Washington, DC -- Local area talent Tray Chaney speaks to Examiner.com about his first book, ‘The TRUTH you can't BeTRAY,' a book aimed at motivating young people to stay positive. Tray is known for his powerful portrayal of ‘Poot‘ on the HBO series 'The Wire,’ a character often described as the ‘sole survivor’ of the drug organization he belonged to. Much like his character, Tray is a survivor and aims to use his success to raise awareness about the social issues faced by local area youth.
Growing up in Forestville, MD, a community that is 85% African American, Tray was surrounded by drugs and violence, very much like that portrayed on 'The Wire,' which was set in Baltimore. The overall crime rate in Forestville is twice the national average and the murder rate is 4.5 times the national average. However, unlike many youths, for Tray, the things he saw were ‘an inspiration to do something positive’ with his life. Always having ‘a passion to write, to do music, and represent the community from a positive light’ kept Tray from being consumed by the world around him. ‘The TRUTH you can't BeTRAY' gives readers a window into his life's journey and illustrates how one can determine for oneself what type of person one wants to be and where one wants to go.
Tray says that his desire is ‘to motivate all people to be positive.’ When asked what he felt was the number one thing that kept him for going down the road of drugs and violence, he quickly said having a ‘strong family foundation.’ With his parents together for 30 years, Tray says that he and his sister were instilled with positive examples. He also states that his parents heavily emphasized the value of education. Coming from a two-parent household makes Tray an anomaly in the African American community, particularly within lower income communities. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count 2009 study, 67% of African American children grow up in single-parent families.
When ask what should young people do who do not have a strong family foundation, Tray’s advice was for them to ‘look for a mentor who can give them positive examples.’ Tray believes strongly that having the right people in one’s life who can guide that person in the right direction is extremely important. This, he says, was the number one reason why he wrote his book, to be an example for young people who may not otherwise have anyone to look up to and show them how to lead a positive life.
___________________________________
Reviews from readers on Amazon.com about the book:
'It was very interesting to read about this young man's journey. It can be a great inspiration to all. I'm proud of Tray for becoming the man that he is today. Keep up the good work.' ~ Monica (Fredericksburg, VA, United States)
'I was very enthused by reading this book. I met Tray at the Reagan National Airport while he was promoting his book. I intended to purchase the book, but the ATM was down and we had already gone through security to our gates. He generously autographed the book and gave it to me for free! He said his story had to be told at any cost. He is a wonderful human being and if given the opportunity, EVERYONE needs to take the time out to read this story! It was packed with unbelievable events in his already awesome journey. This is definitely a different version than I would have ever expected that character to be on ‘The Wire’. My only regret is that it took me this long to write a review. THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW THIS STORY! It was also very well written. God Bless you Tray!' ~ Eugenia K. Sheppard (PG County, Maryland)
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace! Click Subscribe to receive articles on Civil Rights topics via email! Questions about this article or simply want to contact this writer? Send an email to Mercedes@dgspeaks.com.
If you like this article, please show your support by leaving a comment and/or sharing it with others. Thanks for reading!
Comments