De’Arbreya Lee
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer
Jackson State University’s book store welcomed home 2004 alum Antonio Wright for the book signing of his autobiographical work, “From a Label to a Brand” on February 28, 2012.
“I believe that God has a plan for everybody and he gives you everything that you need. It’s not what you go through, its how you go through it,” said Wright.
With dreams of becoming a JSU Tiger since the third grade, Wright enrolled in 1996 but the following year would bring several major alterations to Wright’s plans. His aspirations of becoming a part of the JSU football team ended a day before his spring training of his senior season when he was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed. Exactly one month to the date of Wright’s accident, his youngest brother was murdered.
“Life is a gift, but living takes an effort,” said Wright.
After returning to Jackson State in the year 2000, Wright coached fitness conditioning for several sports, including football, softball, women’s basketball and volleyball. He graduated from the university with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a minor in kinesiology.
Despite the tragedies that Wright faced early in life, he made his life changing experiences into triumph with the publication of his autobiography “From a Label to a Brand” published on December 13 of last year by BePublished.org.
In the book, Wright invites his readers into his life, discussing various topics such as hopes, tragedies, relationships, and sports stating that he wanted his struggles and triumps to inspire others to persevere in the face life-altering, challenges.
Among his other endeavors, Wright founded the non-profit organization, Metro Area Community Empowerment Foundation (MACE) to reach out to others with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
The mission of the MACE foundation is to promote community empowerment through wheelchair sports and recreation, youth mentoring, and connecting all organizations and advocacy for people with disabilities.
In teaching wheelchair basketball, softball and tennis, the MACE foundation takes sport chairs across the state teaching clinics about wheelchair sports and conducting youth mentoring programs.
Wright explained that in some cases, the roles of the “able bodied persons” players are switched.
“We put people [able bodied persons] in wheelchairs and we’ll spot them off 50 points. It just gives you a different look on life because you become the one that is disabled, not me,” said Wright.
To see the foundation in action, the MACE “Weekend of Victory”, featuring the Rolling Tigers Wheelchair & Sports Recreation Team will compete on March 16-18 as a part of the Gulf Coast Conference Wheelchair Basketball Championship at the Walter Payton Center.
Wright has managed to keep the Tiger spirit within him despite never wearing a football jersey.
“I do believe that God has a plan for everybody. If He puts you in it, He believes in you. If He could put that much on my shoulders, that means that He must really have some faith in what I can do in Him,” said Wright.
For more information about MACE and “From a Label to a Brand”, log onto www.macemississippi.org or www.amazon.com for book purchasing.
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