Ex Gang Member and Longtime U City Resident Work to Keep U City Students on the Right Path

Sultan Ali Muhammad knows all too well the negative effects of gang violence in the community. He's an ex-gang member whose gang banging landed him behind bars. But his prison time wasn't for naught. It was during his incarceration that he felt the need to change his life and use his story as an instrument for change.

“I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired,” said Muhammad. “I was also fed up with constantly receiving bad news about who got shot and killed.”

Muhammad tapped into his personal trauma to inspire the creation of the non-profit organization called Real Talk, Inc.  It deals specifically with preventing gang violence, as well as gang participation altogether. The program serves at-risk students at Brittany Woods Middle School and University City High School.

“Real Talk, Inc. was born out of my personal burning desire to give back to the community,” said Muhammad. “What I realized is that, we have a lot of dynamic youth programs in our community but we didn’t really have any prevention programs.  Our main focus, as a gang violence prevention program, is to reach the youth before they jump off the porch.” 

Real Talk Inc., is a comprehensive gang violence prevention education program that aims to break the psychological chain of one’s need to even join a gang.

Muhammad explains that one of the core principles emphasized in his program is the power of resilience; and after that principle is established, from that point forward, young people are taught about economics, entrepreneurship, work ethics and leadership skills. 

Muhammad believes that the major push behind Real Talk Inc. is the community.

“For once, in St Louis you have an organization that is fully supported by the community; we actually have the parents, educators, and the community involved, and they’re not looking for any monetary gain,” Muhammad said.

Real Talk Inc., was established three years ago, and since its inception the program has successfully served over 500 youth throughout St. Louis.

Shiquis Brown, a 12-year-old from Rockwood Middle School joined the program last year. “Mr. Muhammad has words that make you feel like you are watching a television show that you want to stay on forever.  He doesn’t just talk about random things, he tells us about his real life experiences.”

One of the ways the Real Talk program keeps  young people's attention is by bringing in guest speakers who share information about their professions from sports to law enforcement.

“We don’t reject anyone’s experience because we believe that everyone who has overcome something can offer our young people a better perspective on how to make it,” Muhammad said.

“Also, what makes us different from other programs is that we offer a meditation component; our young people are dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, and mental illnesses, so our meditative prayer offers them a more holistic approach."

Longtime U City resident Victor Pichon, a retired IRS worker, and the 2011 recipient of University City’s MLK Spirit Award is also involved in the program. He said the Real Talk program doesn’t teach kids “what” to think, it teaches them “how” to think.

Pichon and Muhammad utilize a motto in the program, “an ounce of gang violence prevention education is worth more than a pound of gang violence intervention.”

Pichon said “We have to catch them at an early age to validate them, to motivate them and to give them a clear picture about what life has to offer."