Well, I never thought I’d be writing a My Bieber Experience EVER again, but here I am. First off, I would just like to give a BIG thanks to the famous BieberFever for giving me this opportunity to meet Justin twice. Without you, it would have never happened. Well, here it goes. My Bieber Experience. Part two: It all started back in about May of 2012 when I had bought my tickets for the Believe Tour. I was SO excited that Birmingham was back on the list! So, I come home the day of when tickets go on sale from school. My mom had already had my computer ready to go so I could get really good seats. Well, she told me that they had a VIP M&G package and I wanted it SO bad. But, unfortunately they were SO expensive. I got the best seats I could get, but I ended up being VERY happy with them. I was 25L which was RIGHT beside the stage, lower level at the end of the catwalk. Since I was not able to buy the M&G package I knew from that point on, I would never meet Justin again. Boy was I wrong. About a month went by and BieberFever posted the M&G contest. I figured there was no chance in me winning again, but it was worth a shot. I got all of my merchandise together and took a picture and I was ready to turn it in. When I got home from school the day before, I had given up hope because it was like 3 PM and still no e-mail. I finally got that e-mail at 4:03 PM that had changed everything. I called my mom crying. She asked me what was wrong and I told her that everyone had gotten their e-mails for the M&G. She told me that it would be okay and that the world wouldn’t end. But then I told her that it was okay because I got my e-mail too. Amazing right? January 16, 2013, the day of the concert: It had been close to three years that I’ve seen Justin. I was a nervous wreck all day at school but I managed to stay a lot calmer than I was the first time I met Justin. I had to check out of school early that day because I had to come home and get ready for the concert/M&G. I got my M&G bracelets, and headed for the line. Justin was running so late, he came to the M&G with wet hair. SEXIEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. Then it was finally my turn to go. I walked in first because I just had to stand by Justin but I was lucky enough to go in with my friend, her sister, her sister’s friend, and my friend’s parents. My eyes locked with Justin’s and he just had the biggest grin ever on his face. He was checking me up and down while I was walking over to him. I gave him a hug and he says, “Heyyyyyy! How are you?!” and I say, “I’m great! How are you?” He says, “I’m good!” I get beside him to take the picture, and I was so lucky that he put his arm around my waist. I remembered that I still had my purse in my hand. I said, “Wait a second! Let me throw my purse over here!” I threw my purse down and Justin says, “Sure! Okay!” He just did his cute little sexy giggle as I throw my purse. Haha. I go back to him and his hand was around my waist the whole time. The guy starts to ask us if we were ready and he starts counting. After the picture, he says, “Thank you so much!” and as he says that, he’s rubbing my back. So cute. I say, “You’re welcome & thank YOU for doing this! Have a great show!” He says thanks again. I was so glad my M&G went so perfect because my first M&G experience wasn’t that good. I come home from one AMAZING show and decided I would get on BF to just check. Sure enough, the M&G pictures were already posted. I searched all through them to find mine and I just couldn’t believe it. I was so scared that I had screwed it up but it was so PERFECT. I was SO happy. After all of the doubting, I couldn’t BELIEVE that had gotten to do this. TWICE. I hope I will be able to write another MBE VERY soon! If Justin ever reads this, I just want to thank him so much for impacting my life like this. I never would have thought I would have fallen madly in love with this guy. He definitely had a big place in my heart. So, thank you! Well, I’m signing this off with my signature that I did in my last MBE. Good things happen to those who wait. And just, never say never. Even if you do get disappointed, it’s just leading you closer and closer to what you want to achieve. I hope I inspired some people by writing another one of these. Just stay positive. Being positive will get you some where. Always believe & dream. Even though I had my moments, I was positive about 80% of the time and look what happened. Thank you to those who read this. God bless. -@_emilysuzanne & here’s a link to my first MBE. Original post: Well, I never thought I’d be writing a My Bieber…
