+
upworthy
More

He said, 'I helped to destroy part of the community.' Now he's making it safe again.

You've heard of the movie "300," where Spartans battle to the death with the Persian army. But you may not have heard of the 300 Men March Movement in Baltimore, started by one man committed to putting an end to community violence. And with more murders than New York, his city desperately needs him right now.


All photos via the 300 Men March Movement.

Munir Bahar, known as Buddha on the streets, was raised in Baltimore. Between the ages of 13 and 20, he was charged with everything from assault to felony drug possession. But, by age 20, he says, "I woke up and I began to understand that I had to educate myself, so I went to college. I also understood that I had to play a role in this community because I helped to destroy part of the community. So now I'm out to help uplift and regenerate a better community, and I'm starting with the youth."

True to his word, Bahar went on to found 300 Youth COR, a violence-prevention program that pays local youth an hourly rate to participate in training sessions that focus on developing physical education and leadership skills.

Shocked by Baltimore's rising homicide rate, Bahar declared his own “state of emergency" in May 2015. He put out the call for men in the community to help save Baltimore's youth. Organized in groups of volunteer street-engagement units, the men canvassed the hardest-hit areas of Baltimore every Friday night.

The goal was simple: engage young men on the streets in the most dangerous neighborhoods and keep their communities safe. That straightforward tactic worked. In the last two years, the 300 Men March Movement noted a substantial decrease in violence in the Bel Air-Edison neighborhood.

In August, Bahar led youth and volunteers on a 35-mile march to the White House to share their message and successful tactics with President Barack Obama. According to the organization's website:

“We want to inspire communities across America that are challenged with high levels of gun violence. We want community residents to be inspired and mobilized with a common mission as their focus. There are many organizations across the nation that have been formed to address gun violence. We believe we must strengthen the network between us, share successes and failures, and offer support where we can."

When they arrived, they were met by an audience of officials from the president's My Brother's Keeper Initiative.

Bahar and the 300 Men March movement are in it for the long haul. Right now, they're raising funds through a GoFundMe campaign in order to grow their community initiatives and employ 120 more youth. Over the course of 52 weeks, Bahar and the 300 Men March plan to replicate the results seen in Bel Air-Edison, reducing the murder rate by 50% in five of the Baltimore neighborhoods most affected by gun violence.

Sure, it's ambitious. But, as Bahar says, love and peaceful resistance can be powerful weapons.

"We come in with love," Bahar told NPR. “And I don't care the hardest, most thorough-est gangster killer, whatever — every human being recognizes love to some degree, especially when it's genuine and when it's pure."

Prepare to get Thatcherized.

It seems that Adele is going viral once again.

Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.

Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland yet?

Keep ReadingShow less


Teacher Bret Turner thought he'd kick off the morning with his first-grade students using a little riddle.

On the whiteboard in the front of the class, he scrawled it out in black marker:

"I am the beginning of everything, the end of everywhere. I'm the beginning of eternity, the end of time & space."

One student raised their hand, the first to venture a guess.

Keep ReadingShow less

The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parenting

Teenage girl shamed for her ‘distracting’ outfit fights back in a very funny way

“[Because] she has a figure she was told she had to change.”

Photo from Facebook page.

A clever message written on her T-shirt.

A Lawton, Oklahoma, student who goes by the Facebook user name Rose Lynn had the last laugh after being sent home from school for wearing an outfit deemed "distracting." Rose Lynn believes her outfit attracted the attention of school officials because of her figure.

She proved it by posting a photo on Facebook of her modest outfit, which consisted of black leggings, a t-shirt, long cardigan, and boots. In her post, she wrote that she was sent home "because I'm developed farther than the average girl my age," and because she's a "CURVY woman." Rose Lynn also thinks the appropriate response shouldn't have been to tell her to cover up, but to teach boys to "to respect the boundaries of young ladies."

Keep ReadingShow less
Science

She tattooed half her face and you'd never know it. Her skills are just that good.

This incredible medical tattoo technology is giving renewed hope to burn victims.

All images via the CBS/YouTube

Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop, of sorts...


Meet Samira Omar.

The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

A school assignment asked for 3 benefits of slavery. This kid gave the only good answer.

The school assignment was intended to spark debate and discussion — but isn't that part of the problem?

A school assignment asked for 3 "good" reasons for slavery.



It's not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids' homework.

Sometimes, it's just been too long since they've done long division for them to be of any help. Or teaching methods have just changed too dramatically since they were in school.

And other times, kids bring home something truly inexplicable.
Keep ReadingShow less