if she refrains from reacting not only emotionally with violence, but also cowardly with sucker punches. The emphasis on how others see us and how racist white employers don’t hire people with names like Sharkeisha seem misguided to me. Sharkeisha doesn’t have to change to fit in with what racist white folks expect…it is up to racist white folk to change, and they are the ones who should be condemned on that level. Sharkeisha should be condemned for the plain crime of sucker punching someone. That is wrong and she should feel like she failed in going that route. She should straighten up and fly right in the interest of her own character, so that she doesn’t go her whole life behaving like a piece of shit when she is probably actually a smart, beautiful girl with tons of potential and the ability to treat other with some civility as opposed to behaving like a savage.
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True
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There’s always room for improvement, isn’t there? Nonetheless, the letter is fine as it is.
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Yes…I agree with you! The letter is perfect in an imperfect world! Thanks for writing it. You did more than the people who are critiquing the article. YOU ROCK
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If you think that white people are going to adapt to her, she’ll die trying. That’s not misguided. That’s fact. Other than that, your reply was on point.
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I totally agree with the above comment. I don’t mind a heartfelt letter that attempts to reach out to her but we don’t know this girl. There’s a possibility that she could be a bully in her own neighborhood. Black on Black crime is the worst. And what about the young lady who not only got sucker punched but kicked in the face? I mean seriously….reach out to them both. This fight clearly was a set up…in a neighborhood where everyone was waiting to see what would happen. Look at the girl with the glasses and the school books and look at the young lady who attacked her. Standing there looking as if she didn’t even go to school that day. This letter doesn’t need to be sugar coated or watered down. And like some one said its up to racist white folks to change…as well as us. At this point…she needs to get her life straight. He name and the possibility of becoming employed is irrelevant at the moment b/c she’s about to go to jail. So she needs to focus on making an immediate change in her attitude and temperament!! This letter should have been a straight out, hard core approach to let her know what’s waiting for her if she keeps up what she’s doing. Apparently she’s growing up in a hood where respect is important and there’s a chance she was taught that not from the streets but from home. I used to live in Chi-town as well, and I know a lot of things stem from home into the streets. …or to the schools. Regardless of some he say she say stuff ….Sharkeisha shouldn’t have attacked this girl. The problem with our kids is that they are not being told what we were told growing up…i.e. if someone doesn’t put their hands on you…then don’t touch them. This young lady who was attacked deserves some respect and love as well. The bible says you live by the sword you die by the sword…that’s what Sharkeisha needs to know….! She needs to either sit down before she gets put down. Doesn’t take 1,000 characters to tell her that. But then again…she probably has been told this already.
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Clearly the letter went right over your head. The violent mentality you’re spewing in your simple minded little rant certainly is not Biblical so please don’t throw in “the bible says” you can’t be freaking serious!
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I can get what you’re trying to say in this I totally agree. The thing is that a message like that wouldn’t reach her given the type of environment she’s grown up in especially at her age. She doesn’t want to hear the message above or yours either. In the end it will all come out as bullshit to her. Nothing can be done the damage has been done. Not even her family clued her in that she should keep her stupid braggin ass off these social networks, that these people are not her fans they are laughing at her and the fact that she will be going to jail in the near future. She has showed her character and that she has no remorse to everyone. All you can do is shake your head at this. Looking at this situation everything she needs to be told she will not care about. All this online mess about how she needs to turn her life around wont do a thing. All this girl is looking for is stuff to pump her up.
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I agree with you 100%. She will end up in jail or dead if she does not change her attitude. To do what she did was so wrong.
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Self respect is important but there are many approaches to be taken on regards to this situation and this one isn’t wrong. Honestly SOMETHING needed to be said and rather than criticizing HOW it was said, say more…you can write a letter as well to add to the lesson
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Thank you!
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Up to the racist white folk to change? What does that statement imply? That she should act the same? That she should lead her life as a ignorant, violent, childish, and immature woman? No, she should change. She should conform to society. By that I mean the GOOD parts of society. For instance; education, proper manners, and professionalism. It isn’t about racist white folks and what THEY expect. It’s about what the world expects. About what she should expect from herself. You are generalizing white people. Change from racism will come with time, but she herself needs to change her ways in more areas than one. Waiting on the world is the stupidest thing to do.
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Thank you Geo, you are right on the money. You cannot live your life blaming others, you are responsible for you.
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I agree!!!!!
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Great points–I see where you are coming from regarding the author criticizing Sharkeisha’s name. Sadly though, to say supremacists need to change, while noble, is not going to work. Stereotypes run strong and continue to reoccur in media to create bias and unwarranted perceptions. Actions have to debunk the stereotype and help in giving examples as to why stereotypes are inaccurate.
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True, racist whites SHOULD change, but they won’t. AND, we need to stop giving them the ammunition to tear us down.
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I’m tired of seeing these comments talking bout racist white people. I’m mixed n to tell u the truth they are just as many racist black people as there is white. So shut da hell up. N another thing. That shows u are stupid n ignorant.