I’m Holly, I’m from Scotland and I met Justin Bieber in London on Thursday September 13th, 2012. I never, ever thought that one day I’d be writing my very own Bieber experience, so to be able to do this is just WOW. I’m grateful beyond words. I’ve been a Belieber since 2009 and most people know me as “the girl who loves Justin Bieber.” Despite Justin telling us to Never Say Never and to Believe, I always felt that my dream of meeting Justin was always going to remain a dream, I was proven wrong. I’ve entered so many Bieber related competitions and I’ve never been lucky, at times I even wondered what point was there of even entering them if I wasn’t going to feel nothing but disappointment when I didn’t win. When I had found out about the Clyde 1 In Demand Scotland Contest I thought I would give it a try, even though I was positive I wouldn’t get anywhere . I did as the competition said, I liked the picture of Justin they uploaded on their Facebook page and I waited. When the next day came I was picked as the first finalist! What?! Was this really happening to me? As the week went on two more finalists were picked, then on the final a 4th one was picked. We had to answer a question: “How many copies of Justin Bieber’s album Believe were sold in the UK?” I had no clue whatsoever, I took a guess and guess what? I WON. I WAS MEETING MY IDOL AFTER 3 WHOLE YEARS OF WAITING. I felt so lucky, so blessed and I was so grateful. I travelled to London on the 12th of September. I genuinely couldn’t believe that the next day I would be meeting my idol. I didn’t even know where I was meeting him, it was all kept very secretive. On the morning of the 13th I woke up feeling so sick with nerves, as I did every morning in the run up to the big day! In order to pass time my mum and I just chilled outside Justin’s hotel with all the Beliebers and I met so many amazing people that I hope I stay in contact with! I met Dan Kanter at Pret A Manger in Oxford Street and he was so sweet, we spoke and I got a picture with him. Then we got a phone call telling us we were to go back to Justin’s hotel where someone would come out and get us. After waiting for what seemed like forever in the cold we got another phone call telling us to walk into the hotel, so we did . I think loads of the Beliebers were probably like “What the hell is that girl doing?” but others were shouting “GO HOLLY!!” I was smiling so much. I was taken up to the floor Justin was staying on and on the way up, I met Kenny and I said hi and he said hi back. The radio interviews were running late so me and my mum had to sit out at the lifts and wait. The lift door opened and out walked Moshe and went to Justin’s room. When he came back he asked if I was the competition winner and I replied yes. My mum said to him that Justin must be tired with all the interviews and the busy schedule and Moshe smiled and said, “It’s all part of the job.” We were then taken to stand outside Justin’s room. I could hear him talking, laughing, at one point he even sang part of ‘As Long As You Love Me.’ I was dying, I was so nervous. Eventually the big moment came, it was my time to meet Justin, I could not believe it! I walked into his hotel room and a photographer was taking pictures of Justin. OMG he was so flawless, he didn’t even look real. This may seem weird but he was like a wax work figure – he was just that perfect!! While he was getting some quick photos Kenny shook my hand and spoke to me about Scotland. Justin began to walk over, smiling so big and when he looked into my eyes, it was unbelievable, I was at my happiest. He said “Heyyyyy, it’s nice to meet you,” with the biggest smile and took me into his arms. IT WAS THE BEST HUG EVER . My arms were wrapped around him and his arms were wrapped around me, it was so perfect! It was a long hug and we were squeezing each other tight. I didn’t want to let go of him ever! I told him how I couldn’t believe this was finally happening! We then got photos taken, he looked at me smiling and said, “I’ve got my One Time hoodie on today” and he seemed so happy about it because he knows how much the hoodie means to both him and us Beliebers . We got photos taken by the photographer and I had my arms wrapped around his waist, and his hand was on my back, and then he asked if I had a camera so we could get more photos together. He pulled me in closer to him and his face was touching mine and he was holding me, inside I was screaming. After the photos, we hugged again. When he spoke his voice was heavenly, I never thought I’d be speaking to the boy that inspires me so much. He asked me if I wanted him to sign anything so he signed my Bieber experience photo album. He wrote: ‘Holly, Believe Justin Bieber.’ He made sure it was the correct spelling of my name and he took his time to make it perfect! We spoke some more, I don’t remember exactly what about though cause I was so nervous, just like about Believe Tour etc. He gave me another big hug and went over to my mum and said, “Mom give me a hug?” She was only expecting a handshake but she got a hug, she was starstruck to be honest. I said thank you to Justin for everything, and to who organized it as well. I gave him my letter and said if he had the time to read it then that would be amazing. He said, “Awwww of course!” We said our goodbyes and when I walked out of his room I got all emotional, it was so overwhelming and I was in so much shock. I was so grateful and it was the best 10 minutes of my life! Justin’s smile was just so real, warm and when I hugged him I felt so safe. I’ll carry the memory of meeting Justin with me in my head and heart throughout the rest of my life! I’m so grateful to have had an opportunity like that and I’ll never take it for granted. To all you Beliebers who think you’ll never meet Justin trust me, you WILL. Anything is possible if you just believe. Dreams DO come true, mine did and yours will too, NEVER SAY NEVER. – @cuddlemejustin See the article here: I’m Holly, I’m from Scotland and I met Justin Bieber…
