One Book,10 men,10 stories

BY DAVE RANKIN

One book. 10 men. 10 stories. Torrential downpour and a packed house; this had all the makings of a great evening. And it did. One thing is for sure, when Toronto shows love, no matter the weather, we will show up and show out. That’s exactly what we did on a rainy Saturday evening when ten men decided to ‘take off their masks,’ and share their stories in front of friends, family and well-wishers.

The book launch and motivational event was to culminate the release of Jeff Martin’s latest work titled, KNew Me, 10 Men, 10 Stories of Perseverance. Jeff along with nine others decided to craft this opus that not only showed their vulnerability, but also showed their resilience in overcoming their circumstances. I asked Jeff about how the idea came about. He fanatically said that the, “Idea literally came to me in bed three years ago.” Once this idea had etched itself into his spirit, Jeff ‘KNew’ that he had to select willing and impactful men who were doing amazing work in the community. Jeff explained the process as, “Sifting through the noise of social media and paying attention to those who were really doing it for the community.”

Now, I’m not going to lie. I did show up to the event quite late, for good reasons though. And no it wasn’t because of the weather. Like Jeff and his comrades, when working in the community, there are no days off. So you do your best to attend, even if you have a full days schedule helping others in the community. As the saying goes, ‘Better late, than never.’

Upon arrival, one of the things that struck me was that there were people of all generations that came out to support. From the old to the young, they were there. Parents brought their children. Teenagers brought their friends. Even elders came to lend their ear to the wisdom displayed by our African men. I even heard that Toronto Mayor, John Tory was present as well.

Toronto, we showed up and supported.

Another item that struck me was of course, the brothers. Each one of them took the stage, shared their stories and left themselves wide open. All of them from different walks of life, demonstrating different perspectives on what they faced and how they succeeded. Toronto, we were in for such a treat that night. As one elder put it, “They were like ‘different pieces of a puzzle, when you lay them out, and put the pieces together, you get the whole picture.’ A real ‘game changer,” he added.

They also did such an amazing job to show their love and praises for Jeff, citing him as being an inspirational force. Bramptonian Keith Hill Jr. stood out for me as an example. While on stage, he explained to the audience that not only did he not want to be vulnerable while writing; he almost didn’t attend the event. It was only after speaking to Jeff that he decided to change his mind, for it was no longer about him but what he had to offer, “Someone in the audience could benefit from it.”

Toronto did we ever.

As for what’s next, Jeff and the brothers intend to take their book launch and motivational event across major cities in Canada and the U.S. Also, look out for workshops and consulting sessions in the future.

It is at this time. I would like to thank my childhood friend, Jeff Martin and the rest of his brothers for doing something so dynamic. This is truly the ‘game changer’ that our community needs.

For more information about KNew Me, visit http://knewmemovement.com. The book is also available on Amazon.