By Rickelle Lee
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Behind every breaking story and celebrity interview is a responsibility that every media outlet should uphold. Whether they do it or not is on them, but Hip-HopVibe.com does its best to uphold the task at hand. It is a lot more than daily coverage, to say the least.
The reasoning behind picking up those stories in June about the lost lives was to use this platform to raise awareness. It was especially important with such people as Miami’s Alexandra Dean, because she fits the target demographic. She was likely a visitor of the site.
Unfortunately, she did not receive any headlines for graduating nursing school. Even more sad was her life ended just when it should have truly been beginning, but those close to her want this to count for something more. Earlier this month, people close to Ms. Dean got in contact with Hip Hop Vibe and left us both an open letter and info on a reward for information about the shooting.
Read the open letter below:
Missing a Gem.
Why do we as black people seem to always tear our own kind down? We accuse other ethnic groups of racism when we fail to achieve society’s standards for accomplishment. We get annoyed when they see us as a burden to society and blame them for “keeping us back”. It is quite the opposite you see, as “we”, yes us black people are the very ones holding ourselves back. Black on black crime continues to bring down those among us that strive, conquer and achieve, above and beyond what has been accepted as the norm for us black folks.
A perfect example of this is, Alexandra Dean (Alex). Alex broke the stereotype by achieving in her relatively short time on earth, more than most have in their entire lives. But at only 23 years old, she was shot by a stray bullet, the only victim at a party of almost 300 individuals, the direct result of black-on-black violence. At a young age Alex was already a role model, doing her part to change the way blacks are portrayed in our society. The fact that she had accomplished, in her 23 years, more than her contemporaries of other ethnicities , was cut short by yet another example of mindless, lawless and grossly irresponsible behavior of fellow blacks that further perpetuate the stereotype. So what was the big deal about her you may ask? Alex was the youngest of four children, born to immigrant parents that came to this country with the same dream as many, to build a better life for themselves and their children. They instilled values in her that was God centered and from that stemmed Alex’s strength and motivation to achieve all she set out to do. Her mother, Pauline, would drop her off at school on the way to catch the bus for work, since at the time she didn’t have a car. For Alex, school wasn’t just a place to pass the time. She studied hard and graduated elementary school at the top of her class. She was exceptional both academically and athletically. In High School she was an inspiration to all. She played several instruments, the keyboard, the flute, the clarinet and the violin, was fluent in American Sign Language, ran track and was a member of the cheer squad. She was as smart and talented as she was beautiful. Stunning, people have called her, and it was true, a smile that could light up the room, and a laugh that was contagious. Alex never saw her own beauty, as she was at times self-conscious of a beauty mark shaped like Africa under her left eye. There was humbleness in her, and anyone you ask will speak of her kind heart and comforting shoulder. Her academic excellence continued through to college where she pursued becoming a nurse. Why a nurse you may ask? Her dedication to serving others over self was her overwhelming motivation. She graduated the head of her class from Nova Southeastern University. Her conviction was such that she stood her ground, lobbied and convinced her professor to reverse a grading decision that had negatively impacted the entire class. On April 27th she was pinned as a nurse, her dream of following in her mother’s footsteps, finally coming to fruition. But, all that came to a swift end, the night of June 4th. While taking a break from studying for her nursing boards exams, she attended a party with friends that ended in tragedy.
Her accomplishments were such that there was an outpouring of love and adoration from a wide cross section of persons, many of whom had not even met her before. Gone too soon, a life that would have made a difference, in how “blacks” were viewed. A life that would have made a difference in her community. As of the date of this article, no one has come forward to tell what they saw that night. No one! Are you telling me that we can’t stand up as black people and say, Enough! Change can’t happen if someone does not make a first step. We can’t correct wrongs by sitting on the side lines. We have to stand up, speak up and rally up and make that change. I end this, with a quote from Albert Einstein, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything”.
See the reward below:
Follow Rickelle Lee on Twitter @rickellelee_.