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I AGREE
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The letter was perfect just as he wrote it. I do understand your point, however that is not what he believed would appeal to the this young lady and he’s probably correct. Sometimes when trying to reach a person, we have to choose the best way to get through to them. In this situation, had he gone into how cowardly of an act sucker punching someone is I’m pretty certain this young girl would have jumped on the defensive. As long as she gets the message and decides to turn her life around, I don’t think we should focus on what message aided her in doing so.
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It’s so great to see what people “think” his letter should’ve been about, and at the same time how they fail to communicate it with proper grammar, punctuation and replacing swearing with synonyms that demonstrate a broad and less general vocabulary. In regards to white employers, until African Americans lead the business forefront, which will require them starting underneath some CEO and his/her inferiors, she and others will have to fit some sort of standard. That is with any race as well. Nobody wants a delinquent representing their company, regardless of skin color. Skin color comes into play when we prove the stereotypes and lie within the boundaries of their expectations of us.
This letter was well-written, and took such a great route in lifting Sharkiesha up, and in the same breath letting her know that it was wrong. I really enjoyed that Cross let her know her strengths, because unfortunately, not hearing that is what’s common in Black communities. We’re so quick to bring each other down, even if we are in the same boat as the individual– as seen in the many negative comments here. This is how HE felt the need to help and reach out… coming from personal experience and from the outside, looking in, which is far more than what many here have done, seeing as this is the only letter that’s been circulating to Sharkiesha in juxtaposition to the many RT’s, shared links and tweets of the fight.
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You know what I just gotta say that I don’t agree with what Sharkisha did too. It was just simply bull shit.
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I hope she sees it, reads it and take heed to this sound sage advice. It’s a very powerful and empowering letter.
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I hope and pray that Sharkeisha take heed to your very powerful message to her, it may just save her life.
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Very powerful letter..and very true..
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Hopefully she gets to this letter, & is mature enough to understand, take it in as a constructive criticism. Smart enough to do the right things
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The fact that you took the time to write her, shows a true interest! Thanks for that!
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I second this…
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I’m an African American female and I can’t relate to this foolishness portrayed by Sharkeisha, the letter was very well written and it can be a letter for both the male and female “Sharkeisha’s” out here. I do not believe that “we” are a product of our environment, we all have the same opportunities in life that everyone else has, some people just have to work harder for what it is they want. To uplift violence is the biggest form of bullying in my eyes, there is no reason there should be a dance, or hashtags in reference to “Sharkeisha” what should be shown is her parents or guardians putting a foot in her ass. I was embarrassed and saddened watching that video, everyone is glorifying it but if it was their family on the end of that punch it would be a different story. I also noticed she has posted other videos of her fighting, she will have to continuously fight because best and believe there is someone out there waiting to be the “trending” topic for beating Sharkeisha’s ass. I really hope she reads this letter, takes this advice to heart, and changes her name as soon as it’s legal to do so.
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Bravo
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KS i get what your saying but unfortunately your mistaken and let me tell you why. No shade but, your environment plays very heavily on who you are. here`s why, your environment impacts your emotions and therefore impacts your behavior. this is taught in psych so i`m not BSing. now you can rise above i agree with that. now about the opportunities definitely incorrect. again you can rise above but the same opportunities are not available to everyone. again i agree you can rise above but i have strong dislike for that notion that there`s nothing holding you back. we all have heard of the various invisible glass ceilings. but you did say a lot of true things so i`m not bashing you. Peace
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I grew up in the projects and I am now a registered nurse with a minor in chemistry I have no children out of wed lock I’m happily married and a responsible mother so you environment doesn’t hold you back, it should make you want more. I had a strong mother who taught me that I wasn’t going to be an product of my environment. The same opportunities others had I made available to myself. The problem with society is that we will constantly give reasons why a minority can’t succeed therefore taking away the accountability of an individual to make a life for them self.
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Thank you Kenya. I agree and I’m glad you pointed out what was correct in KS’s statement as well as what was incorrect.
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Thank you for taking time out if your life to be concerned about another life. Thus letter is simply beautiful. God bless you brother!
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Powerful message and there is a lot of truths in this letter the one thing I want to point out though is that it is not just the “racist whites” but it is also black employers as well that skip over any application with supposely “ghetto names”. I hope sharkeisha sees this she should not have sucker punched any one but we still don’t know the full story just a viral video. Things should never get to this point were are the parents and what are they teaching…
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Thank you, people don’t know that something as simple as your name will cause an employer not to hire. It has already been proven. Parents pleaser talk with your children, we are falling directly into THEIR traps…..
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Very well spoken Sir!
