THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 12, 1996 TAG: 9604110106
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
What, Tommy Herring challenged the crowd of 109 teenagers, makes a man?
A few raised their hands and offered definitions: being responsible, honest, earning respect, making money.
``Does violence make you a man?'' asked Herring, raising his clenched fists. ``Does making a girl pregnant or carrying a gun make you a man?''
The audience answered with a resounding ``no.''
``How about becoming educated, carrying yourself with dignity?'' asked Herring. ``Wearing your pants halfway down your legs with your underwear showing, is that dignity?''
Herring was the first speaker to talk to the participants, ages 12 to 19, at the ``Stop the Violence Lock-In'' recently at the YMCA on South Boulevard.
Herring, a minister, leads a group called Young Men Across America, and spends his time talking to youth groups about building positive lives.
When the YMCA closed after regular activities on a recent Friday, something special happened. Parents, community activists and the young people gathered for an all night session of education, frank talk and recreation.
The group was assembled from residents of Princess Anne Plaza, Bridle Creek, Pecan Gardens and Pine Oaks, said Julian Aiken. He and his wife, Cheryl, were representatives of the Plaza contingent, part of the Virginia Beach United Communities formed from the four neighborhoods.
Many groups were involved in the effort, Aiken added.
``CARE, St. Nicholas Catholic Church, King's Grant Presbyterian, Agape Ministry and the New Beginnings Ministry all helped make this possible,'' said Aiken, a member of New Beginnings. CARE stands for Community Action Resource and Empowerment, an organization that works in targeted neighborhoods to enhance quality of life.
The organizations contributed food, drinks and money to help make the event possible, said Cheryl Aiken.
After listening to Herring, the young people heard a talk about AIDS prevention. Virginia Beach police officers K.T. Jackson and Reggie Myers stopped by on their off-hours to talk about making choices early in life that will influence how they live in the future. Jackson spoke about a program with which he works closely, Youth Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Project.
Randy Bolin, who works at DJ's Music and Videos in Norfolk, addressed the crowd about a subject close to teenagers' hearts: music. Bolin encouraged them to pursue music if they wanted, but to not forget about the lasting value of education.
``We get tapes, thousands of them,'' Bolin said. ``But the odds against making it big are high.''
Barbara Dolgia, a resident of the area, read a poem she wrote titled ``Struggle.'' The poem described the journey of African Americans to the United States in slave ships and their struggle to survive, learn about and feel proud of their culture.
A poet for 15 years, Dolgia said that she has been reading her poems in public for three years. Dolgia also talked about atonement and reconciliation.
Julian Aiken gave Erica Williams, the Bridle Creek representative, credit for ``spearheading this effort.'' The night was about a month in planning and was the first such gathering.
``The kids want to do it again,'' said Cheryl Aiken. ``We got a lot of positive feedback.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY EDWARDS
``Does violence make you a man?'' asked the Rev. Tommy Herring at
the ``Stop the Violence Lock-In'' recently at the YMCA on South
Boulevard. ``Does making a girl pregnant or carrying a gun make you
a man?'' The audience of 109 teenagers answered with a resounding
``no.''
by CNB