CLINTON, Md.聽鈥斅燬he had lost two sons: One son 鈥斅燼 promising University of Maryland basketball player 鈥斅爐o drugs and another to gun violence.
But instead of crumbling under the weight of grief, Lonise Bias became a towering source of strength and courage to thousands of families. And recently, she shared her story with a聽gymnasium full of middle school boys in Clinton, Maryland.
鈥淟isten up!鈥� William Blake, principal of聽Stephen Decatur Middle School, called out above the din of adolescents. For a special event, 鈥淢en Making a Difference Day,鈥� he introduced Bias, explaining, 鈥淲e have a female 鈥� and her name is Dr. Bias. Because of people like Dr. Bias, young men are changing their lives.鈥�
Pacing before the middle schoolers, Bias told聽them, 鈥淵ou young men are our nation鈥檚 greatest natural resource.鈥�
Her oldest son, Len Bias, was a University of Maryland basketball standout, the No. 2聽NBA draft pick who was scooped up by the Boston Celtics in the spring of 1986. Days after that announcement, he was dead 鈥斅燼fter a night of partying. The autopsy would reveal he suffered a cardiac arrest triggered by a cocaine overdose.
Then, in 1990, Jay Bias, Len鈥檚 younger brother, was shot to death in a Prince George’s County shopping mall parking lot.
But it鈥檚 likely that few of the middle school boys here knew any of that; they just knew this imposing woman with the booming voice was telling them that greatness lies in each and every last one of them. Within seven minutes, she transformed a gym full of antsy, distracted middle school boys into attentive young men.
Afterward, she explained that it wasn’t uncommon for her to walk into a noisy school assembly and have students fall silent, giving her every ounce of their attention. She chalks it up to the passion she brings to every encounter: 鈥淟ove is my motivation. I truly love them like they鈥檙e my own sons.鈥�
Bias, who鈥檚 been a life coach and motivational speaker for decades now, urges young people to move forward in life, not to let others hold them back and to find the courage that exists inside themselves.
And that last point, she explained, was somewhat ironic: 鈥滻 had my own self as an example. That鈥檚 how it came to me 鈥� when Len first died and I was asked to speak, I was terrified!鈥�
That fear is long gone: Bias radiated confidence and embraced the future in the form of the young people before her.
鈥淚 believe that our young people in the United States of America are reachable, teachable, lovable and savable,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e must change our approach in adapting to their needs.鈥�
Noting that it鈥檚 her losses that brought her to the work she does now, Bias said, 鈥淢e having to bury two sons 鈥� their lives were not lost in vain.鈥�
