Motivational Speaker Brings a Personal Message of Forgiveness to Students

It may be difficult to believe that a 15-year old could forgive his friends who plotted an ambush against him that riddled his body with bullets leaving him paralyzed for the rest of his life. On October 3, motivational speaker Hashim Garrett brought that difficult but powerful message of forgiveness to the students of Red Bank Regional High School (RBR) in observance of both the State of New Jersey’s designated as “A Week of Respect,” and the federal Violence Prevention Week which both take place in October. His visit was sponsored by The RBR SOURCE and The Board of Education.

October 3rd was the day after the Las Vegas massacre, the worst gun violence event in US history; Hashim spoke at the school and called for a moment of silent for the victims, but then surprised everyone by stating, “I believe I must have a moment of silence for the perpetrator as well.”

Hashim told his story of growing up in Brooklyn, a spoiled only child who believed in the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy and recalls sitting on Santa Clause’s knee. But things changed drastically in his life when his parents broke up and his mother endured an abusive relationship with a violent alcoholic. From then on, he made poor choices and began to hang out with gangs.

He told the students, “I would love to say the day I got shot is the day that changed my life, but that is not true. The day I started hating someone and holding a grudge, that changed the trajectory of my life.”

He hated his mother’s boyfriend and his mother who brought that abusive man into his house. He hated his father who would not intervene to protect his ex-wife. He hated the neighborhood kid who stole his sneakers and then fell into the gangs that were easy to find in his neighborhood and who thrived on hating other gangs. He didn’t even explain just how he fell out of favor with his own gang, or why they, his supposed friends, plotted an ambush that resulted in six bullets riddling his body, one which severed his spine.

He recounted his mesmerizing story including his near death experience of feeling his soul departing his body and looking down on the white EMS worker frantically trying to save his life. He believes it was his mother’s screams that brought him back preventing him from falling into an eternal sleep. He detailed all the extreme measures the medical team employed to keep him alive.When the police came around asking for his testimony, he failed to implicate his friends, thinking he was going to seek revenge himself once he was out of the hospital. But that never happened. It was also his mother who set him on a new course in life by bringing him a bible from which he began to learn the concept of forgiveness.

He stated, “When kids would come to visit me, they would ask, don’t you want to kill those guys who did this, I would say ‘no I don’t.’ They thought it was the medicine I was on, but I knew there was something else going on. Because that is what forgiveness does, it heals the wounds inside. It strengthens and centers you.”

“No,” he repeated, “The only thing that will help those families in Las Vegas is forgiveness.”

Tyana Gray of Red Bank, as many RBR students, was tremendously touched by his presentation. She stated, “He was very inspiring and such a strong person. His forgiving of the people who shot him was such a good thing for him to do because now you see him and he is stronger and such a good person.”

Hashim Garrett embarked on a motivational speaking career in 1995 and started his own company, Wisdom & Understanding, in 2001. He lives in South Orange with his wife and two young children. For more information on Hashim Garrett visit his website at www.HASHIMGARRETT.com or follow him on Instagram at @hashim_Garrett.