Stanley James II and Travon Edwards/Photo courtesy of Flipboard
Stanley James II and Travon Edwards, two men from rival gangs, have united to write “Project Baby” to inspire others.
About a decade ago, the two Long Beach natives met while Edwards was trying to sell a book he had written on the street, reported ABC7.
James, who had already started a publishing company called Gang Tales and written his own book, noticed what Edwards was trying to accomplish. Although they were from rival gangs, he respected the flourishing writer, and the two became friends.
“I’m like this man, he’s from a rival gang, and he’s really doing right by me. So, it made me want to do right by him,” Edwards said.
The two eventually united their love of writing, and last August, they released “Project Baby.” The book was published under James’ imprint.
According to Amazon, the book is about two biracial girls who struggle to fit in with either Black or white kids. To become more popular, they join the Insane Garfield Crips. After the struggles of joining a gang, one of them rises to leadership and chronicles what it was like to be entangled in such a life.
So far, the book has a 4-star rating.
James and Edwards have a mission to use their personal experience of gang life to inspire youth to decide to choose another route. Helping others also makes them feel good.
“Knowing that I got a lot of kids and youngsters that are growing up in the street the way I came, are looking up to me for a way out and when they express it to me and verbally and physically show me that I’m doing something positive and inspiring, it just makes me go harder and makes me know that I got a lot more to do,” said James.
Edwards, who has since moved to Florida, has started his own vegan catering business, and James is still writing and publishing books.