My name is Emma, and I am 23 years old. My first Bieber Experience happened on October 19th, 2012 in Minneapolis, MN. I’ve been a fan of Justin’s for a few years now, but it wasn’t until the past 2 years or so that I became really active on Twitter to show my love and support. Everyone has their story as to how or why they became a fan. All I will say, without detail, is that the past few years of my life had been really rough. I had been going through several personal experiences in my life that had left me pretty emotionally damaged, including the recent death of my father. I gave in researched Justin in early 2010, and instantly fell in love with everything about him, his music, and what he stood for. Since that day he’s been my guiding light I guess you could say. He’s given me the hope, laughter, and love I needed to get me through. I could never thank him enough for that. Ever. On October 19th, a day before the show, my sister and I had arrived in Minneapolis and checked into our hotel. We had heard via Twitter that Justin was at the Mall of America. We hopped in the car and headed there, only to find out he had already left. Deep down, I never expected to see him at all…so I kept my expectations low to avoid feeling disappointed. Later on that night, with the help of some lovely Twitter ladies, I heard his grandparents had been spotted at the Grand Hotel earlier on that day. I decided to google the hotel out of curiosity, and it just so happened that his hotel was a short walking distance from ours! Again, I had no expectations but we had nothing to lose. We walked over to the hotel and sure enough there were probably about 30 girls or so waiting outside. They said they knew for a fact this was Justin’s hotel, and that he should be returning sometime soon. My sister and I stood off to the side, just enjoying the simple fact that he was actually here, in this city. But I never expected it to happen. A friend I knew from twitter, Meg, was inside the hotel waiting. She decided to come out to talk to us. Out of nowhere, Dan and Josh casually walked outside the hotel doors and turned the corner to walk down the street. (I assumed they were heading out for some fun. Haha.) Dan and I made eye contact, but I got nervous and just said “Hi Dan” really casually, lol. For some reason no one else had recognized them at the moment. So they continued walking. My friend Meg, who had previously met them inside, asked me why I didn’t talk to them or ask for a picture. I really don’t know what came over me at that point, but I turned around and starting walking down the sidewalk to catch up to them. At the time I was in pure adrenaline mode, so I was acting instead of thinking. Now I look back and laugh because I realize I had locked arms with Dan after catching up to him. We continue to walk down the sidewalk as I told him how much I respect him as a musician and person, and I reminded him of the time he direct messaged me after I told him how we share the same love for the same types of music. He told me to continue walking with him until we got around the corner so we could talk/take a picture without making a scene. When we got there we continued to talk a bit about random things. He told me I had really good taste in music and then he gave me a guitar pick. He asked where I would be sitting at the show the next day, among a few other questions, then we took our picture. My sister came around the corner at this point so she briefly talked to him as well. (I need to express how true and genuine Dan is though. And he truly, TRULY loves and cares for Justin.) He wished us a great show, we wished him the same, and went back to the front of the hotel. It was probably only ten minutes or so later when the group of girls started screaming as a black SUV drove by. It continued to turn into the alleyway along the side of the hotel, but then it stopped. We were in complete shock, and weren’t really sure if this was real or not. In a panic, we ran into the hotel thinking that we’d have a better chance of talking to him when he came in the front doors. After a minute or so we realized he probably wouldn’t come in the front doors though, so we hurried back outside, and sure enough, there he was. I honestly think I just stood there for a good minute or two just staring in awe. I couldn’t believe this ONE guy who meant everything to me, who doesn’t even know me, was standing right before my eyes. Security wasn’t playing around though. They kept warning