As a child growing up in Philadelphia, I always wondered what I wanted to be when I became an adult. I had watched so much television depicting African Americans having menial job positions. Then I began to realize that the answer was right in front of me. It could’ve bitten me if it was a snake. I also watched many programs on television showcasing African American men and women in the sports industry and also as actors and actresses. As I became more of age, I began to see members of my community practicing medicine, becoming writers, and becoming scientists, including many of them involved in the political arena of government. Later, I came to the realization that my community was involved in all aspects of the job force in the United States. I always wanted, at some point in my young life, to become a firefighter. That dream became a reality at age eighteen. I also became a poet, musician, and history interpreter. I also came to realize that if a young person set his or her mind to it, he or she could become anything he or she wanted to be. That is the point of this book—to show young African American children, both male and female, that with imagination and creativity, they can become whatever they want to be if they have the desire to do so, with the support of family, friends, and others.
