Eyes on the Prize
Allendale, New Jersey. Not exactly a hotbed for social activism. Jammed in the upper right corner of New Jersey, this is where I was raised. Save a few years in Southern California that ended in my parents divorcing, I spent most of my first 18 years in this little suburban town. Almost entirely white, the politics were conservative and the worldview was limited. Reagan was championed and topics such as race relations and inequality in America were largely ignored. Most in the town had "made it." My household was a bit on the fringes. My stepfather, quite possibly the hardest working man I've ever known, was a town police officer (not great during those high school years) and put in as much overtime as the human body could take. Our home was quiet. I spent most of my pre-teen and teen years in local parks playing basketball. We lived right across the street from the town ballpark, where I'd shoot hundreds and hundreds of jumpers every night. Basketball pulled me in. A...