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I like the blog as an open letter to those who think like mature adults. This may be a little judgmental, but I don’t think the average teen in her position will accept this lesson of sorts from a stranger. You seem to elevate yourself as you comment on your good deeds while admonishing her for tarnishing the image the entire “eisha” population. In no way am I saying you are wrong in your analysis, but in order for someone to really hear you, you must avoid causing them to put up their defenses. You started off really well and it seemed as if you would meet her where she is, but as you continued it became more akin to a college thesis than a letter to an inner city 16 year old. I’m just like you Bryant in many ways, I agree with your points, and I admire your efforts. However, as you communicate with people I just wanted to offer an alternative method to truly reaching them without causing them to discredit you or immediately disregard your wisdom due to a failure to relate with them. Real does recognize real but as her acts have displayed a minimal level of maturity, I just have doubts that her real may recognize your real and resist it in the process. I’m aware that she and other teens like her may be more than capable to comprehend this letter, I’m just not confident that many teens will put down their guard enough to receive it. I honestly can’t say I could have done a better job and I hope this constructive suggestion is received with an open mind. Great job!
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Alex I agree with you. The letters intent was solid, but he did lose me once he started naming off all the great deeds he has done. Its O.K. to name some deeds that were good from others, but once you start calling out all the great you have done, seems as if you are praising yourself and gets a little arrogant in a way. Other than that, I think the writer was spot on.
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^^The reference to his good deeds are being taken out of context in my opinion. I believe it was an attempt to show how else she could garner respect. As someone who also does community service, I understand his attempt. When I speak to the students in my class about respect, I also provide them with my real world examples, not to big myself up, but speak from first hand knowledge. I agree that since she doesn’t know him, it may be taken as arrogance.
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He refer to his good deeds to leed this girl on da right track wats wrong with that???
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AMEN ALEX
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Well said Alex.
Um Anonymous, this attack had nothing to do with respect.
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Sharqesha I pray that you don’t get offensive after reading this well-written constructive criticism. Your friends will only tell you what you want to hear to preserve your friendship. It took Mr. Cross, a total stranger that took the time to research and find your talents to point them out. Haters want to see you fall and keep you down with them. Your true believers want to see you soar to higher levels. You are headed towards a two way street, one road is a dead end while the other road is a detour. I trust you are wise enough to take the detour. God bless you baby and I know its hard out here in this cruel world but there is also so much to see & do in this world that will give you real happiness.
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It,s time young people stop having Baby naming parties and get away from those names that,s going to hold them back when they start looking for enployment
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Way to keep it 100 Mr. Cross. I respect you and love your poetry. I was actually in one of your classes at Everest University in Florida! Keep touching our youth in the ways you do! Much respect for this letter, many have not the passion to reach out to our youth with positive inspiration.
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PRAYING THAT HER EARS HEAR THIS MESSAGE AND RECEIVE IT.
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This young lady will only meet her match one day if she does not change her ways. The reality of it is, you may be a good fighter but there is always someone better. Also, she may walk up on the wrong person and end up shot or stabbed. She needs to turn to God and ask for forgiveness and improve herself. I do not know this young lady and why she feels that she has to fight for respect. She needs to live for God and God only. Nothing else matters. I also feel like her “friends” don’t respect her nor does her enemies, they just fear her. I will end my comment by saying this, we live in a crazy world where people become famous for some crazy things, but they only become famous because we entertain their crazy behavior. I say ignore her fights, her videos. Don’t like them, don’t comment on them and then maybe she will sit down somewhere when she loses her audience.
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1. Thank you for writing to her, hopefully she will read it, and something will stick.
2. If anyone thinks that he didn’t address something specific write your own letter to her, she clearly needs as many POSITIVE and realistic letters as she can get.
3. Can we remember that she is a CHILD, no matter the fighting, attitude, personal experience, she is not an adult. It takes a village to raise a child and technology today helps raise children now. What would you say if that was your friend’s child, or a cousin’s, or your niece?
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Thank you young man for this letter.it couldn’t have been said any better.. I really hope she reads this and understand it. Unfortunately some youngsters don’t understand THEY WON’T BE 16,18,21 forever and eventually yu’ll have to step in the real world and all of the bullshit you’ve done in the pass can really come back and bite you in the ass.because thisvideo went viral and charges were filed I guarantee yout this dumb decision to be Mike Tyson at 16 will still be effecting her at 25 and depending on the company and how extensive the background check it can effect her the rest of her life.Opportunities WILL be missed because of this and it will be a hard lesson to learned.
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Thanks for such a powerful message. If it can change one person you’ve d a good thing.
To all the people saying the letter should have said this or that, where is your letter to try and turn a young life around?
She is somebody’s child. She is hurting somebody’s child.
Stop blaming the white people for the foolish things we do. Just learn the Golden Rule and live by it.
I would NOT endorse my child jumping another child let alone video and put it on social media.
The person doing the video is as wrong as the person in the video.
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To continually say “racist white people” implies that, in fact, you all are the racist ones. Just sayin’.
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lol i was gonna say to continue to say racist white people implies that we refuse to accept this ridiculous notion that racism is dead. in no way shape or form does recognizing facts make you a racist. first learn the definition of a racist. because you are definitely wrong in that aspect if thats the washed up argument your using today. 2) just because Black people still face it in this country does not mean you need to be butt over it. (clearly its not your problem) 3) I don`t recall him sayin “white” in that statement. If I remember correctly he said, “racist male-dominated” and out of all the comments on this board you seem to be the ONLY ONE making it about Black and white with out willing to acknowledge that there is still very much racism in this country that is aimed at Black people. I thought this letter was about a teenage girl? Didn`t know this was a “let`s hate white people rally” i didn`t know we had those. hmmmmm
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No….it doesn’t!