everyone to stand back and wait their turn. At this time, Fredo was talking the pictures as Justin greeted fans. There weren’t many of us, but for some reason security was anxious to get him back in the car. I could tell Justin was a little flustered because they kept saying, “We gotta go,” but you could tell he wanted to get to us all. There were probably 3 girls ahead of my sister and I when security pretty much pulled Justin away and said its time to go. He said “I gotta go guys, sorry!!” or something along those line, and walked back over to the car. He stood outside the car discussing something with two of the security guys. Like I said, he seemed a little puzzled, not sure why. I really don’t know what came over me at that point, but I decided I wasn’t going to let this moment pass me by. I wiggled past everyone in front of me and walked straight up him (calmly of course, as I didn’t want the security to be alarmed.) I never planned on getting a picture. All I wanted was to tell him how much I appreciate what he does, and to hug him. Again, I was not thinking and acting out of pure adrenaline so I don’t know what I said word for word. But I know I just kept telling him how much I love and respect him, and the whole time I was standing in front of him, trying to get out my words , I realized I had my hands placed on his hips as I looked into his beautiful brown eyes and jabbered. Security started nudging towards him again, distracting him. But he quickly looked down at me, met my eyes, and said, “That means a lot, thank you.” At that point I could only hear my heart beating. Then he pulled me into him, we briefly hugged, and he said, “Wanna get a picture?” I don’t know where Fredo was at that point, and my phone had just died. Once the other girls saw he was taking pictures again so they ran over and started taking pictures of us. I’m really thankful my sister happened to be in front of the pack, because she managed to get the pictures. Right after my picture though security said, “We REALLY have to go guys.” Justin thanked us and said goodbye. I really wanted to show him my Believe tattoo, but I was already so thankful for what had just happened that I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I still can’t fully believe it happened. The show the following day was beyond incredible. I couldn’t believe how much he’s grown as a TRUE artist and performer. And then it happened again…. My sister, another friend, and I had tickets to the Kansas City show on the 26th, the following weekend. After feeling totally complete and blessed with my experience, I had 100% forgot about the fact that I had entered the bieberfever.com contest a few weeks previously. It was the night before the show when I got the email saying I had won M&G’s for the next day. I can’t even begin to describe to you what I was feeling or thinking. Pure thankfulness, mixed with nervousness and excitement. It’s honestly still a dream to me. I was so overjoyed that I was not only getting a second chance to show him my tattoo and to tell him what he means to me, but that my sister would get her chance too. The first time we saw him she was just so happy for me that she put herself aside, and never got to properly meet him. When we walked into the meet and greet, there he stood, again, looking as incredible as I had remembered. He smiled at us as my sister got on one side and I got on the other. I looked over and noticed he was rubbing her back, and then I felt him doing it to me too. The other 2 people in our group had walked in, and for some reason Mike (photographer) wanted me to move to the other side of my sister. I didn’t really mind, but I was flustered and trying to find a different spot to put my purse (as I had nervously set it in front of Justin’s FEET when we had first walked in!) While I was finding somewhere to put my purse, I guess Justin was wondering why two more people hadn’t come in with us. It was suppose to be groups of 6, but only 4 of us came in. So after the brief confusion, I moved next to my sister, and we took the picture. I turned to him right after Mike snapped the picture and gave him a big hug. I told him how much I love him as I started to pull up my sleeve to show him my Believe tattoo. Right as I held out my arm to show him, one of the security guards said something to him/me/afan…not really sure. But it had distracted Justin’s attention away. I really wasn’t sure what to do, so I kind of just stepped back a little. Almost instantly he looked back over at me and said, “Wait, come here..I wanna see that.” I smiled, moved closer and pulled my sleeve back up for him. He carefully looked at it in curiosity then looked down at his own arm. He held out his arm for me to see and said, ”It looks just like mine.” I smiled. He looked back up at my tattoo, smiled, and said “Swag Town…” LOL. I gave him another tight hug, as if I would never see him again and I wished him a great show. He smiled, I smiled and we left. When I say good things rarely happen to me, at least to this magnitude, I really mean that. I feel really blessed that I was not only given one moment with him, but two. I never in a million years would have thought it would happen to me. It’s really confirmed my beliefs that good things DO happen. And as cheesy as it sounds…NEVER SAY NEVER and BELIEVE. Justin is a class act. He truly loves his fans more than nearly anything! I have never met, or heard of anyone else who is as REAL, compassionate, and down to earth as he is. Inside, he’s as normal as it gets, fame aside. And as fans, I hope we all continue to do our best to give him the love, support, and understanding that he DESERVES as he continues to grow as an artist…and as a person . I am beyond grateful for what he’s given me. For what he’s given US. Please don’t ever take him, or his kindness, for granted. I will always be here to support him in anyway I possibly can…voting, requesting songs to radio stations, buying his music, gifting his music, anything. But most importantly, just to be here. If he could meet every single one of you, I know he would. Your day WILL come if you strive for it. I promise. Expect the unexpected. – @Belieb_Love (Emma) Continued here: My name is Emma, and I am 23 years old. My first Bieber…
Lindsay Lohan is adamant that she did NOT punch anyone in the face at a club early Thursday morning, but admits she did get into an argument with Tiffany Mitchell . She also admits calling Mitchell, a fortune teller/psychic, “gypsy.” According to sources close to Lohan, Tiffany Mitchell approached her inside club Avenue to do a palm reading of some kind, but Lindsay turned her down. Thse she noticed Tiffany’s friends crowding around her purse . When Lindsay returned to her table, her friends told her that Tiffany’s friends stole her purse – a super expensive black leather Celine – and the actress was pissed. Lindsay says she did call Tiffany a “gypsy” but says she did not know that word is considered a slur … guess she just thought it was a run-of-the-mill insult? Anyway, Mitchell then told her Liz & Dick sucked, and $h!t escalated. It’s unclear if they were indeed vying for Max George’s affections; The Wanted singer is said to have spurned the star and flirted with Mitchell, further angering Lohan. As for hitting Tiffany, which got Lindsay Lohan arrested for assault, she denies it 100 percent and says she’s being set up … stop us if you’ve heard that one. The actress was said to be rip-roaring drunk that night – and most nights, as she’s drinking up to two liters of vodka a day – so her credibility may be suspect. Not that it was pristine to begin with, of course. Lindsay Lohan: Throw her in jail? Yes, that train wreck brat will never learn otherwise! No, quit trying to make an example out of her, haters! View Poll »
Lindsay just can’t get right… Lindsay Lohan Charged With Lying To Police About Car Accident According to TMZ reports : Lindsay Lohan will be charged with the crime of lying to police after her car accident in June on Pacific Coast Highway … TMZ has learned. We broke the story … Lohan told cops she was NOT behind the wheel of her Porsche when it slammed into the back of an 18-wheeler. Fact is she was — according to multiple witnesses. Law enforcement sources tell us … the case will be filed as a misdemeanor by the Santa Monica City Attorney … possibly this week. The charge could spell huge trouble for Lindsay, because she’s currently on probation for the jewelry heist. The criminal filing could trigger a probation violation, and Judge Stephanie Sautner — the jewelry judge — could send her to the slammer for a long, long time. And law enforcement sources tell us … cops found prescription pills in her purse after the crash. Witnesses tell us pills were also scattered in her trunk. Our sources say authorities were prepared to charge LiLo with drug crimes, but Lindsay’s lawyer, Shawn Holley, gave cops documentations from Lindsay’s doctor, saying the pills were properly prescribed. Authorities then backed off that charge. As for the charge of lying to cops, Lindsay almost dodged that bullet. You may recall, after the accident, Lindsay went to the hospital where she was interviewed by cops, and that’s when she told them she wasn’t behind the wheel. Her lawyer, Shawn Holley, made a mad dash for the hospital to muzzle her client, but she was a few minutes too late. One rule when you are talking to cops, shut the f**k up! SMH Image via WENN
Christie Prody, O.J. Simpson’s longtime girlfriend (she dated the Juice from 1996 until he went to prison in 2009, miraculously avoiding being killed) has been arrested . The charge? Stealing a woman’s purse. In Fargo, N.D. Outside of a mall. She’s come a long way since dating Orenthal. Christie Prody didn’t even get away with the purse, because the victim fought back despite minor injuries and struggled with her until mall security arrived. Earlier this year, she was charged with stealing painkillers from a home where she worked as a nurse’s aid … and was shopping a sex tape starring herself and some schmoe. Classy chick.
