Black History Month story: How Black people led to the formation of HFP!

Black History Month and Humanity for Prisoners. Believe it or not, there’s a direct link. 

As an octogenarian, I’m allowed to do some reflecting. I’d like to give you a brief overview of how God used Black people in the life of this white Dutch boy, in a way that eventually resulted in an amazing program of assistance to Michigan prisoners. 

It began nearly 70 years ago when, still in my teens, I began a radio broadcasting career. The Muskegon radio station that hired me carried a couple of live broadcasts on Sunday morning featuring Black musicians. Beautiful prayers offered by Sister Mattie Davis and incredible music performed by the Spiritualaires led to some lasting friendships and numerous beautiful experiences for this young lad. 

Fast forward to a couple decades later, when I owned my own radio station in Grand Haven. The booking of a guest speaker, an itinerant Black preacher by the name of Cy Young, for my daily talk show made an incredible impact. He was a follower of Dr. Martin Luther King, and loudly proclaimed his speeches and espoused his philosophy. As a result of our close bond, he introduced me to his many contacts in the Black community, especially among musicians. 

It's no wonder that, in the mid-90s, when I heard about an indigent Black man who claimed he was wrongly convicted, I felt a desire to at least try to help. The story of Maurice Carter is legend, now, told in books and on the stage. 

But the story didn’t end there. This kind, gentle Black man, who lived as a free man for only 3 months upon his release from prison, insisted that more needed to be done to help those people who faced problems similar to his. And so, a tiny agency was born in 2001 that eventually mushroomed into a leading force among prisoner advocacy agencies in Michigan, known as HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. 

Dr. King once said, “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” 

Definitely true in my life. 

Because of that, the same can be said for thousands of Michigan prisoners.



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