Ibn Ali Miller is not a hero and it frustrates me that people think he is. On Monday, a video of Miller breaking up a fight between two teenage boys was posted on Facebook and has since gone viral. I’m one of those people who are obsessed with human interest stories so the news coverage that’s followed the viral video has been great because it’s allowed me to find out more about Ibn Miller and what led him to do the good deed that may have changed the lives of the teenagers involved forever.
Earlier today he received recognition from his city that included a plaque and a press conference which he used as an opportunity to thank his mother for raising him and teaching him about God. It was really touching. He said something that really struck a chord as reporters and cameras surrounded him, “This whole situation deeply saddens me. The fact that it’s (him breaking up the fight) unbelievable… It should be very believable. It should be a norm and it should be regular.”
I couldn’t agree more. Please don’t be misled by the title, I am happy that this amazing man is getting recognized for speaking life into teenagers and encouraging them to do the right thing. But why isn’t this more common? Why is it that we’ve become so accustomed to negativity? When I showed the video to my sixth-grade students, why did one of them say he wanted to actually see the fight instead? It is this mentality that we should be fighting against every day. It should not take a random stranger off the street to guide these young men to behave respectfully, but sadly it does.
Ibn Ali Miller is not a hero. He is a good man, one who strives to uplift those in his community and doesn’t mind taking time out of his day to help them despite outside forces. What I admired most about the video was how he was able to maintain composure while referencing the teenagers who seemed unreachable as they continued to laugh and joke as he spoke to the young men. It is this type of behavior that discourages people from getting involved and trying to help kids these days. There is always going to be the select few that are “too far gone” or don’t care to change their behaviors, but this situation has shown that we shouldn’t let that deter us from trying to reach who we can. As a teacher, I can honestly say that kids could use as much motivation as possible these days because they don’t always get it at home.
Numbers don’t lie. People want to see positive messages spread and that’s why the video of Miller defusing the fight has received nearly 32 million views in less than a week, four days to be exact. We need more people like Ibn Ali Miller, but it’s not because he’s a hero. It’s because he is wise enough to try to fix what’s broken in his community and we should be too.
Are you inspired? If so, what will you do to promote unity and how can you impact the youth around you to become better members of society?