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Mr. Cross this is a powerful letter you have written to this young lady. I truly hope that she reads the full length of this letter. Thanks for your service in yhe communities thou serve. We need more people like you…..
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Typo* the and you
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Bryant cross, understandably the work as far as helping people is admirable, but to even say the video about Sharkeisha was about respect is horribly wrong. And instead of you calling your area Chiraq because of the gang violence & other crimes, be more educated & say Chicago!! Don’t praise this young lady for the violence she displayed, pray for her & tell her to seek God for help.
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under no circumstances did he praise her for her actions. and yes what she did was purely out of wanting respect. if you don`t understand hood mentality then don`t comment on it. what Mr. Cross was doing was reminding this young lady that respect does not come from disrespecting yourself in the process. he is trying to do what a lot of people refuse to do, which is talk to young people they see headed down a road of destruction and convince them to straighten out their behavior before they end up dead or in jail. which could have happen to her if she hit the right girl. i saw the interview with the victim and her mom they seem like decent well spoken people. now if they had been just as crazy as “Ms. Fight Night” then retaliation would be in the works. Mr. Cross see`s to many of these situations play out. and if you know anything about hood mentality you know it can spiral very quickly….now I`m in Florida and even I know whats going on in Chi-Town. calling it chi-raq is not a term of endearment its to remind people that violence it was out of control and nothing is being done about it. again something you seem to be unfamiliar with. my suggestion is before you go on the attack 1. read 2. read again 3. take into consideration the author`s message 4. make an educated statement based on what you know and what you may NOT know.
Thank you sir.
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Now that is well spoken.
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***Please allow me to reiterate. Charles Johnson, I think your comment was well spoken***
The author lost a lot of credibility with me when he started referring to his neighborhood as Chiraq. Now that threw me off. I’m guessing them are the best words he can come up with. And I’m from DC, and we have a lot rough areas. One thing I know for a fact is that video was not about respect at all. She took advantage of a girl that she knew wasn’t going to fight her back. And she got someone to record it to put it on the internet. I find it hard for somebody to RESPECT HER from what she did to that girl. Karma is coming her way. Now, you really want to speak on hood mentality, tell me what is to be respected about that video?????
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I know this whole thing involves people that are much younger than myself so my take on this issue will be different. My only response to this would be: one day you’ll wake up and come to the conclusion that the only one whose respect counts is the respect you give yourself. One’s own respect for themself far out-weighs anyone elses respect. When you truly have that respect for yourself, others will have that respect for you as well. There will be those that don’t have respect for you and in mostly all of those cases, they don’t respect themselves. IF YOU DON’T RESPECT YOURSELF, YOU CANNOT EXPECT OTHERS TO RESPECT YOU AND WILL NOT RESPECT OHTERS EITHER … Just my .02
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I know this whole thing involves people that are much younger than myself so my take on this issue will be different. My only response to this would be: one day you’ll wake up and come to the conclusion that the only one whose respect counts is the respect you give yourself. One’s own respect for themself far out-weighs anyone elses respect. When you truly have that respect for yourself, others will have that respect for you as well. There will be those that don’t have respect for you and in mostly all of those cases, they don’t respect themselves. IF YOU DON’T RESPECT YOURSELF, YOU CANNOT EXPECT OTHERS TO RESPECT YOU AND WILL NOT RESPECT OHTERS EITHER … Just my .02
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These young girls need to have more pride in themselves, than to be in the streets making and ass of themselves over a man.. To many of these fights is over a boy or he say shit, at that age they all need to be worrying about education, not some boy who want mean anything to them in a few years. At the rate these girls are going our tax dollars will be taking care of them and their babies. Their names don’t have anything to do with it, the way they carry themselves is the key, get that education. There are isha’s with College Degrees, your name is not what makes you, you have to make the name good or bad…
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YEA. this is a great letter. i appreciate you for writing it. keeping in mind that she is still a kid, i cannot ignore some of the details in your letter. like how she released four more videos after the first one. that being said she`s not concerned about the future nor does she care about what people really think about her. she`s not going anywhere fast but hopefully to do a stint in juvie so she can see what life is really like for the tough guys/girls who think they are untouchable. i don`t blame her, i blame whoever raised her because they are no better. you need a certain mix of stupidity and anger/evil to do what she did to that girl. and if she has orchestrated other fight videos, then that rest my case right there. my advice to the author, write an open letter to the victim because she is truly going to have a long road a head of her with her peers constantly reminding her about the haymaker she caught along with the thought of knowing you were set up so it could happen. please write her a letter to help her move forward because i truly believe she will have the last laugh. use your enemies as a foot stool. and i`m only 24 but i have had enemies and was very much bullied in my middle school high school years. i struggled with that need to get respect not because i was a tough girl but because of what i had been through. at 24 with a degree i want the victim to know that all them losers were losers then and when you get success they will still be losers and then wanna be your friend to boot. thank you for listening. peace and respect to everyone on here.
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I like Sharkeisha….I like America because its one of the first places where I see racism from a different perspective. I grew up in a country with SIX races and in the US all is Black but Sharkeisha existed long ago and has always been a mentality before it becomes a person.
After a career of teaching for 10 years and working as a psych Councillor for 7 years…I can tell you that my first run in with Sharkeisha was in a little Indigenous village in South America. Sharkeisha is not just a girl who fights because someone tried cheating on her guy. It’s a mentality that fights for everything. She fights for respect, for attention, for materials and sadly “she fights to be alone.”
I like the letter and while we get all wrapped up in who is black and white, I can tell you that Sharkeisha has been around and will always remain in our communities once we keep up with class, keep up with name dropping and keep up with giving attention to the wrong issues.
If we dive into Sharkeisha story…we will see that she is not alone but wish to be left alone. We will she she’s hurt, seeking and hoping someone would understand and respect her. She existed in both black, white, rich and poor communities. She just hope that people would understand her and to get that across, she keeps fighting.
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OMG
Mr. Cross where have you been why haven’t I heard of you the masses need you!!
The letter to this young woman is so strong tears filled my eyes.
As a mother, grandmother I was angry to see this kind of mess.
Thank you Thank you
God bless you and if you need help getting out to the rest of the public please please contact me.
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Great letter; if I were in Sharkeisha’s position this would most definitely make me think about what I’m doing, especially if I plan on being successful. The ONLY thing that bothers me is the use of the term “Chiraq”. We live in CHICAGO. Because people here in Chicago continue to use the term, people outside of our area use it to. It’s a terrible name and it means nothing but negativity. Chicago is a beautiful city in itself and from what I’ve read in your letter, you’re a very positive man yourself. I’m only 18, I don’t want to grow up telling people I’m from Chicago and immediately they think ‘violence’ or ‘Chiraq’.
So please, I’m asking as someone who has extreme love for my city, could you please refrain from using the term?
And if you do see this, Bryant, thank you for addressing this Sharkeisha situation. It really shows me how much you care about the youth.
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Reblogged this on MissEnlund.
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That girl is too ignorant to read that letter! I despise all the sharkeisha’s of the world! Most likely that’s how the women around her live…they fight. Most ppl that fight, fights because they lack vocabulary and or the intellect to express their feelings, they get angry and they can’t find the words to express their anger so they use their fists! Sharkeisha is not gonna be anything in life her mom made sure of that by naming her sharkeisha and she guaranteed it by posting viral videos of herself fighting! 😒
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THIS IS GREAT!
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It doesn’t matter if people think she wont comprehend this or not because what matters the most is a BLACK MAN had the guts to tell HIS SISTER the REAL….Much RESPECT TO YOU
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Reblogged this on It's a Beautifull Hustle.
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You can take a person out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the person. Good luck with that reach out though, I’m sure they fell softly on her deaf ears.
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This is a very respectable template for parents and adults trying to steer wayward youth forward and upward from the fringes packed with less desirable choices. Gently, I wish that you had included women among your “lofty examples,” especially since you are talking to a young, impressionable black girl, but also because boys and girls need to know that men and women have both been exemplary heroes. She will face obstacles because of her name and race, but because of her sex as well. Examples of past and current female leaders include Rosa Parks, Nina Simone, Shirley Chisolm, Oprah Winfrey, Anna Hedgeman, Aja Brown, Ursula Burns and (an emerging force) Sheryl Sandberg.
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I have read most of the comments in reply to this letter. While many individuals who commented on this letter have a good stance and can appreciate what this letter was intended to do, many are very misguided, harboring there own personal issues and ideals. The fact of the matter is, this is the world we live in. Whether you believe she should change or the world should change is irrelevant. We will have to change long before the world does if we plan to be productive and successful citizens. I personally think that she needs to change. Maybe she is a product of her environment but this letter was intended to help her realize that there is more to life than her neighborhood. She is looking at a small intersection on the grand-scale of things. She will have to grow up. She will need to get a job. She will have bills to pay and a life to live. The bias behind an African American women with a “ghetto” name will be slow to change because of instances like this. I am a 20 year old college graduate with a 3.5 GPA who came from a rough neighborhood; but I didn’t let that confine me. We, as an African American entity, need to stop hiding behind our color, our ethnicity and our circumstances, demanding that people conform to our standards when we haven’t even set reasonable standards for ourselves.
I believe that everything he said in this letter was spot-on, I back him 100% and I cannot be more proud of him for having the courage, strength and dignity to write this letter. People are so quick to knock down the foundation of another’s good deeds. Some of your negative comments on what a waste of time this letter was and what he should have said are prime examples.
I pray she reads this and comes to realize that life is bigger than being the next trending topic.
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Truth
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Actually, now the whole world is waiting to see her get her a** beat. I know I am. I have no sympathy for someone like her. I do believe it was staged. She caught that girl off guard. And her friends were there not only to tape, but to jump the girl just in case Sharkeisha got her a** beat. I just find it very hard for her to get away with it, and then she posts it on the internet. She’s gonna what’s coming to her.
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Actually, now the whole world is waiting to see her get her a** beat. I know I am. I have no sympathy for someone like her. I do believe it was staged. She caught that girl off guard. And her friends were there not only to tape, but to jump the girl just in case Sharkeisha got her a** beat. I just find it very hard for her to get away with it, and then she posts it on the internet. She’s gonna what’s coming to her.
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Amen! I hope she reads this and changes her ways.
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Amen!
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It’s because of you sharkeisha or how ever your name is spelled or pronounced you better listen to this guy because you the reason I tell my kids that’s your age that when someone approaches them check all angles around them if there’s a cell phone out be prepared to fight or fly and my kids ain’t running. They so mad at you because of the new ways of life they must conduct. You got a lot of fans but you got a hell of a lot of enemies you don’t even know.
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She deserves her tail tore up.. Im glad she is in jail she deserves way much more.. the only way she got to hit her was when that girl want looking, that is a bitch move. i cant wait to see her she is going to see what hit her.. No sneaking trick , your gonna know what hit you
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Excellent post…appreciate the nurturing statements.
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I have read the entirety of the comments that have come before my own, and the only way I could accurately summarize them all is that you have all missed the point of the letter.
Sharkeisha is now another of many images the WORLD will now depict African American youth, Women, and culture as being violent, ignorant, and a detriment to society….and we accept this these things as a race. Why do folks always take something good and turn it bad? Why are you in an argument with each other and the letter does not pertain to any of you…because all you can perceive is the hate, so you fan the flames instinctively! The Man that wrote this letter exalted truth, faith, support, and solution. What did you do???
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U reap what u sow & u don’t always get it back the way u sowed it.
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Peace Bryant,
I hope she reads this and takes it to heart. What most aren’t realizing is that people(mainly KIDS 18 and under are dying for less than what we consider RESPECT.
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What a great letter Bryant. You spoke to her with love and as they say, you were “keeping it real.” We should embrace our young people and show them the right way. Thank you Brother Bryant. I pray that this beautiful young lady sees that eras of her ways and turn it around and make it a positive learning expereince. Thanks Bryant!
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WOW People are more worried about how something was typed and said opposed to the fact that this person was the only one to try and reach out to this troubled young woman. We have all seen the video but only one tried to do something about it. WOW Bigger Picture people !!!!No matter the point I commend you for reaching out to her while people while people on here argue about your reasoning, Who spelled what right , and Verb conjugation…. Thanks
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Grammar was fine…if ya don’t get that, you’re just plain stuck on IGNORANT!!
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Lack of Parenting and not enough mentors… She’s only a child where are her parents or her elder. I pray in the name of Jesus this young woman will change. You never will understand a child’s pain until that child let you in on it.
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WORDS OF WISDOM BE SMART AND THINK ABOUT THE POSITIVE IN THIS HEARTFELT LETTER…
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They are Great Words of Wisdom!!!
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As a teacher, I feel awful about the fact that you say teacher are too busy with other things…that is the furthest thing from the truth. If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t around as your teacher.
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if you all care so much why are our youth continuously failing?? Why are so many of us drop outs?? why is this country last in education??
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It’s a “do-with” process. BOTH the teacher AND student are responsible for education. Many students are drop outs and continuously failing for numerous reasons. Not JUST because of the teachers.
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our country is failing our students, not all of the blame can be put on teachers. our education system is broken and it starts at the federal level. Kids who live in poor communities go to poorly funded schools. These schools have little access to computers, do not pay their teachers as much and therefore cannot afford to have the best quality educators teaching their students. You should read up more on the education system in the US if you want to blame education professionals, yes, some teachers are shitty and do not deserve the honor of teaching our nations future, but some teachers do care and if you have ever met one of these teachers you would recognize that they are in it because they believe in the ability to inspire change and positive outcomes.
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You cannot blame teachers our youth who are failing and dropping out of school. Education starts at home with the parents. Parents are the ones that are too busy with other things to be involved with their children’s education. Children of this generation need attention, love, and discipline. I am not a teacher, however, I have a great deal of respect for them. They are asked to be parents, teachers and the police and they do not get the credit or support that they deserve. I enjoyed this article, however, the comment about teachers was unwarranted.
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Because the people raising you are probably shitty parents.
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Parenting…could be the result of more divorces, financial burdens, and parents never being there for the child(due to both parents working 40+ hours a week just to survive with a family today. But it messes the kid up at a very young age. Some teachers do not help. And…the educational system and what is being taught is a joke…but most of this is not the teachers’ fault.
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We are here to teach to the best of our ability. We are not here to raise children. That is the job of the parents. If children do not learn to carry themselves at home then we can’t expect them to carry themselves properly in the world. Do not blame the teacher.
