Journey of the Betta Fish

Upon coming back to Chicago after grad school, I made the decision to work directly with underprivileged youth. I have done work in group homes, with foster kids, in various city high schools and juvenile detention centers. I've done all of this while living in areas of the city that are predominantly African-American. The manner in which I see young men handle one another has become increasingly alarming to me the older I become. Now that I have brought children of my own into the world, my concern continues to grow. This behavior has disturbed me so much that I will try and struggle to find it in my travels of the world. Of the places I have gone, the only time I see such conflict is in nature. Betta fish, or the Siamese fighting fish, share many qualities with African-Americans. They are extremely resilient and territorial. If in close proximity to one another, they will fight willingly to the death. The males and females can only come around each other briefly to mate and must then be separated or they will kill one another. Because of the nature of these animals, they are perpetually on the verge of extinction. The Journey of the Betta Fish is not only a reference to my own lifespan, but to the one we share as African Americans.

• | Author: Andre Hamilton Zaire/Brown
• | Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Dec 31, 2018
• | Number of Pages: 167 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1983921122
• | ISBN-13: 9781983921124