A Redemptive Path Forward: From Incarceration to a Life of Activism

by Antong Lucky

Overview

A motivational memoir by a formerly incarcerated man who transformed from founder and leader of the Dallas Bloods to a practitioner of peace and nonviolence in the neighborhood he once helped destroy

As a child of an incarcerated father, Antong Lucky grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhood in East Dallas, Texas, born at the same time as East Dallas experienced an alarming rise in crack cocaine and heroin use. Despite his high grades and passion for learning, Antong is introduced to gang life and its consequences.
 
Eventually, Antong forms the Dallas Bloods gang, inaugurating a period in the 1990s of escalating retaliatory gun violence buoyed by a lucrative illegal drug enterprise until he is ultimately arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison. His journey through the doors of transformation came through the pain of incarceration and introspection that caused him to question the cognitive distortions embedded in him since childhood.
 
Once in prison, Antong denounced his gang affiliation and began working to unite rival gangs, quickly rising to become one of the most respected and sought-after mentors in prison. A spiritual transformation further inspired Antong to return to his old neighborhood after early release, seeking to align with like-minded people dedicated to challenging systemic issues in U.S. communities through collective efforts. The work of an incisive, determined mind, A Redemptive Path Forward will take its place among the broadening canon of titles championing and investigating prison reform and societal transformation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640095359
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	05/17/2022
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

ANTONG LUCKY is an activist, advocate, and public speaker concentrating in the areas of mentoring Black men and boys, bridging the gap between community and police, and developing and launching violence reduction strategies, criminal justice reform, and reentry initiatives for formerly incarcerated people.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Deion "Prime Time" Sanders xi

Introduction: Everything Must Change xiii

1 The Boy Is the Father of the Man 3

2 Hood Credentials 12

3 Deviant, Delinquent, and Dangerous 24

4 The Mouth of the Beast 29

5 How Do You Behave? 35

6 Losing Me 43

7 Cops and Crack Houses 47

8 Good Girls 51

9 The Beast 57

10 Crossroads 65

11 Coming Out of the Cave 71

12 In the Belly of the Beast 83

13 The Disease 90

14 The Cirlce of Kings 98

15 Getting Out of the Can 110

16 God's Plan 114

17 Forging Forgiveness 125

18 Peace Be Still 134

19 Each One, Teach One 143

20 Gang Busters 149

21 A New Perspective 155

22 The Audacity of Activism 162

23 Vision Regeneration 169

24 Slander 175

25 Free at Last, Free at Last 180

26 Urban Specialist 186

27 Unlikely Collaborators 193

Acknowledgments 203

Editorial Reviews

02/14/2022

Activist Lucky debuts with a harrowing as well as hopeful account of how he turned his life around after founding the Dallas Bloods gang and surviving a stint in prison. Beginning with his 1980s childhood in East Dallas, Tex., Lucky recounts how growing up in a housing project “filled with drugs, alcohol, and violence” led to his hustling drugs as a teen, and to his establishing a Dallas chapter of the Bloods gang in 1993. At 20, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for drug possession. Recalling the “dismally reliable pattern in these courtroom dramas,” he writes, “a Black kid was charged, a white expert was brought in to explain how the drug world worked, an all-white jury listened and deliberated, and... they passed down a guilty verdict.” Fortunately for Lucky, several transformative encounters in prison—including with Imam Willie Fareed Fleming, who helped Lucky parlay his leadership skills into influencing fellow inmates to do good—led to his early release and a role with a nonprofit devoted to eliminating urban violence. While the redemption arc is immensely moving, it’s the unflinching way Lucky calls out systemic inequality—and the welcome corrective he offers to dehumanizing portrayals of those disproportionately affected by it—that cuts to the core. This should be required reading. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Lucky is insightful, nuanced, and honest about himself, social problems, and the work he does. He understands his community and builds bridges between rival gangs and their neighbors. Lucky resists simplistic ideas and stays focused on fixing root causes and working with partners who share his goals. In this engaging and illuminating memoir, Lucky shares his experiences, insights, and community program know-how." —Booklist

“Harrowing as well as hopeful . . . While the redemption arc is immensely moving, it’s the unflinching way Lucky calls out systemic inequality—and the welcome corrective he offers to dehumanizing portrayals of those disproportionately affected by it—that cuts to the core. This should be required reading.” —Publishers Weekly

"Lucky has led an indisputably interesting and difficult life, and he tells his story with compelling frankness . . . A fascinating and inspiring chronicle of transformation." —Kirkus Reviews

“Antong’s redemptive journey from the most dangerous man in his neighborhood to an ambassador of peace should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand what authentic transformation truly requires. Over the years, I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand his trials and tribulations, but more importantly, his many, many triumphs.” ––Bob Woodson, President of the Woodson Center

“With breathtaking candor, Antong Lucky shares his compelling journey from devastating poverty and incarceration to neighborhood leader in low-income Dallas communities, becoming a nationally recognized activist, equipping and empowering young inner-city residents, and advocating for sweeping changes in urban power structures to create a more just society. Antong has an extraordinary gift for leadership and a heart for community service. His story will inform and inspire others. It could very well change your life.” ––Don Williams, Founder & CEO of Foundation for Community Empowerment

“Experience an intellectual marvel tell a miraculous true story providing the solution to the widening divides in America. Antong Lucky reveals harsh realities and presents compassionate activism for timeless hope and a renewal of the belief that fearless love will win.” ––Drew Willey, CEO/Founder of Restoring Justice

“Antong Lucky’s story is both wrenching and inspiring. His experience is an undeniable lesson in the ways people can transform ourselves, each other, and our communities in ways the criminal legal system never can.” ––Danielle Sered, author of Until We Reckon

“A Redemptive Path Forward is both timely and timeless. Antong’s profoundly moving memoir offers a searing portrait of a young man caught between the laws of America’s unjust legal system and the laws of the streets––both hell bent on cutting his life short before it really even begins. Yet above all else, Antong gifts us with his inspiring journey to redemption. Hope is fuel, and this important book delivers it in droves––just when we need it most.” ––Brittany K. Barnett, attorney and author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice and Freedom

“Reading this book, A Redemptive Path Forward, has given me insights into just how vulnerable our youths are. The streets are waiting to pull them in. Antong’s redemptive path is masterfully laid out as a guide for others to follow. His natural leadership is turning this idea of Redemptive Activism into a force for good to be reckoned with!!!!” ––Alice Marie Johnson, Criminal Justice Activist, author of My Journey From Incarceration To Freedom, and CEO of Taking Action for Good

“Antong Lucky’s story is about transformation from beginning to end. Every human being has a God-given inalienable right to enter the road to redemption. He’s the example of the redemption our nation needs.” ––Malik Aziz, chief of police of Prince George’s County, Maryland

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

Growing up in poverty-stricken East Dallas, TX, with his father incarcerated and use of crack cocaine and heroin on the rise, Lucky was a strong student but was pulled into the orbit of gang life. In the early 1990s, he formed the Dallas Bloods gang, riding a wave of illegal drug sales and retaliatory gun violence until his arrest and imprisonment. In prison, he renounced his gang affiliation and sought to unite rival gangs, and since his early release he has focused on mentoring Black men and boys, bridging the gap between community and police, and developing and launching violence-reduction strategies, criminal justice reform, and reentry initiatives for formerly incarcerated people.

Library Journal

2022-02-03
A Black man from East Dallas traces his path from gang leader to prisoner to activist.

In the 1990s, Lucky helped found the Dallas Bloods, a gang that ran a bustling drug business in his dangerous neighborhood, where so many “succumbed to the inescapable pressures of poverty.” After he was arrested in a drug bust, Lucky was sentenced to seven years of prison, separating him from his newborn daughter. At the time, he writes thoughtfully, “my deepest fear…was that I’d be swallowed by the beast; I would become irrelevant and forgotten or, worse, a memory of someone you hope not to be like, as my own father had been to me.” In prison, Lucky converted to Islam, a decision that would inform his future life’s work as well as his choice to quit gang life. After his release, he partnered with an activist named Omar to broker a peace between the Dallas Bloods and their rivals, the Crips. He and Omar continued working together with the backing of a community leader named Bob Woodson and, later, Charles Koch. After the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, Lucky and Omar taught an after-school program for Black youth about how to interact with the police. As a result of this work, Lucky and Omar also served as advisers to Sen. Paul Ryan when he was Speaker of the House. After his time in prison and significant reflection on the damage he caused during his previous life, the author now promises himself, “I will help change this community that I’ve had a hand in destroying.” Lucky has led an indisputably interesting and difficult life, and he tells his story with compelling frankness. However, the author is often too focused on his own transformation, rarely tying his singular experience to systemic forces. This makes the book less revelatory than it could have been despite Lucky’s important message.

A fascinating and inspiring chronicle of transformation featuring cursory explorations of greater truths.

Kirkus Reviews