— Frustrated teacher that teaches with her heart and hates to be the blame for a fallen generation
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If by now you don’t realize that the answers to those questions fall much deeper than the teachers, then I don’t know what to tell you. The answers to those questions have very little to do with the teachers who work until they are mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained to try to get their students to succeed. Somehow, they find a way to get back up and try again the next day. Please do not even think for one minute that it is the fault of the teachers.
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the reason why they are drop outs is because they chose to drop out. in life you are not always going to have someone to hold your hand its left to you to think about your tomorrow and work on it today. at the end of the day its your name on the certificate and your getting the pay no one else
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As a teacher myself I feel he is correct a lot of teachers do not have time for our students, I know teachers that just come to work for a pay check, so as far as that statement he is correct. That is not all teachers but many
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Many? There are upwards of half a million teachers in this country, how can you justify you know the attitudes of “Many” teachers. It’s comments like this that prove we have a long way to go in our society and you may not realize it but your statement is the definition of racism. The problem is this country isn’t racist! It’s ignorant! Ignorant to change and ignorant for certain people to conceptualize they are part of the problem. Once people remove the “R” word from their vocab I promise it will become extinct!
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If it is further from the truth where is the facts
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you know what she meant. She was speaking from the eyes of a student which they often think teachers are off doing their thing when you need them most. Not every teacher sees the kid getting bullied in the back first. So don’t take it to heart
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Wow..That whole message, and all you saw was the part about teachers?..Selfish!
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I agree wit you completely, unbelievable!!! And last but not least, We all reach a certain point in our lives when we know right from wrong, we all have the ability to make our own decisions, and we are all our own person… we choose what we do when we do it. we know what we should and should not do, quite putting blame on others. You make your body move, you chose how it moves, and your mind controls it all. If you cant see this, than your simply ignorant!
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Exactly. There was way more to see in that letter
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Your only around for that pay check and you know it
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BS!
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I too felt slighted when I read the teacher comment. I work in a Title 1 school and more than half of my 120 students are Black males and females. They are the only thing that is ever on my mind. Because many of the things they have are given to them they do not have value in earning things for themselves. I work extremely hard trying to instill in them a work ethic that will take them far.
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Please spare me. Your right to a certain extend however, some teacher’s already have their degrees and could care less. I guarantee it. Some teachers do it for the money. I’ve had one educator in my highschool tell me this: “I don’t like kids”….need i say more?
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Miss that’s BS Teachers not all but the Majority of them do not give a damn and that is so true you might not want to think it is but it is. They are there only to collect a pay check that is it.
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As a future teacher, I agree with that he says. I’ve seen some teachers who do not care…and are just there to get paid..and I’ve also tuned in in the news where teachers are doing foolish things instead of doing their job.
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To get paid.
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Some do but not most in the areas that he’s talking about most likely. Not taking awayfrom those rockrock star teachers in the hood that defy the odds but the fact remains that MOST clock in get a pay check and leave or are more concerned with grinding for that 3 to 5 so they can get those student loans forgiven
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How can yall shit on teachers when if this story is correct this girl is still fighting. Her parents should have her on lock down. Period!!. Most parents today want to be their kids friend. They want to be cool. Really?! When more parents realize they are responsible to that child to raise them up in a responsible way then teachers can teach. Let’s look at it. You have lil’ punks knocking folk out for fun. Where are parents? But if a cop shoots the punk folk yall want to complain. I ask where are the parents? When did it become right to blame someone for a kids issues instead of the parents?
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I counted 78 grammar trolls.
Sharkeisha…get a boob job…change ur name, that’s how a real woman would do it…why the boob job??…why not?
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Reblogged this on Vernon Tuitt III and commented:
Bryant makes some good points here. Perception is your reality. The image that you portray to others is how they see you regardless of if they know they real you or not.
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Thank you for this!
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As much as I appreciated this letter, I hope Sharkeisha is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. After reading about this here I went and saw what the mother of the victim has gone through & the victim herself and I think Sharkeisha knew exactly what she was doing. She was malicious in luring the victim to the fight in the first place and not fighting fair. This will be a good example to other bullies.
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She don’t need punishment…she needs HELP!
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Sharkeisha is NOT gonna read this! But it’s awesome that u reached out…
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How do you know that? In the beginning of this letter i was almost convinced that the author of this letter was on her side. lol
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Very well stated!!!!!!! I just hope Sharkeisha reads this and actually takes your advice!!
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It’s really sad people want to spot out the grammar errors and the errors period in this letter and not the point that was being made. Basically there is time for her to make a change and become the young lady society isn’t thinking she can be. Instead of the lashing out why can’t we pull together and help our future.
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I agree!!!!!!
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He never said he was the best writer! This man has some true words to speak to a woman and that’s the only thing you notice?
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Just trying to get yourself kudos because any intelligent person knows that girl is way too dumb to read all of that. And crap did I see the word biblical somewhere in everyones vein poems to each other? The only thing biblical in this situation was the power behind that sucker punch.
