The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Hey little brother do you remember me? We met at this same bus stop several years ago while you were on your way to school.

Do you remember our conversation when you told me why you are not a part of any gangs? About how hard your mom, a single parent, works to take care of you and your siblings. And you were more afraid of her than any gang members.

You told me how it would break her heart if you let her down by becoming a gang member.

Remember what you said about the dream you had about your Grammy? How she is in heaven watching over your mom and her children.

About how she is bragging to the angels about what a great-grandson you are turning out to be.

It's been almost five years since we had our conversation that day.

But I can see you are still holding on to your promise to your mom and your Grammy.

Hey, look at you, you have your little brother and sister with you, and from the way things are looking, you are growing them up the way your mom brought you up.

In the last couple of weeks, several youths have been murdered, gunned down in the streets. A sixteen and seventeen-year-old (about your age) were killed at the same time.

My mind ran across you because I have been praying for you every day since we met.

And here you are standing in front of me.

Beaming, you are a work in progress. Great things lie ahead for you.

So to help your mom out you are working after school as a packing boy at one of the food stores.

She drops you off and picks you up to and from work each day.

Sounds good to me.

But that does not mean you do not have your challenges. Almost every day you are being enticed to become a gang member.

But it does not stop there because every so often you are picked on.

All around you, there is mayhem with guys carrying weapons fighting and cursing.

Yep, I can understand what you are going through, the whole nation can.

And we are praying for you. Just three weeks ago the Prime Minister declared a national day of prayer. It was all about you.

Stay strong, stay positive.

You are amazing.

So you plan on working in the hotel when you graduate, but what about college? Don't you want to go to college? Ok, you will work at day and go to UB at night.

You plan on being the first in your family to graduate from college.

Hey, baby brother, you are in a storm, and all around you the water is raging. But you reached this far on the wings of your mom and with God's help, you will be a beacon for your siblings.

God is on your side.

Oh, oh here comes your bus. Stay strong and remember you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you and if God is with you who can be against you?

You are going to make it and others will follow.

God bless our youth.

God bless the Bahamas.

ANTHONY PRATT

Nassau,

February 29, 2024.