Students in drugs and justice class share personal stories in community project
From actor Samuel L. Jackson to an uncle and Purple Heart military veteran, Winston-Salem State University students presented stories on drugs and alcohol abuse for a Drugs, Crime and Justice class project.
Dr. Radscheda Nobles, WSSU justice studies professor, said the community project, “Echoes of Resilience: Unveiling Stories of Drug Victims and Survivors,” allowed students to share personal stories on the effects of substance abuse or choose a celebrity to showcase.
The stories were audio recorded and displayed during a program in the Donald J. Reaves Student Center, where participants could scan QR codes to listen to the accounts that were accompanied by images of those featured.
Trinity Norris, a junior, said she chose Samuel L. Jackson because he is one of her favorite actors. She shared that Jackson was just out of rehab for a crack cocaine addiction when he got his breakout role in the movie “Jungle Fever,” where he played a crack addict.
He had hit rock bottom when his wife basically demanded he get help or the marriage was over, Norris said. He has been clean for 28 years, she said.
For Deja Chambliss, a junior, substance abuse hits closer to home. She said her uncle suffers from alcohol addiction, but he is in denial. “He’s been drinking for at least 40 plus years. He’s still alive, but I don’t know how – by the grace of God. He has cirrhosis of the liver and has been in the hospital at least 25 times,” she said.
Seeing the impact of alcohol on her uncle makes her stay away from drinking altogether. “I don’t know if it is hereditary so I’d rather just not. I’m not trying to be like that,” she said.
Student Paris Lloyd Douthit said her 76-year-old grandfather is addicted to alcohol. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “He had PTSD before they knew what it was,” she said.
She said her grandfather tells her war stories and how he witnessed death. He once saved one of his friends and earned a Purple Heart for his brave act. “I believe if he had gotten help sooner, he wouldn’t rely so heavily on alcohol.”
Nobles said the goal of the community project was to raise awareness about the impact of drug abuse on individuals and communities and to highlight both the tragedies and triumphs associated with drug addiction and recovery.
It was also an opportunity to show grace and to be vulnerable.
“We can all fall short, but we should give people their flowers while they are still here, whether they are doing bad or good,” she said.
“All of these stories are not happy endings, but we still have to recognize them,” she said.
Listen to some of the stories by scanning the QR codes below:
