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In this episode of the podcast, we have the privilege to speak with Beat the Streets Philly alum Aboubakare Diaby. As with many of our podcast guests, Aboubakare has been involved in so many different aspects of the Beat the Streets community and serves as an important role model for many of our youth.

Aboubakare began wrestling for Mastery Charter in the 7th grade when an English teacher mentioned his competitive nature would serve him well on the mat. And he took to it right away. But more importantly, it was fun.

Off the mat, Aboubakare became very involved in the BTS mentoring center. “At the Mentoring Center, I got to interact with a lot of different people and build new experiences.” It was there that Aboubakare met his mentor, former podcast guest Ousmane Diara (BTS Philly Podcast: Ousmane Diarra – Beat the Streets)

“He got to go to Central High School, which was the school that I was applying to for my eighth-grade year,” explains Aboubakare. “So, he was a great role model for me and was very impactful in my life.”

Ousmane’s mentorship didn’t end there though. 

“He guided me through the high school application process and the college application process. And he warned me of all the mistakes he made so I wouldn’t be making them over again. And that really pushed me up and gave me an advantage and helped me to achieve my goals of going to Drexel University and wrestling for them.”

Thanks to the guidance he received, Aboubakare now attends Drexel University, where he is a member of the wrestling team and studies Mechanical Engineering. But Aboubakare doesn’t stop there and continues to set high goals for himself. “I want to get my Master’s in mechanical engineering by my fifth year,” he explains. “And athletically. I want to break the starting lineup at Drexel.”

As BTSP Executive Director James Mangan points out in this episode, “It’s so amazing when you hear that the first goal on the list is an academic goal. A lot of people know that Beat the Streets is a wrestling organization. But when we work with student athletes, the student part comes first and that shines in Aboubakare’s story.”

The post BTSP Podcast: Aboubakare Diaby first appeared on Beat the Streets.

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In this podcast episode, we speak with former Beat the Streets Philadelphia (BTSP) Executive Director Chris Hanlon. So much of the impact that BTSP can achieve today is due to his stewardship from a fledgling organization to a presence that currently serves 1,000 youth at 30 wrestling programs in the Greater Philadelphia area. Chris embodies the Beat the Streets spirit on so many levels. He is passionate about not only wrestling but positively altering life’s trajectory.

It all began in 2008 when Chris moved back to Philadelphia and reconnected with fellow Penn alumni who were starting a new project to serve the Philadelphia community through wrestling. “I enjoyed being on the mat, and I was looking to coach, and it just coincided with Beat the Streets starting up.”

At first, Hanlon had no idea that it would lead to a career. “It was just fun,” says Chris. “I was volunteering, and I saw it as a way to give back – because I was fortunate all along the way. My coaches pulled me up by the bootstraps and gave me opportunities. And I credited wrestling with a lot of my successes.”

At the time, Chris was coaching and driving BTSP wrestlers all around to tournaments and taking them to summer camp. It wasn’t long before he got a call from the BTS Board, offering him a full-time position. It was a dream chance for Hanlon to combine two of his passions: wrestling and changing lives.

At the helm of BTS Philly, Chris developed many programs that have become core to BTS Philly today. One of his most significant innovations was helping create the Mentoring Center.

Chris noticed that many students didn’t have the proper support to pursue their life ambitions through his day-to-day work. “For some of our high school kids, they dreamed of going to college,” Chris explains. “But they were in public schools that were gigantic, and even though they are solid schools, they were one of 3,000 kids. So it’s hard to get personalized support.”

He knew that he had to do something to help these students. “Oftentimes, they were the first generation to attend college. So I would talk to them about that process. And then, I started connecting them with people that could tutor them. And at first, the mentoring happened down at the Penn bookstore.”
“The board understood that education was the cleanest path for these kids to find opportunity,” Hanlon explains. “So they said, ‘This is great, how can you do more of it?'”

To meet this challenge, Beat the Streets rented a place on Market Street, and thus the Mentoring Center was born. Today it continues to serve 150 BTSP youth and provide opportunities for growth and education. Current Executive Director James Mangan is happy to point out that mentoring is a more significant part of the annual budget than wrestling. All thanks to the ideas first set in motion by Chris Hanlon.

Today, Chris is the Executive Director of Chester Charter Scholars Academy Foundation, where he continues work in the social impact sector. “Beat the Streets definitively set the stage for me to continue a career in this space and try to help as many people as possible. So I have a lot of gratitude for my entire exper

The post BTSP Podcast: Chris Hanlon first appeared on Beat the Streets.

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In this episode of the podcast we get the chance to speak with Ed Schneider, who brings a wealth of experience and perspective to the Beat the Streets community. Ed began his career as a coach in the late 1980s at the Police Athletic League (PAL). And over the years, he has worked with thousands of student athletes and impacted so many lives.

Ed is a legend in the Philadelphia wrestling community for the impact he has had both on and off the mat. “If anyone’s been in the sport of wrestling in and around Philadelphia, they know him,” said BTS Philly Executive Director James Mangan. He was recently inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame for his achievements as a coach.

Ed began his wrestling career at North Catholic where his coach instilled in him the belief that “you can beat anybody, anyone is capable of being beaten.” That philosophy, according to Schneider, is the essence of Philadelphia wrestling: scrappiness and a desire to win.

At the PAL, Ed created a lot of the foundation upon which Beat the Streets was built. In his early days, Ed explains, “The challenge was to find good people who knew how to work with kids, and wanted to coach. Good people you can trust to show up and provide consistency.”

When Beat the Streets was still in its infancy, they approached Ed about supporting his work with Philadelphia wrestling. But he wasn’t so sure at first.

“Lots of people have promised us everything, but nobody ever came through on the bigger financial level,” he said. So he was surprised when they returned and began funding the PAL, giving new opportunities to the new generation of wrestlers.

As an educator and coach, he loved the idea of Beat the Streets. “They want Philadelphia Beat the Streets to be this hub of wrestling and then provide education and help kids with school.”

Over the years, he has seen the program grow and develop and he continues to be inspired by the student athletes he works with. “You just need to give them the resources to chase it, and they’ll amaze you with what they’ll accomplish.”

“Wrestling is a cycle,” Ed pointed out, “you get a good group batch, and then you have a couple down years, then you get a good batch again. Well, resulting from Beat the Streets, the good batches just kept on coming.”

The post BTSP Philly Podcast: Ed Schneider first appeared on Beat the Streets.

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Beat the Streets Philadelphia has some big news to announce.

Our Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ben Reiter, will be moving on to a new role as the Executive Director of Beat the Streets National. While we are sad to see Ben go, we are immensely proud of everything he has accomplished and we know he will continue to do incredible things at the National level.

“I just feel so grateful for my time with Beat the Streets Philly and I’m really excited about what the future holds for Beat the Streets organizations across the country.”

Beat the Streets National was founded in 2017 to organize and focus the efforts of the BTS organizations in different cities across the country. “There are currently eleven accredited chapter organizations and collectively we’re serving 8,400 youth across the country,” Ben explained.

At Beat the Streets Philly, Ben was instrumental in growing our organization’s mentoring efforts and strengthening ties with strategic partners. And we know that he will continue these ambitious efforts at the national level.

“This next chapter for Beat the Streets National is about growing, getting new organizations off the ground, strengthening existing cities, and increasing girls participation,” Ben says. “It’s a really exciting time to be doing this.”

James Mangan, the Executive Director of Beat the Street Philadelphia, couldn’t be more proud of Ben’s accomplishments. “Ben is the right person for this job at National. I’ve gotten to work alongside Ben, and over that time Ben has matured as a nonprofit professional as a leader in this space.”

“Ben did a tremendous job locally at Philadelphia, in developing systems around expanding and growing our mentoring center and our partnerships,” reiterated James.

According to James, Ben helped grow the mentoring center from the early days, “And it took participation from about 20 to 25 kids, to north of 150 in a matter of one season. So that’s tremendous to me.”

While we will miss Ben here at BTS Philly, we know that he will always be a part of our family and he will never be far away from us. And he will work tirelessly towards our mission of altering life’s trajectory for thousands of student athletes across the country.

“I just feel so thankful, so grateful that I can go to sleep every night and I wake up every morning knowing that I’m going to work hard towards something that I full-heartedly believe in,” said Ben. “And I know that the effort I’m putting in is making a difference in this world. How many people have had that?”

