MEMORIES OF OUR BROTHER: A Mentor to All and an Encouraging Beacon of Light (Part VII)
My favorite memory of my brother B-Way took place in the E-House dayroom. Three of my cohort members and I were huddled together on the leather couch, discussing our Oakton graduation. B-Way came by with a big smile and said, “I’m proud of you brothers for your ability to come together and do something big for your graduation.” I was encouraged tremendously.
— Demetrius Cunningham, Cohort 3
I’ll always remember how Michael would seize the moment to center others. He would do this in public and in private. He knew I was having certain issues, and he would let me know that as soon as I was able to merge my identity with my academic personality, everything would be just fine. Michael was right.
— Leon Fields, Cohort 3
The memory I would like to share of B-Way is fairly new and helped me regain my focus after I almost made a bad decision. B-Way was a different type of dude who always paid attention to details in people, places, and things. Although we didn’t talk as much as he talked with others, he took his time to approach me and tell me he knew it was hard to walk away from the situation I did and that he was proud of me for doing it. That conversation, which was only a few words, helped me to totally refocus, and I will always carry it with me through the many dark days ahead. Stay strong and together, but there was a real loss. May Allah be pleased with you, B-Way.
— Abdul Karĩm (James Hale), Cohort 4
At a critical moment in my transition into this environment, B-Way gave me an unexpected gift of guidance. Not knowing who to trust my ideas with and my being standoff-ish was not enough to stop B-Way from being who he is. It was due to my demeanor, the way that I view life, that caused B-Way and me to start bonding. Each moment we spent was brief but well-spent. He blessed me with his wisdom and did more than just point me in the right direction. B-Way actually lived the message he spoke and his legacy will forever live on.
— Darion Nance, Cohort 4
I was having trouble being at Stateville when I first came here to start NPEP. Michael did not know me but he could hear me talking about my problems and he understood that I just needed someone to talk to, so he pulled up a chair to the front of my cell and just sat and listened to me complain for the whole day-room (3 hours!). He didn’t tell me I was wrong or I needed to suck it up. He just let me vent and that is what I needed. He is loved and will be missed.
— Anonymous brother
There was a moment when Michael and I realized we had mutual associates when we were free, and while we bonded over knowing the same people, engaging in nostalgia and reminiscing, we never stopped leaving the past in the past. I valued his ability to remember yesteryear, but still to stand firm in the present and also be willing to look forward towards the future. With that said, there is not a single memory that can capture his aura.
— Brandon V. Wyatt, Cohort 2
One week before Michael’s passing, he took it upon himself to continue to be the brother and encouraging beacon of light that I needed. That week, I helped a fellow inmate reset his broken ankle in place while we were at the yard. Michael Broadway saw that, and he wanted to make sure that I knew it. He approached me and said, “Congo, you are my hero and from this point on I’m calling you Dr. Congo. When everyone ran away from the guy with the broken ankle, you stayed with him and helped him. You are my hero.” In addition, B-Way gave me my first opportunity at stardom. He asked me to be part of a panel for his book event for One Foot In. I really loved that. The book event was great.
— Palfrid Mihindou, Cohort 4
One thing that I will never forget about Michael is his willingness to be there for others. He personally looked over a paper that I wrote to show me where I could make it better. I had gotten a lot of feedback from the professor and was about to trash that paper and start over, but Mike encouraged me to not do that because what I wrote was perfect. It just needed to be tightened up. I listened to him and ended up getting an A on that paper.
— Shawn Thigpen, Cohort 3
B-Way was a tutor in our English 102 comp class. I had missed 10 weeks of class due to a suspension. There were only 4 weeks left, and I was determined to finish the class. B-Way gave me a big hug my first class back and told me “I missed you lil bro.” I told him that I was going to finish the class with the rest of my cohort even though I was behind, and he smiled and said, “I know you will, and I’ll be here if you need any help!” He believed in me and also encouraged me to be the best version of myself, and I appreciate his perspective on life and the joy he brought to this world.
— Marquis Harrison, Cohort 3
One memory I have of Michael Broadway is when he congratulated me on finding my own lane. He said that some guys were saying that he and others were standing in the way. He liked that, in spite of what they thought, I had become one of the editorial team and writers for the Northwestern Insider. He was happy that I was graduating from Northwestern University, like he did, and he wanted me to continue to grow. I promised him I would. He flashed that perfect smile and gave me a hug. “I love you Bro. See you soon.”
— Flynard “Fly” Miller, Cohort 2
My favorite memory about Michael Broadway is when we used to have discussion in Jum’ah that revolved around Islam and academics. Coming from two different generations, Michael knew like I knew there is a disconnect between the younger generation and the older generation, so Michael and I would have in depth talks about closing that gap and reconnecting both generations. I really enjoyed those conversations because they felt like they mattered.
— Tevin Louis, Cohort 3
When survivors describe a loved one who has passed too soon or unexpectedly, there seems to be one common trait they use to reference their late loved one’s character: “They were always smiling.” This description, of a consistent smile, is true of my late friend Michael “B-Way” Broadway. Except there was something much deeper and distinctive about that warm, pearl- white smile B-Way kept on his face. It was certainly infectious and sincere, bit it was also purposeful. When he smiled it wasn’t necessarily because he was happy. It was his way of trying to give you a reason to smile and to check on you. If you didn’t smile back, he’d always stop and ask, “Is everything cool?” or “Are you good?” On most occasions, this can be but an empty gesture. They walk off before you can even muster an answer. Not B-Way. If time permitted, he would listen to my issue and offer up something to challenge my perspective and inspire a positive outlook.
In the free world, an untimely smile can be mistaken as a provocation. “What you smiling at?” In prison, smiles are definitely not plastered on everyone’s faces — which makes smiles like B- Way’s even rarer. Even at Menard, a maximum security prison notorious for its racially hostile and violent atmosphere, B-Way showed his pearly whites. His smiles were never off-putting or misplaced. He was just trying to make the best out of a shitty situation and appreciated that no matter how bad it was, it could be worse.
He also used his smile to disarm and to inspire. The first time I met him, I was still young and reckless. I had a dispute with staff and B-Way used his words, his own transformation, and, of course, his smile, to de-escalate the conflict. Once the volatility of the situation died down, I asked him: “Why are you always smiling, bro?” He looked at me and said, “Because I know what it feels like to not have any reason to.”
B-Way wasn’t the type of person who smiled because everything was always rainbows and gumdrops. He smiled when he was fighting stage four cancer because he knew, from his experience, that things could be worse. Surely he had his own sordid past and struggles, but he smiled with the purpose of inspiring others to reevaluate their situation, to envision something greater, and to triumph toward a higher purpose. When he smiled, it wasn’t that he had forgotten where he was or where he had been. B-Way smiled because he refused to allow his circumstances to define his character. He smiled because he valued how far he had come and he knew exactly where he was going. He was a butterfly that never forgot that he was once a caterpillar. He used his beautiful wings—his smile—to help transform a person, a situation, and influence this transformation for others. Behind B-Way’s smile was his selflessness, his story of transformation, and the kind of inspiration that this world will sorely miss. Smile on and fly away my brother.
— Jamal Bakr, a friend
