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Vol. 23, Issue 15
Turning Life Around
Alvin David Byrd, Jr. By Rebecca S.Jones Photos courtesy of Alvin Byrd, Jr.
The late Malcolm X once said, “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.” This is evidenced by Mr. Alvin David Byrd, Jr., his story consistent with one who has overcome Afram News
much. Though some of it self-inflicted, over time he learned to embrace being blessed with having “another chance” as opposed to “a second chance.”
Finding Identity
Alvin David Byrd, Jr. made his debut when many African-Americans were still searching to find their identity. He was raised in a single-parent home by his father in Fifth Ward and never met his biological
mother, but was nurtured through the community environment. At an early age, he learned the true meaning of the old proverb, “It takes a village.” “I was the only child in the beginning and before I could go to the store for my father, I had to knock on all of the senior citizen’s doors and see what they needed from the store. But that gesture was reciprocated, because I was one of the original latchkey kids. When my father had to work, I couldn’t go home until I went by Mrs. Florence Brown’s house, my adolescent caretaker. I would have to stay there until my father got home. So, I was blessed to grow up in a time when everybody looked out for one another.” Byrd attended Crawford and Dogan Elementaries and E.O. Smith Jr. High School. His true personality began to emerge in high school. Around the eighth grade, he and some of his classmates formed a singing group. After realizing his presence on stage excited the young ladies, he sought to become an entertainer. “I could be riding on the bus and if my ego or
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self-centeredness told me, ‘this is a nice audience,’ I would jump up and start singing because I liked the attention,” he recalled. “Back in the day, Fifth Ward was like Harlem in New York – with all the hustlers, prostitutes and fast-living.” Although equipped with the “perfect role model at home,” Alvin David Byrd, Sr., he quickly became fascinated with the street life. Attracted by the lifestyle of his peers, he started smoking cigarettes, drinking, skipping school and indulging in troublesome behavior. Reflectively he shared, “When I was trying to be hip, slick and cool, I noticed that I didn’t drink and party like everybody else – I did it to the extreme. So, early on in my life, I began to have internal struggles about how my social behavior was. I wanted the attention but, because I couldn’t control my drinking and drug usage, I sometimes got negative attention.”
Did You Know? Read the fascinating story of one of the greatest Black hunters, pg. 8
Justin Henry, District 9 DISD School Board Trustee Candidate, pg. 9
Kendall L. Bates, local TSU student, balances college life and entrepreneurship, pgs. 6 - 7
Embracing HOPE
Despite his engagement in such activities, he was surrounded by positive inContinued on Page 4
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Pastor Terrance Hall at Kingdom Builder’s Cathedral 1st Pastoral Anniversary, pg. 8