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Violence hits home: this teen was an anti-violence activist, but that couldn't prepare him for losing a beloved family member to violence.

Article Excerpt
Growing up in Oakland, California, Antonio Bibb knew about violence. His community has been plagued by murders, battles between gangs, and robberies. So when Antonio heard about an anti-violence program for high school students called Teens on Target, he was intrigued. He was in the seventh grade at the time, but promised himself that when he got to high school, he'd join the group.

Antonio knew lots of kids who had lost family members to violence. He felt lucky he hadn't, and he wanted to do something positive. "I felt like there was no way to stop violence, but I hoped I might be able to change things a bit," Antonio, now 18, tells Choices.

He also wanted to show others that he was on the side of peace. "Pretty much every adult on my dad's side of the family has been in jail, including my dad," Antonio says. "Even when I was young, people were starting to judge me and categorize me because of that."

Positive Start

In his freshman year, Antonio joined Teens on Target. By 10th grade, he was doing well in school and had become a leader in the program. He got to travel to Maryland for an anti-violence conference. "It was more than an extracurricular activity to me," Antonio says. "I really felt like I was helping to stop younger kids from making the same mistakes adults in their families might be making."

Then, one day...