JAWARA GRIFFIN
Keynote Speaker, Attorney, and Author
"My goal is to always encourage and motivate others to never give up regardless of their current circumstances."
Meet Jawara Griffin
Biography
"Homeboy" My Story
"Homeboy" My Story
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Mansfield University in PA, and my Juris Doctorate from UMass Dartmouth School of Law.
I started my legal career in Massachusetts, as a Public Defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services. After leaving, I accepted
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Mansfield University in PA, and my Juris Doctorate from UMass Dartmouth School of Law.
I started my legal career in Massachusetts, as a Public Defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services. After leaving, I accepted a position with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender as an Assistant Public Defender in Baltimore City. Following my stint in MD, I started practicing in Federal Court as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Western District of TN. Currently, I am an Assistant Federal Public Defender where I continue to fight for the rights of the indigent and disenfranchised. I grew up in the foster care/group-home system and credit my success in life to my mentors, friends, social workers, and child advocates that never gave up on me. While I am proud of my accomplishments thus far and love my work, it is not the most important thing in my life. That position belongs to my two daughters, Dejah and Jael.
"Homeboy" My Story
"Homeboy" My Story
"Homeboy" My Story
“HOMEBOY” is the autobiography of Jawara Griffin. Faced with immeasurable odds, he arose from the unforgiving poverty stricken streets of North Philadelphia to become an American success story.
Jawara was raised in a single parent home with his siblings by a crack-addicted mother. By age 8 he and his siblings were abandoned by his moth
“HOMEBOY” is the autobiography of Jawara Griffin. Faced with immeasurable odds, he arose from the unforgiving poverty stricken streets of North Philadelphia to become an American success story.
Jawara was raised in a single parent home with his siblings by a crack-addicted mother. By age 8 he and his siblings were abandoned by his mother and left squatting in abandoned buildings with no running water, electricity or heat and many nights no food. By the age of 10 his mother reappeared in his life. It was at this time she was in the abyss of her addiction to crack. By age 12 his mother had overdosed on three separate occasions. During this time Jawara recalls having two pairs of pants and three shirts that he had to share with one of his older brothers. His sneakers were so torn apart that the Lunch-Aides in his school had to pool their money together to buy him a pair of shoes. This was also around the time he began going to the gas stations to pump gas and to the food markets to carry bags for change to be able to buy food for he and his siblings.
Although those times were rough, it was at this time that life got even harder. After his mother’s third overdose, he and his siblings were taken by the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, split apart and placed in different foster and group homes.
Initially, Jawara rebelled and started having major behavioral issues in school. As he moved from one foster home to the next and ultimately ending up in the group home system, he went through various adjustment phases. As he became adjusted, the rollercoaster ride continued. Jawara’s father who had been absent up until this point started taking steps to remove Jawara from the group home to reside with him. However, three days before Jawara was supposed to leave the group home and reside with his father, his father was murdered. With no other family presence, Jawara had to remain in the group home until the age of eighteen. During these years Jawara experienced some of his darkest nights unsure of his safety and well-being.
While in the group home Jawara found himself having to teach himself coping mechanisms to deal with the mistreatment, lack of care and lack of support that he was receiving. He also had to come up with various and creative ways to motivate himself as his life was void of any consistent positive influences. At this time Jawara turned toward basketball for relief. He found solace, refuge and a sense of worth on the basketball court.
At age 18 he chose a college that he intended to attend to play basketball. He recalls his social worker driving him four hours upstate, shaking his hand and telling him good luck. On a college campus with no learned social skills, Jawara relied on his survival skills to adapt to his new environment. However, lacking the fundamentals, he found himself in a position of constantly being misunderstood, isolated and worse of all, off of the basketball team. By the end of his first year in College, Jawara was on academic probation. Jawara had to do a self-evaluation and figure out how to persevere. After going through various ups and downs he graduated and joined the professional workforce.
Once again in unfamiliar territory, he had to learn how to maneuver in the professional workplace. After 7 years of working as a Juvenile Social Worker and a Probation Officer, Jawara found his way to law school and was able to have great success. Jawara graduated at the top of his class winning numerous awards and receiving many accolades.
Throughout Jawara’s journey he learned some very valuable lessons, the most important ones being believing in yourself and self-reliance.
My Speaking
"Homeboy" My Story
My Speaking
As a speaker, I inspire audiences with engaging talks on overcoming trials and tribulations. My informative discussions are full of inspiration, hope and guidance for foster youth, parents, service providers, social workers, community members, and child advocates. My goal is to always encourage and motivate others to never give up regardl
As a speaker, I inspire audiences with engaging talks on overcoming trials and tribulations. My informative discussions are full of inspiration, hope and guidance for foster youth, parents, service providers, social workers, community members, and child advocates. My goal is to always encourage and motivate others to never give up regardless of their current circumstances. My lived experiences in dilapidated homes and the foster care/group home system, to leading a successful life as a father and lawyer, provides great insight as I share with my audience how to overcome negative situations and labels to build self-confidence and self-sufficiency. My message empowers people to feel, see and know that they can make a difference. I am proof, if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything in life. With a dynamic and interactive approach, I strive to deliver a powerful message that leaves a lasting impact. Book me for your next event and take your audience to the next level.