Maurice D. Lewis is a very interesting person. The reason that he's so is because of the many layers and experiences that make up the picture of his life. To really understand him or even to begin to grasp his humanity you're going to need know a few things. First, his name. MAURICE. The meaning is "like a Moor". Then his middle name which is DELOREAN. That was given to him by his father because he liked the GTO. And well LEWIS is kinda self-evident. Maurice was born at 2:24 am on October 9,1982 at Fort Hood,TX.. Both of his parents were soldiers in the U.S. Army. His mother was 21 years old and his father was 30. To keep it simple, he's a Libra, black,and of course a male. How he came to Oakland is an interesting story in itself but there really isn't enough time for a back story. So this guy arrived in Oakland,from Los Angeles, on the Greyhound. It was the time in a person's life when they were backed into a wall based on previous decisions and they are presented with a way out.One choice. Take it! A fresh start. So here was this 19 year old guy standing outside of a Greyhound station at 3:30 in the morning. Can you imagine being dropped off in a place that you had no idea about? No clue whatsoever. In the span of 10 years he wold go through such dramatic changes that they would literally transform him and his perception of reality on the journey of awakening his dormant potential.
Maurice spent this time moving forward by going backwards. At this time, in hindsight, it may seem that he's been peeling back the layers of his consciousness on the quest to unveil his pure self. What was he looking for? What did he find? The honest truth was that he didn't know. This isn't a movie, nor a book. This is human life with so many variables being recalled and condensed into the English language. From sleeping at Lake Merritt in the bushes by the water, to becoming the Worshipful Master of one of the oldest Prince Hall Masonic Lodges in Oakland. Pretty interesting indeed. From disbelief to Deism. From Deism to Islam. From South Central L.A. to Oaklandish. From lack of knowledge of self to becoming self-aware has been,is now,and will be...amazing. This story cannot be told in body or form because there are too many variables and not enough time to separate notes and recollections. So if you came here seeking a finished story then I have to inform you that you won't find one here. It's still interesting though and it's developing.
I moved out here(Oakland) to give myself a chance to survive. Period. I came from LA and was mixed up with the wrong crowd. I came to stay with my uncle. I got hired at Long's Drugs within a couple days of being here. I didn't know anything about Oakland and considered myself an alien for a matter of years before releasing what I held onto because I now had many experiences that were only my own. I became...Oaklandish. All it took was for me to meet many different types of people while slowly releasing belief that i had from where I grew up. I did drugs,I drank, and I did too much of both. What's most important is that all of this led me to Islam proper. I became a man and I became a Freemason on the way. Now I am working on becoming a better man who will one day become a good husband and father. Thank you Oakland. You allowed me to sit back and just be me and be okay with that. You sheltered me, fed me, clothed me, robbed me and paid me. Here I found love and gave it back. Here is where I learned that I want to be a good man. I dream of what my children will look like and sometimes tears form when i imagine seeing them being born. I can only imagine. I don't know why I'm not someone's baby-daddy right now. I took risks, I made unwise decisions at times but something seems like this is all part of a plan. I am Maurice D. Lewis.
