New York Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire was part of a panel sent to New York prison Rikers Island to speak about the responsibilities of being a father and staying out of prison with many of the teen fathers incarcerated there between the ages of 16-18.
"The plan for us is not to succeed, and it goes back to when there was slavery. What you got to do is look at yourself in the mirror and say: 'What am I going to do so I will not be a number?' In the school systems, our neighborhoods, it's a hard situation for us. But you got to be man enough to know you got to be good fathers and stay out of here after you get back home."
Amare stated to The Rumble that "The message we want to get across is fatherhood. A lot of young brothers who are fathers are incarcerated. ... We're going to keep their spirits up."
Rikers Island Chief Michael Hourihane was extremely thankful that Amare and the rest of panel came and helped motivate the incarcerated young men to take steps to stay out of prison.
"We couldn't be more grateful to Amare Stoudimire and the other stars for coming to Riker's Island to inspire today's young men to stand tall in the face of daunting challenges."
Amare was accompanied by rapper Styles P, ex-Knick John Wallace, veteran NBA player Etan Thomas, ESPN's Chris Broussard, and Malcolm X's grandson, Malcolm Shabazz. They each played a part in expressing the much needed message to the young men that their children need them in their lives, not locked up in a cell.
Source: theurbandaily.com
