Murder to Excellence

Wallace 'Gator' Bradley is a living legend. He also is my dear brother whose courage and compassion inspire all of us to grow, develop and become better persons. Brother Gator has lived a rich and blessed life that starts on the streets of the south side of Chicago through the prisons of Illinois to the White House of the USA and back to the schoolrooms and playgrounds to serve young people. Like his favorite piece of biblical scripture - Psalm 140 - God has preserved him from violence, delivered him from wickedness and empowered him to fight for "the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poor."I first met Brother Gator in the context of the gang summits that tried to bring peace and promote justice for our precious young brothers who have been socially neglected, economically abandoned and targeted by police surveillance. I was struck by Brother Gator's acute intelligence, genuine sincerity and soulful smile. It was clear he was my kind of brother - a brother shaped by the inimitable music of Curtis Mayfield, the spiritual struggle of Malcolm X and the visionary leadership of Larry Hoover. Fortitude and forgiveness, bravery and maturation, courage and conversion are shot through the life and times of Brother Gator. His powerful and poignant book is a testament to his strength and determination to be a force for good in the face of overwhelming odds. It charts his fascinating trek from the Racine Courts housing project to the racist courts of law in Chicago to his monumental anti-racist political activism in the historic campaigns of Jerry Butler, Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama. As one of the few ever pardoned by an Illinois Governor, Brother Gator has been an exemplary citizen in his adult life - with his loving and high-achieving wife and children, the great respect of fellow citizens for him and the high demands for his wisdom and skill from local, national and global leaders. He is an old school freedom fighter and new school urban translator whose actions and words lead us through the complex dynamics of Chicago criminal life, political life, prison life and moral service to poor people. Like Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, Brother Gator is a grand figure in the black freedom struggle who used past prison experiences to deepen love of and service to black people. I thank my dear sister Dr. SaFiya D. Hoskins for helping preserve the prophetic witness of Brother Gator for present and future crusaders for justice! -The Foreword by Dr. Cornel West