Attorney Alan Howard Gives Jesse Ray Beard, the Youngest of the Jena Six, a Second Chance to Excel

I fervently believe in giving people a second chance to prove themselves and their mettle. I was deeply moved when I read about Jesse Ray Beard, one of the Jena Six, who has turned his life around and is well on his way to realizing his potentials. He would not have changed courses in such a remarkable way had it not been for his attorney Alan Howard, a white man, who saw the goodness and the potential this young man holds. Mr. Howard met Beard, the youngest of African American kids who made up the Jena Six, when he represented him in a lawsuit filed by beating victim Justin Barker. Howard said in an interview with CNN that his first impression of Beard -- that he had "tremendous character, tremendous resilience and tremendous potential" -- was so strong he invited the teen to live with his family in New England. This meeting has forever changed Jesse Ray Beard's life.

Beard, 18, now interns at a New York law firm as he prepares for his senior year next month at Canterbury School, a Connecticut prep academy where Beard is highly regarded among peers and teachers. There is always a lesson to be learned from the most adverse situation we can find ourselves in. Had it not been for the palpable racial tension in the small Louisiana town of Jena and the controversy surrounding the Jena Six, this young man would never have crossed paths with Mr. Howard. He removed him from everything he has ever known and forced him to fly -- to soar the skies -- and chart a new course for his life.

Beard's mother, Stella, made "the ultimate sacrifice," to allow her son a shot at a better life. She allowed Howard to pursue guardianship and sent her son 1,500 miles to the New England town of Bedford. Howard said she put aside Jena Six donations to help Howard pay Canterbury's $40,000-a-year tuition. The best thing Beard did was to leave Jena in 2008 and the past behind him. This act of kindness by a white man, Alan Howard, has forever changed Jesse Ray Beard's life for the best.

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Photo credit: Jesse Ray Beard & Alan Howard, CNN