There’s no future in ya frontin’ Serena Serena Williams Claims She Is Not Dating Her Tennis Coach Serena Williams has been basking in glory of her victorious year by taking a well deserved vacation in Italy for Milan Fashion Week. That said, what could possibly be more fashionable than a your tall, Caucasian, “tennis instructor” on your arm? As we reported last week , Serena was seen all hugged-up and cozy with the debonair Frenchie walking around Paris. Despite evidence to the contrary, Serena hopped on Twitter last night to send a message to the paparazzi that have “falsely” put her on blast. C’mon now Serena, ain’t nothin’ “false” about the pictures we saw of you hands in the man’s back pockets. That little incident must taught her to smarten up because yesterday Serena was spotted with her “coach” in Milan and they were doing their best to 86 the PDA. However, although there was not a$$-grabbin’ he carried all of her shopping bags (of which there were many) AND her purse! We don’t know any “coaches” that are doin’ all that, do you??? Peep the pics below. Images via SplashNews
Wow, I never thought that I would be writing a “My Bieber Experience.” Here we go: I’m Chelsea and I thankfully found out where Justin was rehearsing for the Believe Tour. I talked to some of my friends and they helped me find the place and made it all happen. My friend Shelby drove 4 1/2 hours to see me meet the boy that changed our lives. On Saturday August 18 , I arrived at the studio at 11am with my friend Michelle. We notice that there are already girls waiting so we get in line. The hours begin to pass, but it was getting hotter as the time passed. Around 3:30pm, Justin passed us in his swag van with Moshe driving. At that moment we were happy because we knew he was there and we were that much closer! We continued to wait and the time slowed down once it was 6pm. We continued to wait when suddenly at around 6:45 a security guy came out and told us to stay in a line. Then Moshe pulled up and stopped the swag van and slowly and casually walk out Justin Bieber . The boy that I thought I would NEVER meet. The girls ahead off us met him then suddenly I realize he is walking towards my group. Justin notices Shelby and asks how she is and they hug, then I give him a BIG hug, and OMG that boy smells SO GOOD. I hug him and then Shelby gets a kiss on the cheek from Justin and I put my arms around him hold him tight and take our picture. I let go and cannot BELIEVE that I literally just hugged Justin Bieber. I cross the driveway and cannot even compose myself. As we are standing there, my group of friends were all tearing up because I’m just standing there bawling. As we stand there, I hear my mom yell from the other side, so I run across composing myself for Justin and snap a picture for my mom. I still cannot get over the fact that Justin called my mom “Mom”. My mom told Justin that she waited for 7 hours (which was true) and he was like, “Wow, thanks Mom!” We then go back across the driveway, and Shelby runs to get her purse to give Moshe his gift so I give her my letter for Justin and she hands them to Moshe before they drove away. We say our goodbyes and Michelle and I get in the car and literally started bawling and every time we looked at each other or hugged, we would just cry in each others arms. As we drive home we embrace EVERYTHING that just happened and know that it could not have been any better. I loved the feeling of meeting Justin. I went back again on Wednesday August 22 and waited another 5 hours. We waited for him and as 7:00 rolled around Moshe and the security guards had us cross the driveway and get in a neat line. As we got in line, out walks the ever so casual Justin Bieber with the same hat as Saturday. I see everyone smiling ear to ear and realize my feelings are just as speechless as they were before. It was finally our turn and I hugged just tight and his toned arms were extremely cold (I’m assuming the swag van was very cold). I hugged him got in close for our picture, and smiled big because I could not BELIEVE it was all happening again. After the picture, I hugged him big again and was said “Thank you” and he was like “You’re welcome.” I was happy that I actually got