Principal, and Tony Lewis Jr. (right), author of Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass
Incarceration
On May 1, 2024, community leader, reentry expert, and award-winning advocate for those impacted by mass incarceration Tony Lewis Jr. visited the DC Youth Services Center (YSC) to discuss his memoir, Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration, with two groups of Free Minds book club members. Slugg details Tony Lewis Jr.’s experiences growing up and living in DC, covering a span of time from the 80’s up through the early 2000’s. While meeting with the young men, Lewis Jr. described himself as someone who stands at the intersection of poverty, gun violence, and mass incarceration, and shared that he wrote the book to be a map to young men that came from where he came from. Most of the people he knew from his neighborhood took the same path, but Lewis Jr. chose a different way, even though he didn’t know exactly how to do so. Now that he has navigated that process, the DC native shares his knowledge to help others create their own positive path.
Seated in a circle with the young men, Lewis Jr. spoke passionately about the things he learned while growing up with a front row seat to the drug trade, incarceration, and prevalent violence. Even though it was clear that dealing in drugs could be lucrative, Lewis Jr. also saw the death and destruction it could bring. At age nine, Tony Lewis Jr. was irrevocably impacted by this reality when his father was sentenced to life without parole for his involvement in a crack-cocaine drug ring. Following this life-altering verdict, Lewis Jr. contended with financial insecurity, the loss of friends to violence, and his mother suffering from mental illness. When asked by one of the young men how he was strong enough to resist an offer to get involved in selling drugs, Lewis Jr. expressed that he knew that his father would be disappointed. Tony Lewis Sr. consistently advised his son to watch who he spent his time with and what he did. Another young man asked Lewis Jr. if his father’s words impacted him. The answer was a resounding yes. Lewis Jr. added that his father also was very intentional about expressing what prison was really like so that Lewis Jr. didn’t fall prey to the false narrative that a stint in prison was a badge of honor. As Lewis Jr. put it to the young men at YSC, “No level of street fame or money is worth the cost you will pay.”
Lewis Jr. also shared about his relationship with his mother, revealing that he came to the realization that his mother’s illness wasn’t something he could fix. Even so, he and his wife have been intentional about making sure their daughters have a relationship with their grandmother and that they understand that their grandmother is loved. Wanting to ensure the young men were aware of recent changes to DC’s legal landscape, Lewis Jr. took time to address the Secure DC crime bill and how it has created more stringent laws. In regards to his current work in the community, Lewis Jr. stressed that he and fellow advocates will eventually need to pass the baton of this work on to others, and that this next generation is needed in the community to take up that baton and continue to work towards transformative justice. Lewis Jr. also made a point to encourage the young men to take advantage of the educational resources and support that they have access to in the juvenile facility, and to hold on to it when they are transferred to an adult facility. He was sure to state, “We’ll be here when you get out.”
At the end of each session, Tony Lewis Jr. took time to sign copies of his book for the young men. His fierce desire for each young man to take his words to heart and forge a positive path forward was evident in every moment and interaction during Lewis Jr.’s visit. Tony Lewis Jr. shared that he hopes to visit the young men again, next time accompanied by his father who, after years of Lewis Jr. fighting for his freedom, was finally released from prison in April of 2023 after serving 34 years. Thank you to the Maya Angelou Academy, the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, and Tony Lewis Jr. for making this event possible.