Mark L Baynard is an author, Book Publisher, youth advocate, and a true success story. He overcame a past of crime, drugs, and prison by now making a difference in his community. Marks was raised in a Housing Project in Wilmington, Delaware, along with his siblings, by his single Mother. He also visited his dad and other siblings in Alabama each year. His mother was a very hard worker who worked two low-paying jobs to raise her five children. His mother raised him to be respectful to others. During his teenage years, Mark began searching for meaning in his life. Having low self-esteem, he started experimenting with marijuana, alcohol and other drugs. This was just the beginning of more problems to come. Mark eventually started selling drugs and living the lifestyle that goes along with it. Due to the choices that he made, Mark ended up going to prison for drugs. Mark was released from prison after serving a two-year sentence. He returned to selling drugs and making unwise choices. Within a year, Mark was back in prison for drugs. He ended up serving thirteen years before being released. While serving time, Mark started accepting responsibility for his actions and began addressing his personal issues. Once he was released in 2004, he moved to Montgomery, Alabama with family. He eventually met a young lady whom he married. They now share a ten-year-old daughter together. Mark also has a twenty-four-year-old daughter prior to his marriage. Mark decided to further his education by enrolling in Ashford University where he earned his Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education in 2012. He then went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama in 2014. In 2015, Mark released his first book titled “100 Years: A Journey to End a Vicious Cycle.” In his book, Mark shares the true story of how his family “collectively” wasted more than one hundred years in prison. He also shares some of the many challenges that he has overcome after being released from prison. Mark encourages others to join in the journey to end the cycle of crime and prison in the community. Later that year, Mark released his second book “These Are Your Flowers.” This book highlights the importance of letting our loved ones know how much they mean to us while they are alive. Mark went on to pursue a Master's Degree in Public Administration at Troy University. He has since transferred to Auburn University at Montgomery in 2015. In August of 2016, Mark released the book “100 Years II: Truth Be Told.” In his book, Mark addresses issues such as black-on-black crime, police brutality, as well as the identity crisis of African Americans. All of Mark’s books are available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00TLXK5L6 In 2017, Mark earned a Master’s Degree in Justice and Public Safety from Auburn University at Montgomery.
Mark plans to use his education accompanied with his personal experiences to help others. Mark is a living example that anything is possible. Mark founded “U Can” (Universal Community Advocacy Network) Community Organization, where he works with at-risk youth and has plans to work with adults in the future. Mark’s purpose is to make a difference in the lives of the individuals he serves. His goal is to decrease the high recidivism rate among both juvenile and adult offenders. Mark may be contacted by email at ucan.community@yahoo.com
The word of the day is “Knowledge.” Knowledge is defined as: the state or fact of knowing; Familiarity, awareness, or comprehension acquired by experience or study.
Brothers and sisters we must gain knowledge. As the scriptures mention “my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. We must not rely on others to tells us who we are or even who the Most High God is. Knowledge is to study in order to gain this information first hand. We can no longer allow others to misinform us or distort the truth. Understand this brothers we were not created to be thugs or gangsters. Understand this sisters you were not create to be b*thces or whores. We must continue to gain knowledge as we fight for justice, equality, and freedom. In order for us to make a positive difference in our own communities, we must learn about the greatness that God has placed in us. After gaining such precious information we are then obligated to walk as the men and women that the Most High has declared us to be.
The word of the day is “Determination.” Before giving up grab a hold of this quality. Determination is defined as: “great firmness in carrying out a purpose, the act of deciding definitely and firmly.
Your dreams have been within sight for a long time but you can’t seem to get over the hump. Frustration has started to set in. Giving up now seems to be the most logical answer. I say that, at this very point, the quality of determination is the answer. We must be determined to continue to push forward even in the face of adversity or when challenges appear to get the best of us. Today, I say be determined to overcome all doubt, fear, or stumbling blocks that seem to get in your way.
The word of the day is “Courage!” It is necessary to possess this quality. Courage is defined as: “strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger or difficulty.”
Anything worth having is worth working hard for. To work hard for the things that we want or need is an example of courage. The bridge between our current situation and reaching our goals are sometimes full of danger or difficulty. Having the courage to take the first step may take us a lot further than our hearts or minds could imagine. Be courageous in all that we attempt to do and watch the magic happen!
Journey 100 Years (Mark B's Perspective) 