Antwone Fisher, a man who has made a name for himself despite being told he was worthless during his youth, began SA's 2003-04 Distinguished Speaker Series Wednesday night.
"I felt unwelcome wanting to feel welcomed," Fisher said of his lifelong search for someone who could show him he was worth something.
After a standing ovation, Fisher opened with a smile and a story of his sore tooth and how the UB Dental School fixed it.
He then delved into a retelling of his life struggles, a story interwoven with messages of love, hope and inspiration.
"Growing up, I never imagined that anybody would be interested in coming out to see me and certainly not listen to anything I have to say, because growing up I was always told I would never amount to anything," he said.
Fisher was born in a prison in Cleveland, Ohio, to his 17-year-old mother who never sought to claim him after her release. His father was shot and killed two months before he was born. He was placed in a loving foster home for two years, but was removed from it because his foster mother was "too attached" to him.
For the next 14 years, Fisher lived with another foster family where he was beaten by his foster mother and sexually abused by his foster sister.
He eventually left the violent home and got his first taste of freedom when he attended reform school. But after graduating from high school, he needed a place to live, so he moved into a YMCA, where he was again physically and sexually threatened by men and women alike.
After working with a pimp from the YMCA, Fisher decided to instead be homeless. He happened upon a Navy recruitment office one night and decided to sign up, for fear that he might otherwise commit a crime simply for the shelter of jail.
Fisher served in the U.S. Navy for 11 years, where he found a counselor who was instrumental in teaching him to manage his anger and pursue his roots. He then took a job as a Sony Pictures security guard in California, where his life story began to circulate.
Eventually 20th Century Fox purchased the 41st draft of his autobiographical screenplay for the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, starring Derek Luke and Denzel Washington, for $250,000.
Fisher spoke repeatedly of the lack of love in his childhood, and stressed the importance of instilling a sense of family, love and hope in every child.
According to Fisher, as tempting as it might be to abandon one's past, it can never be truly forgotten.
"You have to live with it everyday," he said. "You've got to deal with it on a real basis."
Fisher said many people told him to forget his past and move on, but he discovered the past helps define who he is. Last year, after an intense search, Fisher finally met his murdered father's family.
He encouraged the audience to deal with their past in healthy ways, such as seeing a therapist.
"Everyone in this room is crazy. You all need therapy," he said, with a smile.
Besides the UB community, disadvantaged students with an alternative learning program and a foster agency were in attendance.
"I think (the speech) was very interesting and very inspirational," said Caressa Senior, graduate student and urban planning major.
Freshman Adam Ruszkowski agreed. "I thought after reading the book, 'I know he's pretty shy,' but I think he did pretty well. He had a lot of insightful things to say."
Fisher is now a husband, father, author, screenwriter and producer of upcoming Hollywood films including "Double 'O' Soul," starring Mariah Carey. He wrote the current UB Reads book, "Finding Fish: A Memoir," based on his own life experiences. He is the first African-American to earn $1 million on one screenplay.
The next speaker in the Distinguished Speaker series is UB alumnus and CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer, at 8 p.m. Oct. 2 in Alumni Arena.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
