Larry Laws

Co-author, The Heart of a Black Man

Larry Laws Sr. is the founder and president of First Home Alliance, a HUD-approved nonprofit organization that has served thousands of veteran and low- and moderate-income families. Larry established the agency to fulfill his passion of providing housing and financial literacy education to the underserved.

Larry is a disabled American Veteran and U.S. Army Retired Master Sergeant after serving 24 years on active duty. He is also a husband, father, and grandfather.

What keeps me motivated is that my life has a purpose, and every day, I am on a mission to serve and use my God-given talents.

One of the most significant experiences I’ve had that impacted my life was during my military career. After I had served 15 years on active duty, I was falsely accused of a crime I didn’t commit because I “fit the description.” Even after proof of my whereabouts was presented, and I had been on 24 straight hours of military duty, I was scrutinized and questioned. I was even placed in a lineup, and the victim selected me as the perpetrator only because I “fit the description.” Thankfully, the truth prevailed, but that falsehood would have destroyed my life.

Encouraging words that I would like to offer include being who you are. Don’t be what others want you to be. Make a change, but most importantly, control your actions because in many instances, your actions are reactions.

What’s next for me is to grow First Home Alliance by adding four fully funded housing counseling branch locations so that I can help even more people become homeowners. I also plan to revitalize a project to build veterans and workforce housing as part of the American Legion Post 114 where I currently serve.

If I was given the opportunity to speak from my heart with regard to the plight of the Black man, I would say that on our tombstone, people will see the day we are born and the day we die. The impact we make will be the dash between those dates. We should work on our dash every day.

Lee Roy Evans Jr. was born and raised in Saginaw, MI. He is married with four children and two grandchildren. He is an ordained minister at Mt. Olive Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Marvin T. Smith. He has recently written an Easter play and, as an actor, has performed in many stage plays and two movies.