Saintly Sister Shanice(Cam Rascoe) Saintly Sister Shanice

A pillar of the community, held in high esteem, was Shanice Jenkins single mother of two and outspoken problem solver of the projects. Woman of faith, Shanice loved the Lord and she prayed to him daily about the strife filled plight of her downtrodden neighbors. Organizer, motivator, and inspiration to many, Shanice conducted town hall meetings, offering a voice to the voiceless. She help to secure funding for affordable housing in her community through persistence and the development of positive professional relationships. Courageous crime stopper, Shanice founded a neighborhood watch organization and conducted weekly meetings with law enforcement. A one woman gang task force with a war on drugs, she was dedicated to removing the criminal element from her beloved streets. Revered by the residents, she became renowned throughout the city for her illustrious career in community development and enhancement. She was the cure to all the ills that ailed the blue collar constituents she represented so well.

There was however one problem the problem solver never addressed, so entangled with the cause of the issues, she was blinded to them. Viewing people through unconditional loving eyes can sometimes leave you unable to accept the true them. Saintly Sister Shanice sometimes fell victim to this loss of sight with those whom she loved. As she ventured down many trails and urban streets putting out fires, Shanice's own camp was slowly being engulfed by flames. On the surface she seemed to have a strong handed parenting style that demanded only the best from her offspring. Attending church was a must, her boys were in the youth choir and enjoyed Vacation Bible Study during the summer months. Obedient, disciplined, industrious, ambitious and bright, Mama beamed with pride. Young men of honor she was raising, stellar students and athletes. As preteen boys ease into their teen years, innocence is lost and lessons are unlearned. The same beast Shanice tried to tame in her community eventually made it's way into her children. The once law abiding boys remained ambitious, unfortunately their new ambitions were dastardly and drastically dwarfed deadly. Soon Saintly Shanice's greatest threat to peace in her projects resided in her own home yet she remained blind to it.

Once the light was shined on the darkness she birthed, Shanice refused to accept the change in her loves. The eldest influenced his younger sibling, introducing him to the ills of the streets and how to profit from them. When the heat came down, Mama put herself in the fire. Mama Bear to her core, there was nothing she wouldn't do to save her criminally mercurial cubs. Saintly Sister Shanice who never shared an untruth was lying and deceiving to assist her boys in escaping responsibility for their actions. Funds were misappropriated to secure travel for the soon to be fugitives. One last pick up and score to settle, the boys got caught in a trap and refused to go down without a fight. A blaze of glory they went out in, hail of bullets from the firearms of law enforcement officers cut them both down to the ground. Now they are buried under the ground while mama is dressed in a new orange gown. Shanice, very persistent in her attempts to better her town, yet when presented with the real problem, instead of solving it she allowed it to bring her down. Tears flowed over her round cheeks, mourning the loss of her boys while she was no longer free. Cleaning up the streets was her life's mission but she forgot that sometimes you have cleanse your home first. No longer does Saintly Sister Shanice wonder why? The log has now been removed from her eye.

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