Marcus "Remember Who You Are"
Photography by Randy Bacon
I’m originally from Louisville, Kentucky. Went to school out there at University of Louisville for awhile until I didn’t know where I was going in life. So I went to go figure out life and maybe what I want to do for the rest of my life.
What brought me out to Springfield was a change of heart, change of mind of where I was in Louisville, and I had grandparents out on a little farm here in Billings, MO. So thought I’d come out and have a little sabbatical or sanctuary out here with them. Just got back involved with the faith with my grandma and my granddad and thought I’d just stick around, stay around. And then I found a girl to get involved with and came around and got married. Was around for about 10 years or so, then split ways. Had changes of heart. Then went through a divorce. Then got with my baby’s mama, who I’m with now and had the kids. We have four kids. Hopefully wife…fiance’ at this point.
My number one piece of advice is to remember who you are. There are so many pressures and persuasions and temptations to be what people think you ought to be and who they are and just different people. They mean well and they are well, they are just being who they are… but a lot of times it’s just different for them to see you being so steadfast in who you are and not wanting to change and do things differently. So I feel like I can come in and meet people, on the streets and the people helping us get off the street… it has been a challenge to stay true to who I am, but I’ve come through and even victorious in staying true to the spirit of who I am, the soul of who I am. And even making a little bit of an impact on others just a little bit of a philosophy and a way of living that doesn't keep you degraded and down and disenfranchised from others that we can still hold our heads high.
I’m a dreamer. I do have a dream. Sometimes we get shot down. Because things can happen. And even on a global way, just sort of through the plan… just looking at all the bad, all the negatives - there’s a lot of darkness there. But I had a sister that kept telling me to turn towards the light, and if we did that as a whole, with all of us in humanity, keep turning toward the light, that light would become so bright and engulf us and then we could all be the light to this world.
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