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“ It is foolish to fear what we have yet to see and know. “ – Itachi Uchiha

Before I get to telling you about myself, I want to brag a bit about the people that inspire me most in life; my siblings. One of five kids, I have two brothers and two sisters. Julio is 13, Julissa is 10, Julius is 9, & Taylinn is 6. Aside from Taylinn, the youngest, we are all wrestlers. After seeing them follow in my footsteps and become wrestlers, I realize that I am a role model to them. Knowing this,  I’ve always done as much as possible to be the role model they deserve. I’ve witnessed my siblings grow up and overcome all the hardships of coming from a broken family and being bounced around in the foster care system. They always stayed positive during the rough transitions of moving around with different families, and I really admire that. My siblings mean the world to me; they give me the strength to face life’s worst hardships,  and they inspire me every day to be the best person I can possibly be.

Unfortunately life has been far from easy for my siblings and I. From the time I was a little kid up until I was 16 my life was a wreck; and I didn’t know what to do. Our home was an unstable living environment to put it lightly. Neglect, drugs, and abuse were prevalent in my home, and we were pressured to keep it a secret so that we wouldn’t end up in the foster care system. I constantly feared for the safety of my siblings, and that fear outweighed anything else.

When case workers came to look at our home a few years ago, they took us away right then and there. Finding someone to stay with was very difficult. Seemingly everyone either didn’t have space for us, or didn’t even answer the phone. The ‘resolution’ DHS came up with was barely a  resolution at all. Julius & Julissa were sent to my friend John’s house, Taylinn stayed with her father (we don’t have the same father), and I went with Julio to a strangers house. I sat there and cried with my siblings that night because all we wanted was to be together and live happily. I had felt depression before, but at this point I felt it worse than ever.

You might be wondering what the silver lining is in all of this? For me, wrestling in Beat the Streets has been the only thing that has helped me through these tough times, and gave me something positive to focus on. At practice, I could finally feel happy and be worry free of all my actual problems. Along with that, wrestling made me feel normal because I was able to interact with people who had similar interests and make friends. Wrestling has truly been an incredible outlet. It has taught me so many things such as discipline, self confidence, self accountability and trusting in my teammates (just to name a few). Believing and trusting in others was very important to me because I’ve never had people I could trust before I started wrestling. Above all else, wrestling has taught me fearlessness.

With my senior year still ahead of me, I’ve already become the 1st ever female wrestler to qualify for the District XII Tournament & Northeast Regional Tournament. I am extremely focused on achievement both on the mat and in the classroom so that my siblings can see how chase their own goals and dreams. I plan on wrestling in college, studying art, and pursuing a career in art and theatre. I apply all of the lessons I’ve learned in the sport in accomplishing every one of my goals. While the individual challenges I face may differ, the motive stays the same; to be the best role model I can be for my siblings and to show them that no matter what hardships life throws your way, you can rise up.

When life is painful, it helps me  to remember how to be grateful. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to compete all over the country and to meet amazing people. I am grateful for the support I have received from Beat the Streets in achieving my athletic and academic goals. I’m grateful for my school, Mariana Bracetti Academy for helping us put our home back together. I am grateful for my coach Matt McConnell for understanding what I went through and has always been there as someone to talk to. I am grateful for my very caring mentor, Marya Robinson, who has been like an older sister to me ever since she has entered my life.  I am grateful for everyone that has helped me get through my difficult journey. Lastly, I am grateful to everyone reading this, for giving me this opportunity to share my story. Without everyone I’ve met through the sport, through school, and through BTSP, I do not know where I would be in life.

Wrestling in Beat the Streets is something that will forever be in my heart. I will forever love the sport and the sport will forever love me.

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When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. (1 Corinthians 13:11)

I was born in Fajardo; a large town in eastern Puerto Rico. When I was 2 years old, my parents picked up everything we had and moved to the United States. They did this because they wanted a better life for me and my 6 siblings (3 brothers & 3 sisters; I’m the middle child). Looking 14 years ahead, I now live in North Philadelphia and go to Marianna Bracetti Charter School as I’m getting ready to enter my sophomore year….but there’s much more to me than that. I’m Angel Garcia, and this is my story.
Growing up in my neighborhood has been anything but easy. Anyone who knows the area at all knows North Philadelphia is a rough part of town. Violence and drugs are almost a part of daily life and at every turn it seems there are people trying to drag you down. When I was younger, I was at risk of giving in to a negative lifestyle. At a pretty young age ‘friends’ (I use that term lightly) often tried to pressure me into making bad choices and every time I backed away they would call me names just because I wasn’t following their lead. Even though I made the right decisions, hanging around these types of people put my parents in a tough situation. My mom and dad would worry about me coming home late and being out in a rough neighborhood at night. Back then, I didn’t really care about hurting my parents. I remember coming home one night close to 1:00am and my mother yelling at me,

“Angel Damian Garcia, where were you all night!? I’ve been calling you, looking for you, and worrying about you. I thought you were dead!”

