DASHAUN "JIWE" MORRIS

Sometimes, the process of finding the right direction in life means spending a good bit of it way off course, and then turning your tragedy into triumph. Such is the journey of Dashaun Jiwe Morris.

Born January 31, 1981 in Newark, New Jersey- Jiwe spent most of his childhood in different cities in New Jersey, By the time he moved to Phoenix in the third grade, his childhood had been pushed to the margins. Already a victim of poverty and neglect, he found acceptance and, most importantly, protection, in a network of older neighborhood boys. What he lacked at home—his mother severely drug addicted, depressed, and his brother independent, if not distant, from Jiwe—he found with the Bloods. Unfortunately, the vision first dreamed up by T. Rodgers and his contemporaries, in which gangs served to protect and encourage members of the community, had given way to a darker purpose.
As a young adolescent, he rose through the ranks and would later participate in the peace agreement between the Bloods and Crips in Newark. Morris attended Delaware State University on a football scholarship, but was charged with attempted murder. In prison, he wrote a letter to Terrie M. Williams, author of "Black Pain" who had a monthly column in FEDS magazine. She brought his writing to the attention of her publisher, Scribner, who began working with Morris and bought his memoir seven months later.

As a spokesperson for The Stay Strong Foundation, Jiwe has been a featured panelist at numerous events to address the issues of youth and gang violence including various middle and high schools in his hometown, Newark, NJ; the National Book Club Conference; the Founding Chapter, New York Coalition of 100 Black Women; and many other organizations.