Over the past few months, a book specifically tailored to D.C. youth has been making its way into the hands of local teenagers, parents and schools.
Amid local officials’ ongoing efforts to curb violent crime, Duane Cunningham, the author of the book, calls this literary work the answer to many of the pressing questions and perilous situations that young people often encounter.
Since releasing “Blueprint to be a Better You” this past spring, Cunningham has been making the rounds at D.C. schools, community centers and communities, all as part of his mission to encourage young people and their parents to embrace his wisdom and bridge a crucial generational divide.
“I made something short and to the point, and I chose not to write about me,” said Cunningham, a longtime violence interrupter who many people know as Cousin Wayne.
“I can help children think about the things they’re going through,” Cunningham continued. “Everyone isn’t going to jail. Maybe their brothers and cousins. But they might be going through drug addiction. I tried to pick subjects that young people face on the regular and don’t know what to do about it.”
In less than 50 pages, “Blueprint to be a Better You” explores more than a dozen topics of significance to young people navigating a world unknown to most adults.
In the first few pages, Cunningham explains why young people are their own opps, a reference to a popular term that means opponent. He also emphasizes the importance of humility and using that to broker peace deals with other young people with whom the reader might have a conflict.
Throughout “Blueprint to be a Better You,” readers go through a deconstruction and reconstruction process as they reinterpret the meaning of respect, learn strategies for overcoming peer pressure, and understand how to seek out authentic role models. In the realms of health and wellness, the book also touches on drug culture and mental health with Cunningham delving into the long-term effects of self-harm.
Toward the end of the book, Cunningham takes readers inside the classroom, where conflicts with well-meaning teachers often arise. He also encourages them to open up to trusted adults, decipher the true intentions of those they call friends, and, finally, step outside of the box that their surroundings have created for them.
Cunningham told The Informer that he learned these gems of knowledge late in his life, after enduring the same situations that he mentions in the “Blueprint to be a Better You.”
While he doesn’t touch on his past in great detail, Cunningham provides scenarios intended to show readers how failing to mitigate conflict — also known as squashing beef — can affect a young person’s life and the lives of their family members.
For Cunningham, it’s all about how young people respect themselves and those around them.
“I didn’t respect people,” Cunningham said as he explained his transformation. “I thought about me being a role model to my cousins. My oldest son was my turning point. He came up to the jail, and told me he wanted me to stay home. That made me say I was done and do what I had to do.”
Cunningham, a father of five and grandfather of one, currently works with D.C. Department of Youth and Rehabilitative Services in the Oasis Mentoring Program. He started his journey with youth in 2006 when he joined Peaceaholics, which was founded by Ronald Moton and Jauhar Abraham.
By 2010, Cunningham went on to work with the Rev. Donald Isaac and Collaborative Solutions for Communities. Along the way, he found mentors in community figures, like the late Amin Muslim, in whose name he and Warees Majeed launched a mentoring program in 2019.
As he continues to circulate “Blueprint to be a Better You,” Cunningham stresses the importance of evolution, both for youth and their parents. He described that as the key takeaway from his book, and a message that many people take for granted.
Cunningham expressed his desire for young people to embrace his lessons before it’s too late. He also told The Informer that adults in the community have a similar responsibility to be their best self for children in the community.
“The person who doesn’t succeed has a fear of change,” Cunningham said. “They’re scared about what happens when they stop hanging with the fellas and start working. That’s why they stay on the block. How many people gotta die before they think about changing their life? They’re inside a bubble. They don’t know what anything else feels like.”
Thanks for all you do. As a female women in recovery now being clean 27 years later trying every tactic I could when raising my four children. I witnessed our young men lose their legacy, there last name to gun violence. I try on a daily basis to encourage them to do better and respect one another. Years later experiencing one of my own who lived his will now behind bars for 60 years. Senseless crimes as we eradicate our own. Love you cousin Wayne. (Rosetta)