Julius Thibodeaux Hasan

Cultivation of the Heart is the antidote for the impenetrable hearts—young people who have suffered from a great number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). Although many have deemed our youth who are at the center of gun violence to be “unreachable,” research and evidence has shown that investing in our youth can produce significant positive results in their overall behavior and ability to resolve conflict. I know firsthand because a licensed psychologist diagnosed me as someone who was so prone to violence due to my exposure to trauma at an early age, that the chances of me ever changing were slim to none. She said that I would always resort to violence as a means of problem-solving. Fortunately for me, I had mentors, family, and friends that poured positive energy, love, and support into me that eventually softened my heart, reversing the abuse, abandonment, and trauma that had over the years hardened my heart as a young man growing up in the concrete jungles of Richmond, California. They loved me when I didn’t know what it meant to love myself. They showed me how to love myself when I didn’t have a clue. All of my mentors were experts in the field of de-escalation and relationship building.