Instead of apologizing, I told her it was none of her business. Somehow, those words didn’t even affect me at the time. All I cared about was being tough and I thought I could do anything I wanted, whenever I wanted. That was before I found wrestling.
Wrestling changed my life and it all began in 7th grade. I was walking down the hall and arguing with another student and all of a sudden I lost control. The next thing I knew I picked this kid up and slammed him into the ground just as the teachers pulled us apart. One of those teachers was my P.E. teacher Mr. Greer. After telling me that what I did was wrong, he suggested that I think about putting my anger to good use by wrestling. Where a lot of teachers just saw a kid with a bad temper, Coach Greer saw potential. Later that week I went to my first practice and it turned out I was pretty good! I went to practice everyday and tried to get a little better each day.
I remember my first match like it was yesterday. On a Saturday morning at Drexel University I was matched up against a kid I called ‘Superman’ (I called him that because he wore a headgear with a superman logo on the side). I could tell right away he was more experienced and he was bigger than me, but I stayed tough and battled him all the way through the 3rd period. After a big thrown late in the match, I ended up winning the match by 6 points! In just my first match, I learned a really important lesson about wrestling; don’t ever let the way your opponent looks scare you, just wrestle. The rest of my 7th grade year I accomplished a lot. I competed on dual teams, won a few tournaments, and even took 11th at Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling States! My hard work and success continued throughout middle school and into my high school career.
My freshman season at MBA Charter was a success, but I’ve got my sights set way higher. As a starter at 152, I placed in some tough regular season tournaments, came within one match of qualifying for the PIAA State Tournament, and took 3rd at the Fargo National Championships in greco-roman. Entering this season, I want more. This season, I sat down with BTSP and wrote out my 3 goals for the season:

1 – Finish Top 3 at the PIAA State Tournament

2 – Double All-American at the Fargo National Championships

3 – Improve in close matches by being more offensive

Accomplishing these short term goals is great, but ultimately I’m looking toward my larger goal of competing for a Division 1 wrestling program; and it’s all a possibility because of Beat the Streets.
Despite living in a community filled with negative influences, wrestling gave me a positive outlet. The sport has taught me hard work which has driven me to focus on my studies, taught me discipline to help me make better decisions, and given me the perspective to set the educational goal of becoming a lawyer. Most importantly, since wrestling, I’ve grown closer with my family. I still can’t believe there was a time when I didn’t care about how my actions affect the people who care about me, but that is now way behind me. Today, we all share a bond that cannot be broken. I thank God that I was able to leave the old me behind and become the brother, son, friend, and teammate that I am today.
—
Angel has been a part of Beat the Streets for four years now and it has been incredibly rewarding to watch this kid grow. We are all so proud of the progress he has made as a wrestler and person in such a short time. All of us here at BTSP have no doubt this kid is headed for greatness.
With that said, there are many kids like Angel who have the potential for greatness, but haven’t yet been challenged. We know there are kids out there we can help, but we need your support. If this story was compelling to you, please consider contributing to our cause. If you are unable to make a financial commitment, but would still like to help us in ‘Positively Altering Life’s Trajectory’ then please consider volunteering as a coach or mentor today.

The post In Their Shoes – Angel Garcia first appeared on Beat the Streets.

