We are sister and brother from different mothers.

Yet our father ensured that we knew each other.

He has now been convicted of a crime he didn’t commit

No corroborating witnesses, No evidence

Just the word of one lone accuser,

Whom he set out to mentor

To be a Big Brother to

To teach him how to navigate the world and explore

His own possibilities…But he did the impossible

And accused his mentor of abuse

My brother from another mother? Such an untruth

Growing up William always set out to lend a helping hand,

He joined many organizations and groups that made it their goal to take a stand

On social issues, improving the community, and uplifting the youth

He was not only my brother but a role model to our family’s generation

Even in college he kept that same focus as he went on to further his education

He worked hard to receive his doctorate in higher ed. to continue his journey in motivation

He always volunteered and encouraged his frat brothers to do the same

He felt that it was OUR duty to improve OUR community, and we can’t sit around and play the blame game.

He took care of many family members and friends of friends as they headed off to join him at the university

He helped guide them through the adjustment process and even feeding them if they needed something to eat.

He did these things with humor, a smile, and a positive attitude

He never met a stranger

When people found out we were related, Oh how shocked they were

He is extroverted and so introverted I am

They couldn’t believe we came from the same fam.

But he always made me feel like I was a jewel and had something to offer

Even though my social skills and drive didn’t compare to his

That is the kind of guy he is

Before this incident he had

Never been arrested, never had a criminal record

Educated, Motivated, Family oriented, Community concerned

And now he sits in a prison based on one person’s word…

Who was influenced by his parent, who’s out for financial gain

As one who works with children it has made me question, is it worth, will I one day be arraigned

Because a parent coerced a child to falsely accuse me of something so grim and trife

Will everything that I stand for, work for, and disappear like a thief in the night?

Will my brother from another mother ever get a chance to continue to encourage others?

Will his life’s goal of improving his community come to pass?

Or will he remain in a place were he’s wrongfully placed, how long will this last?

Well the state decided to give him 25 years- a quarter of a century,

Time he could be influencing, teaching, and moving our community

to the next level

What’s so amazing is that even in prison he continues his work

God still uses him to encourage, motivate, and educate others about their worth

This time it is adult men…some who are young enough to have had him as a “Big Brother”

And he could have taught them early on how to explore.

Their possibilities in a world of choice

Yet he reminds them they still have a voice.

They are still humans and should exhibit the respect they expect to receive

In his words “The walls of the prison don’t imprison me

You can lock me up physically but not my spirit nor my mind

and I pray for my accusers, that they receive the help they need.

Because lies are like wings they fly and move quickly,

but the truth is like legs it moves slowly but it will stand, and so I stand on the truth”

Will we lose his example, his influence, and his affect?

We will,

if we fail or neglect——-

to fight and move on this situation

and use our voices and abilities to demand that true justice be served

and enforce America to be a woman of her word

“And liberty and for justice for all”!

His sister, by the same Mister,

Bridgett Arnold