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Thank you for this letter sir. I pray that God continues to use you to encourage our youth.
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This is good; however, the page that you took that picture of “Sharkiesha” from is either a fake page or the videos that are being posted aren’t of Sharkiesha. It’s a different female in every video and it’s obvious. So I believe that the letter should have been directed towards that FB page instead of Sharkiesha herself. That way if the person utilizing the page is not actually her, then she’s not being attacked or judged for actions she did not partake in.
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The other fights that she posted wasn’t her. In fact, they were old fights that gone viral and became popular. I noticed that because I’ve seen some of the fight videos long before I knew about the Sharkiesha fight. There’s a lot of fake pages ( of course), just have to find the real one.
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I’m proud of you for taking time to right this letter and the work you do in the community. You’re very inspirational! Thank you!
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Thank you for writing this, not only for Sharkeisha but for the youth of today… Beautiful heartfelt letter…
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Once S’kisha go ta jail, she will start ta realize what kind of freedom she has out here. and she will also realize that she aint the toughest person out here walking. She’s whooping girls that aint even fighting back. Im from Kansas City Missouri and where im from you get no kind of coo points, likes, retweets or nothing on that. What she did was some “bitch shit”, SOFT in my book so she will never get respect in this town. I don’t mean to speak so vulgar but I am a 23 year old black women and I have done the same gaining respect in school and in the streets so I understand but boosting and doing all that she is doing for fight that the girl didnt even see the fight coming. she should get no respect for this. The people she is trying to please will be the same people she will probably be locked up with, because if she was my homie I would tell her go kick it wit the stupid ma f***** that retweeted yo video cause Im done f**king wit you.
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To speak change in someones life is a double blessing especially if the person receives it and even if the person dont receive it or act on it lets just pray that its read.. I remember being angry because of the things that took place at home and i have a daughter that acts just like her and with the things thats televised today and the things that we call entertainment today she might feel as if she is doing the right thing until it happens to her and by that time she might not even care i pray she does care and even give a you know what! MESSAGE ! REMEMBER TODAY IS A BLESSING COUNT IT AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE AND KARMA IS REAL … YOUNG LADY YOU WILL MAYBE ONE DAY HAVE A DAUGHTER AND YOU DONT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO HER AND YOU REALLY DONT WANT YOUR DAUGHTER TO HAVE TO GROW UP LIKE THIS ! WHAT EVER HURT IS GOING ON IN YOUR HEART … I PRAY A BLESSING YOUR WAY AND I HOPE YOU FIND A FRIEND YOU CAN TRUST TO HELP YOU DEAL WITH ALL THE PAIN YOU ARE DEALING WITH! PLEASE DONT GIVE UP ON YOURSELF SEEK HELP AND TRY TO DEAL WHAT EVER IT IS BECAUSE YOU WILL ONE DAY BE ON YOUR OWN AND YOU WONT HAVE TO DEAL WHAT EVER IT IS THATS TROUBLING YOU…. MOST OF THE TIME ITS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED AT HOME THAT OR IN YOUR INVIRONMENT THAT HELP CREATE THIS ANGRY PERSON YOU HAVE BECOME AND IF IM WRONG IT COULD BE TRUST… DONT PUT TO MUCH TRUST IN FRIENDS …. LEARN TO LOVE YOU….GOD WILL PROVIDE A WAY …..
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Couple problems with this. For one the “sharkeisha” twitter account/ facebook account you got that pic from is a fake page. Also the tweets you read are recycled tweets posted by a fake page. ALSO those fight vids she post aren’t even of her. Each one is clearly a different girl. How did you do research but totally ignored the fact that the page was created bout 3 days after the fight went viral? Clearly its a stupid mislead fan using her name for attention.
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Bryant,
You sir are a gentleman.
I have a tear in my eye because of the goodness that comes from
the caring you show others.
It’s so nice to see you Sir. ♥
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Dear Bryant Cross please remove my daughter’s picture from your story and website her picture has been fraudulently copied and used in conjunction with this individual she is most definitely not Sharkesha!!!
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the only way to settle this is to kill sharkeisha
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Here we go again, blaming teachers and authorities for what is going wrong with our youth. As a teacher, I resent your comment on how we are too busy to care about what is going on in our schools. We do care, education however, cannot happen without family support. We are failing our youth as a society, by not letting them be responsible for their own behavior. I teach because I care, however the system is broken in so many ways, there is just so much we can do as educator. Your letter, although with good intentions, failed from the beginning, you are telling this child that cops are out to get her and teacher do not give “care enough for her”. Your general statements are too negative, for her to listen to anything else you might add.
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” Not that Zoomwood would hear of such a thing, anyway.
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I know thios if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own webvlog and was wonderung what all
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Love after all is after all, roses and sunshine, right.
) You will prevent yourself from sliding down a black hole of alienation, social isolation, depression and loneliness.
You need to let the feelings grown organically, so have fun just being with her.
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At thiss moment I am going away to do my breakfast, after having my breakfast coming
yet again to rezd more news.
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