“The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved.” – Samuel Smiles

     I’m from a place where opportunities and chances are rarely given. Where I come from the words of Samuel Smiles speak volumes;  to get what you deserve, it feels like you have to work harder than everyone else to be successful. I want to be great and hope to someday pave the way for future generations of African Americans. Today, opportunities for African Americans are restricted in less affluent neighborhoods. Statistically, we are less likely to succeed. To allude to the analogy outlined by Smiles, I feel as though life for me is a battle uphill while others are running the same race on flat ground. With limited educational opportunities, harsh financial barriers, and a surrounding environment filled with negativity, many people in my neighborhood fall victim to detrimental lifestyles. Knowing this, I’ve always told myself I never want to live just to become part of a statistic.
     Hello, my name is Khasim Mu’min. I’m a 17 year-old African American male born and raised in West Philadelphia. I come from a huge family whose forebearers were generations of black Americans living below the poverty line. The uphill battle I talked about before has always been a challenge for my family. Sometimes chances were presented before them, but for one reason or another they failed to grasp it; potentially out of fear of failure. I wanted to be different. Wanting to be different, I was set on changing the path my family had always settled for; I would rise! As a kid, I faced many challenges. My mother and stepfather did their best to shield my siblings and I, but it’s tough to avoid seeing some of the negativity around me.
     I attended Belmont Charter School through the 8th grade. Belmont was really where I started to put things together. When I started, school wasn’t my top-priority. I liked to joke around in class, get into trouble, and I cared more about sports and social life than my future. All that changed, however, when I sat down with Mr. Sherman. Mr. Sherman was, and still is in charge of behavior support at Belmont Charter School. One day in 5th grade, he told me “if you don’t sit down and think about your life.. you’ll either be dead or in jail before you hit 15.” I remember every word, and I remember the exact way he said it to me. From that point on, I got myself together and straightened up. I began taking school as seriously as I did my sports. I had my head in the books, and I played football and ran track & field. The sport that changed me most, however, was wrestling.
     I began wrestling in 5th grade and thought it was cool because of WWE. But let me tell you, my first practice was nothing like what I watched on television! There were no ropes or  suplexes and it was about the furthest thing from what I saw John Cena doing on my TV. My first year didn’t go as expected and at the end of the year I even considered quitting. My coach, Ed McCabe, talked me into sticking it out however and I was glad I did. Over the next two years, I worked to get better and it paid off! After three seasons, I was invited to wrestle for the BTS Philly Dual Team and my Belmont Tigers. The dual team was challenging and rewarding, but the Belmont Tigers was the team I’ll never forget. We were the best middle school team in Philadelphia and everyone knew it. We were filled with athletes up and down the lineup and coaches Ed McCabe and Nick Sellers got the best out of all of us. They taught me what a hard practice was, how to be a contender, and what it meant to be a good wrestler. Coach McCabe and Coach Nick taught me so much more than just wrestling though; they taught me the importance of life.

“Khasim you have so much potential, you just have to use it to your advantage. You have the potential to go far, and be great.” – Chris Hanlon (Fmr. BTS Executive Director)

“You need to take advantage of these opportunities given to you, opportunities like this don’t come around for young African-American men all the time.” – Huseyn Ahmad (Khasim’s Stepfather)

“It makes me happy to know I motivate you to keep going, and I’ll continue to do that. I want you to remember if no one sees the potential in you, I do! I’m your biggest fan and number one supporter.” – Aziah Gray (Khasim’s Girlfriend)

     Webster’s dictionary defines potential as “latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and can possibly lead to future success or usefulness.” People have always told me I have potential; and to me that potential isn’t limited. In 8th grade, as is the case for all Philadelphia students, I began thinking about high school. My grades were okay but my behavior was a big problem. My attendance was low, I had a bit of a mean-streak, and it was undoubtedly going to affect my ability to get into high school if things didn’t change. In comes Ms. Yuille; my guidance counselor. Ms. Yuille and I spoke plenty in middle school and when we began to speak about high school, her perception of my potential (or lack thereof) was glaringly obvious. I can still clearly remember a conversation with her where she said “You won’t be able to get into the high school of your choice because of your attendance. You might as well get ready to attend West Philadelphia High.” (If you don’t know already, West Philadelphia is not a school you ever want to end up in). These harsh words might have hurt some, but they lit a fire in me. I told Ms. Yuille “Yea, we’ll see about that.” From that point on, I worked as hard as possible not only for myself, but to prove Ms. Yuille wrong. She didn’t see my potential, and that was her loss; because I saw it in myself.
     In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what school I was going to at the time but I knew it wouldn’t be West Philadelphia High. I was denied by many schools because of attendance, but I ended up being accepted to Palumbo High school in South Philadelphia. While I was definitely proud, I wasn’t satisfied and wanted more. In comes The Phelps School. Phelps School is a boarding school for boys in Malvern, PA. When the opportunity first became available, I thought about saying ‘no’. I was hesitant about an all-boys school, leaving Philadelphia, and fitting in at a boarding school. That was when I sat down with my stepdad Huseyn. He sat me down and said:

“Think about the opportunities that have just been handed to you. Is this something you wanna pass up? With these opportunities you are destined to go far, and do anything you put your mind to. Think about it like this, Kha. How many boys your age and skin color get a chance like this? Not too many, too few. You can’t pass this up. Go for it. Take advantage of this opportunity Khasim.”

       With financial aid from the Phelps School that would follow me through my high school years and tuition assistance from Beat the Streets Philadelphia, I came to the realization that this was an opportunity I had to take advantage of. As I mentioned above, my family had opportunities they had missed out on in the past and I couldn’t afford to make that same mistake. The day after speaking with my stepfather I signed my papers and made the leap into the next phase of my life.
     In the Fall of 2015 I started my freshmen year at The Phelps School. I met kids from 18 different countries, picked up new languages, and learned different traditions. I was surprisingly comfortable with the dorm life and found it easy to be myself with everyone. That’s when the staff started to notice my leadership ability. Two months into school I was already being recognized for my character. At the Phelps School there are awards for academic success success and behavior. Commendations, Merit, and Lion’s Pride (in that order) are the three highest awards students are given each quarter. After maintaining high grades, showing respect to all, and continuing to lead others in the right direction I was awarded commendations and merit in consecutive semesters. Going forward, my goal is to earn Lions Pride before graduating. At the end of the year I was elected Class President. Sports was went well. I finished my freshmen year with great grades.
     This past year was my sophomore year and I learned a lot! I served as proctor in my dorm, South Beattie. At Phelps, being proctor is having leadership in and out the dorm and ensuring that the rules are followed. Despite initial doubts, many staff members told me “it would be a great opportunity, and something I should consider doing.” Those words again reminded me of the time I was given the opportunity to attend Phelps. I ended up accepting the position and it went very well for me. Being proctor was easy for me. I used my natural leadership ability to my advantage and students listened to me because they respected me. I made situations easy for everyone. Additionally, I also served as Class President my sophomore year. Being Class President is tough. I had to make decisions not just for myself, but for my whole class. I made it work. I was also inducted into National Honors Society. I made this possible by maintaining high grades, showing growth, continuing with my leadership roles. Before, this was something I thought was impossible for me; in fact, I never even considered this as a goal for myself. I faced some obstacles during my sophomore year, mostly in wrestling. My main issue was weight management, and more specifically, laziness. I didn’t hit the gym like I was supposed to. On top of that, an eye injury kept me out of the lineup for a good part of the season. After finally making it back, Coach Miles told me I had two options; sitting on as a backup at 195 or competing up at 220. The decision was easy for me, I wanted to wrestle! PA State tournament came quickly and after only three weeks back on the mat I had some doubts about my preparedness. The first day I went 2-1 and the second day I went 2-2, finishing the tournament in 7th place. Although I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, I know I can get better. Next year, my goal is to place top 5! I accomplished so much my sophomore year, but it wouldn’t be possible without the right people backing me. I’m really excited for the 2017-18 school year and all the possibilities.
     It’s a blessing to be where I’m at today. I overcame many obstacles throughout my life. Some people doubted me, stood in my way, or tried to knock me down but I persevered. I was raised in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Philadelphia. I never thought I’d make it to where I am today, yet here I am. For generations, my people have tried finding ways out. My people have looked for opportunities that won’t come because the system isn’t built in way that gives them a fair shake. The freedoms that all people should be afforded just don’t exist for the people in my neighborhood right now. By the grace of God, I was blessed enough to receive chances and opportunities. I wasn’t supposed to make it. The system didn’t want this. The system labels me a monster and a failure. I’ll give them the monster, but I refuse to be a failure. I’m a beast. A beast who will do whatever it takes to be successful. A beast who’s destined for greatness. I’m not a failure now, nor will I ever be. Society fears me. Society fears for a young African American man gaining power; they don’t want that. It will happen, it’s only a matter of time; I’ll get there for sure. I’ve been through pain and struggle. I’ve fallen down and gotten up time and time again. I know I’m destined for greatness. I’m going to make it out and leave behind a legacy my family can be proud of. Y’all wanted to know who I am, well now you know. My name is Khasim Mu’min, and this is my story.

Note from Beat the Streets Philadelphia
Khasim’s story is an incredible one; but he’s not alone. With over 1,200 wrestlers actively in wrestling programs throughout Beat the Streets Philadelphia, there are countless kids who like Khasim, have the drive and just need the opportunity to be great. With the support of our incredibly generous donors, we have been able to ‘Alter Life’s Trajectory’ for thousands of boys and girls; but we can do more with your help. Whether it’s choosing to give through our donate now page or as a coach and/or mentor by contacting us at btsphilly@btsphilly.org, the bottom line we can always use your help!

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