*Level Up Youth Camp* "I want to make sure the Patel family knows I love them like they love me. Make sure the kids in the world know I'm being executed, and that those kids I've been mentoring keep this fight going..." -Christopher Young 

The date was July 17, 2018...and at 6:38 alone in a small cell, my commissary radio and headphones thrown on the floor, I cried for the first time in over 12 years. I cried out of anger. I cried out of confusion. I cried for the value that was being disregarded. I cried in being grateful for the quality that was added to my life through him. 

I cried for the memories that would no longer be created and shared. I cried because...to do anything else in this moment was a sign of weakness. And if only symbolic to our common identity, this was the easiest way I knew how to say "I miss you."  Feeling lost...held captive from wondering and searching...I cried because I didn't know these would be his final words. I cried because my brother couldn't. 

My name is James Broadnax, a Texas death row prisoner, and speaker on behalf of the Chris Young Foundation. Our vibe is the vision and activism of my brother - a bold, vibrant, uncompromising spirit - and we here at this Foundation believe in the ideals of love, forgiveness, and second chances. We recognize that this approach begins and ends with us...even if we're not always confident in trusting the process as people. 

Learning to love, forgive, and embrace the challenge of a second chance is paramount in this and has the ability to reshape reality for so many others and show life a different truth. A truth that looks like commitment. A truth that looks like a combination of trust and respect. A truth that is no less self-defining and beautiful because that truth looks like YOU. 

I hope beyond all measures of this cell that we can be a galvanizing force to this extent. And within this structure, be present and available and attentive as a collective. There's something extremely powerful and magical about the translation of that bridge being able to mold dreams into futures, and heal others in a recovery from their past. 

No matter what that past looks like, because circumstances don't define you. They shape you. YOU'RE MOLDED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. The fact that each one of you are here today isn't even a question of "why"...We know the why...so it stands to reason how others will look at you in the future and only ask "how?" 

So Level Up, because everyone at the Chris Young Foundation is intent on creating necessary opportunities for you. We believe in you, and we love you!

To contact James go to securustech.net and register to be on his contact list or write him at:

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

James Broadnax 999549

PO Box 660400

Dallas, TX 75266-0400