to talk to him this time! Justin made all the hours worth waiting. I would any amount of time just to see his face. he makes me Believe in myself and because of him I have so may new friends that love him just as much as I do. I love you so much Justin and NO ONE can ever make me stop loving you. Thank you for stopping to say hello to us because of that you made so many lives complete. I know you made mine and I can never repay you for that. To all of you that read this I hope it shows you to never give up and just to always Believe in what your heart is set too, because if this can happen to me then it can happen to anyone! I love you Justin. -@chelsterling Original post: Wow, I never thought that I would be writing a “My Bieber…
Black Men Battle Stereotypes In Florida Not only is this just in Florida, but nationwide: They are more likely to get shot, go to jail, drop out of school, end up in foster care, be abandoned by their fathers and have children of their own while they’re still teenagers. Compared with other Americans, young black men have the statistical odds stacked against them. But statistics only reveal trends; they don’t define an individual. In in-depth interviews with more than a dozen young black men, ages 15 to 28 — from honor students to jail inmates, star athletes to aspiring executives — the voices so rarely heard in public forums spoke out on being the most profiled segment of society. For many, the fear of ending up like Trayvon Martin — the unarmed teen shot to death by Sanford Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman — is far too tangible. At the least, their age, gender and skin color make them regularly subject to suspicion. They felt they had to be better than the next guy just to stay even. “Sometimes it hurts,” says Jaboris Haynes, 19, who grew up in poverty with his mother and sister in Apopka. “When I was younger, I thought of being a different race and wondered what it would be like. The message I got about being a young black man wasn’t a good message. I always felt like somebody was after me, like they were judging me, just because I’m a black male.” Having escaped the pressure of gangs to win a scholarship to Florida A&M University to study civil engineering, he still feels pressure “not to be a statistic.” “I want people to know that I’m a lovable person, I’m kind, I can be a good friend, I’m reliable, trustworthy,” he says on a break from his summer job as a camp counselor. He slumps forward, shaking his head. “But being a young black man, you have a lot of people talking down on you.” No matter how wealthy, how educated, how well-dressed and well-mannered, all the young men interviewed reported being profiled because of their skin color. For some, it meant being stopped, questioned and frisked by police. For others, it was more subtle: a car door that locks as they walk past or pull up to a traffic light, a sales clerk who eyes their pockets suspiciously, a white woman in an elevator who clutches her purse when a young black man steps in and the doors close. Mark Lark, 22, is going into his senior year at the University of Central Florida, studying architecture. One of only two black students in his major, he also serves as vice president of the local student chapter of the American Institute of Architects, volunteers to mentor college-bound minorities and works at the Central Florida YMCA. With a year to go to graduation, he already has business cards printed. But his real mission is to be a role model for the young black men who come after him. And in so doing, he hopes to persuade those who judge simply on skin color to rethink their assumptions. “Trust me, instead of being in your face, now it [racism] is more subtle,” he says. “Instead of, ‘Hey, boy, you shouldn’t be drinking out of that water fountain,’ it’s ‘Why is this [black] person doing that?’ “What I do with my life — I do this to show a better example of my culture and my race. There are sophisticated, well-mannered, ambitious black males in the community that aren’t going to be a degradation to society, that are actually going to help the economy, help the U.S. and help the world.” Discuss.. Source
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