Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins makes someone’s Super Bowl dream come true
Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins is making a difference in someone’s life again.
For Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, it’s never been about attention or recognition. That’s just a byproduct of being the type of guy he is. He’s immersed himself into being a shining light in the lives others. He doesn’t just do it because it’s a holiday, although he’s always looking for an opportunity to be a blessing to someone around that time as well. Honestly, he’s just a great guy that doesn’t know how to be anything except that.
Well, the Super Bowl is approaching, a day some believe should be a national holiday anyway. As expected, he’s doing it again. Less than one month after Christmas, Jenkins put on his Santa hat. Then, he made sure he put yet another smile on yet another face.
Super Bowl Sunday’s going to be very special for someone thanks to Jenkins.
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Kempis Songster is a former juvenile lifer who was released less than three weeks ago. He had served 30 years for a murder conviction after a life without parole conviction was reduced. While in prison, he underwent a tremendous transformation.
He’s the founding father of a program that reconnects incarcerated fathers with their children. He’s also earned a degree from Villanova. Then, he’s also the brainchild of a program that brings together the families of murder victims with families of people who murdered them. The purpose is to attempt to ‘come to an understanding about their shared pains, and different pains, for the purposes of healing’.
Songster met Jenkins when the Eagles safety was speaking during one of his prison visits. The two maintained contact, and a friendship was born. Jenkins, the Eagles’ nomination for the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, was given two tickets for that honor. He decided to give them to Songster.
On said friendship, here’s what Jenkins had to say.
"The way his life took him at the age of 15 and the direction it took him is totally different than [it took me], yet here we are at the same points in our lives, fighting for the same things. I think it’s a great way to demonstrate the commonalities that people have together and how we can work together to push for the same goals."
Some of Songster’s critics may question why he’d deserve to be given such a gift, especially after the mistake he made, but to guys like Songster and Jenkins, that’s some of the point. Songster, who was obviously touched by Jenkins’ gesture, had some kind words of his own.
Take a look.
"I know that I’ll never be able to shake this burden of guilt, and I know that no matter how good I do, how much I serve, how much I try to contribute, it’s probably not supposed to be enough. That’s why I’m supposed to do it for the rest of my life. I understand that, but for some people, they may feel as though I shouldn’t be given this opportunity to be in the wide-open world.I recognize that I’ll always be a murderer in that sense in a lot of people’s eyes, but when someone like Malcolm reaches out, when he extends himself that way and he advocates for someone like me, I interpret it as him saying to me that I am more than my worst act. It’s almost like he’s setting an example of what it would take to imagine a different kind of justice where we can invest in the best of people."
I guess there’s no doubt as to which team he’ll be cheering for, is it?