Pubdate: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 Source: Ledger-Enquirer (GA) Copyright: 2001 Ledger-Enquirer Contact: http://www.l-e-o.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/237 Author: Mark Rice, Staff Writer STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN 'STOP THE VIOLENCE DRUGS DAY' Joining The Fight With each word of wisdom Lonise Bias spoke Friday at Blackmon Road Middle School, she showed her sons didn't die in vain. "They are two seeds that have gone into the ground to bring forth life," she said. Bias was the featured speaker during the school's inaugural "Stop the Violence & Drugs Day." Blackmon counselors George Downey and Delilah Hardin organized the event in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks on America, school shootings and other tragedies across the nation. Bias' personal yet public story is living testimony of the dangers of violence and drugs - and how to find the strength to not just survive but to thrive. "Don't you know that hardship builds character?" she asked the more than 800 students and faculty assembled in the school gym. One of her sons, Len Bias, was an All-American basketball player at the University of Maryland. He became a millionaire after signing a pro contract with the Boston Celtics in 1986. But two days later, he became another drug-related fatality after overdosing on cocaine. Another four years, and another son senselessly lost. Jay Bias was murdered in a drive-by shooting at a shopping mall. So she didn't plan on traveling the world as a motivational speaker. Rather, her sons' deaths stirred her soul. "I found treasures and gifts I didn't know I had," Bias said. "Now I'm 25 times greater a woman than I was." Bias realized she could spread an important message: "The greatest love of all is to love yourself," she said. "You are unique. No one else in the universe has your fingerprints. Our society teaches us that you have to look a certain way and do certain things, but you still go home dejected and lonely because you're doing things you don't want to do. "Why? Because you are more concerned about what other people think of you than yourself. But those people are just as imperfect as you are." Bias implored the students to pay attention to barriers in life. Listen to good barriers, she said, such as parents and teachers and police officers, who say "choose life" and can guide youth to prosperity. Ignore bad barriers, she said, such as drugs and violence. "You will sit at the throne of your emotions," Bias said. "Each of you has the tools within you to stir up a way to change your life and community. You have a part to play, but you can't use other people as excuses to fail." While thousands of people offered Bias comfort after Len's death, she still yearned for a hug from her deceased mother. "None of your parents want to go through what I've been through," she said. "It is so painful when the natural order of death has been reversed. So when you think your parents are getting on your nerves and getting into your business, remember they are just trying to stir up the tools inside you to learn to love yourself." Nathan Young, an Atlanta singer-songwriter, performed "Stop the Violence & Drugs," a song inspired by the murder of one of his friends during a carjacking in Los Angeles. Young gave the Blackmon students and faculty the "Stop the Violence & Drugs" T-shirts they wore to the assembly. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake