It takes a village to raise a child…

When D’Shawndre’s mother died, he was in high school, his older brother was in prison, and he had four younger siblings including him who were left homeless.

This reminded me of where I grew up.  When something tragic happened, the neighborhood came together to do whatever they could to help out.

That’s why I wrote about the neighborhood and Shilo Baptist Church coming together to take care of the children and taking them into their homes. 

I knew how uncharitable the County could be in taking care of children of color, so I incorporated that aspect into the story.

D’Shawndre moving in with Shaka and his family was a given since the boys were like brothers and most times, inseparable.