I was dealt with a mixed bag growing up and literally had the best of both worlds. My immediate family members consisted of military vets, D1 athletes, boosters/scammers, hustlers, fiends, and dope boys who can count with the best accountants and manipulators/finessers who on their best day could defend themselves in the court of law. It was then my decision to choose what path was right for me. In doing so, this simple message preached into my young rebellious mind kept me on my toes, “If you don’t have a plan for life, life will have a plan for you.” – Baba Ifayomi, Brother Nate Tatum

I remember him stating this firmly to me as we were coming from a premiere of a local Baltimore movie at Charles theater, discussing the turmoil within the city. Outside of his famous long winded talks about self-awareness, corrective personality and sense of perfectionism, he truly made it his duty to prepare me for the world I was growing up in. He used to love to use films and books to teach introduce new topics to me. One that we often talked about was The Boys of Baraka, which told the story of twenty at risk youth from Baltimore that traveled to Kenya. He always inspired me to dream, as I was little kid that only had hoops dreams, but he always stressed plan B.

This quote in his eyes could have meant an array of things. As my uncle and part time disciplinarian, he knew the struggles and peer pressures I was dealing with having a mother in and out the system and family actively involved in gang and drug related activities. It was a minimal opportunity for growth based on what I saw in my day-to-day life, and I can honestly say I never even dream of what it felt like to be 21. My older generation of brothers and mentors were all BGF and YGF affiliated and what they were doing wasn't in the cards for me. Staying alive was the goal, but how does that look for a 10-year-old trying to find their way? 

My uncle played a vital role in helping me stay on the straight and narrow, but also made it his life mission to try and save as many youth in the community as he could. Every time my mother went away to rehab, every time I got suspended from school (at least twice a year) and any issues my brothers and I had with the law, he was there. His military tactics reminded me of my fathers’ ways (which I hated) however, he got me out of a lot of trouble. When I would get a 5 day suspension, and I'd be back in school by 3 day. If I got a 3 days suspension, I was out 1 day and back the next. He didn’t play that about that school shit at all. My mother didn’t either, which is why every time she was down bad, she trusted that he would keep me safe and structured.

Nate had his eyes and hands on everything within our community. Working at Dallas F. Nicholas Elementary (#39) for over 10 years, he gained many relationships and served in multiple facets as a Chess Coach, community activist and neighborhood conflict resolution specialist. That broad term gives no justice to the pull and moves he used to make. He supported everyone from the elderly at Ebenezer Baptist Church, to the parents of his students and even the drug dealers on Greenmount.

As an art curator, he was plugged in all over the east coast buying and selling African pieces from West Africa. He used his art to teach morals, life lessons and unite the community through events such as drum circles. The value he brought to the community and the relationships he gained allowed him to broker many partnerships with community organizations like Greater Homewood, which helped fund his best project to date, The Barclay Boys.

In context, it was like he had a birds eye view of everything that was going on in the neighborhood. He had his brother Mike, who was the neighborhood mechanic/handyman, his sister (my mom) who was the neighborhood hustler, and my brothers (his nephews) evolving in front of his eyes as BGF grew. They all provided him with different perspectives of what the neighborhood exhibited, fueling his efforts to make a lasting impact on his community.

The Barclay Boys project steamed out of the development of the YGF; Young Gorilla Family. Having an inside view of this time, my brothers Beazy and Snoogie were heavily involved with BGF, as well as many of my friends and their older brothers and family members. It was really like a family of sorts. My generation of friends, our parents were in the streets doing their thing, while our grandparents, and extended family members held the house down. Our older siblings and uncles were first or second tier BGF members and we were just running the street getting into mayhem waiting for our next steps. My generation of friends, YGF, were resistant to our older family members want of us not getting involved, resulting in numerous robberies’, attempt murders and other criminal acts from youth ranging 12-18 years old. All the heat from these acts made BGF hot, only because YGF was operating on their own merit, not fully involved in BGF. Operating in the same area, and modeling as a younger version of the gang, BGF had a decision to make. Engulf the youngins into the gang and teach them the way or tell them to keep it moving.

In retrospect, this is what my uncle was trying to prevent! He knew for a fact he had to stop me from following my brothers and knew all my peers were in the same predicament!

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