Lean On Me

"You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on."
~Bill Withers "Lean On Me"

When I was a kid, long before I had any idea what foster care was, my Mom would play Motown songs at full volume while she cleaned house. I learned every 70's and 80's song there ever was. I have more lyrics in my head than any one person should have without being committed. It's a strange talent I have found within myself. With music and television I have a photographic memory. Commercials, shows, movie lines and all kinds of music cloud my brain, but it comes in handy on occasion.

Such an occasion happened a few months ago when I started to feel burnt out...again. I was digging deep into my library of music looking for the kicks-tart I needed. The trigger didn't come from my music collection this time. It came from my movie collection. The other staple in my house growing up were inspiring 80's movies. My favorite is D.C. Cab. It's about a kid from a small town who goes to Washington D.C. in the hopes of working for his late father's war buddy's taxi cab service. It's hilarious and Mr. T is in it, so how can you go wrong? A close second and probably a more widely known film for me is Lean On Me starring Morgan Freeman.

You probably know the story, Joe Clark, an idealistic inner city educator is tasked with cleaning up Patterson New Jersey's most corrupt high school. He fights drugs, gangs, poverty and a host of other problems in order to accomplish his goal. Beyond the story line was the use of the song by the same name as the title.

After he's gained control of the school, Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) gathers the students and faculty in the auditorium. He gives a riveting speech about togetherness,  rising from the dead and sticking it to all the people who doubted them. The scene culminates with the music teacher leading the room in singing the famous song.

Even when I was just an 8 or 9 year old that scene hit me in the chest. There were all those hopeless people who had given up on achieving anything at all looking to this leader, this man strong of will, unapologetic in his quest to lift up these people. I always wanted to be that kind of man. The man that the crowd of hopeless faces can turn to, knowing that help was there for them.

It took a lot of years of acting more like Sams, the drug using lost punk that Clark took to the roof  urging him to jump as it was the quicker death than slowly wasting away on drugs, but I became that man that I saw on the screen. I've become the leader of a group who lost hope. I've become the go to guy when someone from care needs help. I couldn't be happier.

I want people in the foster care system to reach out to me, I want to be there to help. Recently I've had people asking me for help with aging out. A much tougher task than just connecting people but similar in tactic. When I aged out I was lost as a person could be, but like most foster kids, I'm a survivor. The only difference that I can see between myself and someone who grew up in the normal, expected way, is that I had to figure it out and they were taught. That's it.

Having been lost on my own, I understand the value of information or a smiling face. My goal is to be both. I will advise and mentor any young foster youth leaving care. As a matter of fact, I have been doing so since I started the magazine. It's pretty rewarding. I enjoy being the reassuring voice on the other end of the phone.

But!

I'm still that grimy punk kid with a chip on my shoulder. That needs to come out or I'll lose my marbles. How do I get that kind of rage out of my system without jail time or throwing away all of my work over the last three plus years? I'm going to attack issues. I'm going to go after problems within foster care that need fixed. I'm hitting them head on. Shining the light right in the face of the plagues that continue to pound the system that produced me and millions more like myself.

First target is Human Trafficking. Boy, oh boy, do I have a killer team to attack this one. I continue to add experienced allies in this fight. A few months ago, when the Lawmakers section had to come to an end, I replaced it with a column devoted to exploring Human Trafficking as it connects to foster care. Rhonda Sciortino, an alum, author and anti-Human Trafficking advocate and Sandie Morgan from Vanguard University agreed to pen the column. They'll bring the real trouble of Human Trafficking from foster care to the forefront. No longer will pimps, coyotes (transporters) and hustlers be permitted to walk in the shadows. There are more young women and men from foster care walking the streets as forced prostitutes all across this nation than you could possibly imagine. It's time to bring them in off the streets and begin rebuilding their sense of worth.

I won't stop at Human Trafficking (I have a lot of leftover rage). Human Trafficking just seems like the right place to start.

If I'm going to be the leader, I have to do it the way I see fit. I have to do it with the same tenacity and eyes forward mentality that Crazy Joe Clark had when he fought his battles. Lean on me, foster care. I've got broad shoulders ready to carry the load.