The Dr. Kevin Show - James Stern

Aired Thursday, 10 November 2016, 6:00 PM ET

This week Dr Kevin will be interviewing James Stern here is a little bit about James:

Born and raised in the tough neighborhood of Watts in Los Angeles, a former community activist, Stern, 49, has always been a peace broker to the segmented fractions of the community. Unlike some of the kids in Watts, Stern had options. His father, George Stern, was the largest landowner in Watts, owning duplexes, single-family homes, and apartment buildings. (In 1995, the family sold all the land in Watts and moved to Bel Air Crest.) The elder Stern sent his son to college, and James Stern received a bachelor’s degree in theology from the private, Christian college, Biola University in La Mirada, Calif. along with additional studies from the Grace Bible Institute in Long Beach, Calif.and New Providence Theological Seminary in Los Angeles. A natural computer whiz, he also took classes in computer science at El Comino College, a community college in Torrance, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles.

Still, growing up in the 1980s, Stern watched as his friends and family died of crack cocaine and drive-by shootings while friction with warring gangs – that is, the Crips and the Bloods – escalated. He knew all the drug kingpins by name, like “Freeway” Ricky Ross and Michael “Harry O” Harris of Deathrow Records. Yet, he stayed clear and neutral of any gang-related activity. And when he finished his seminary studies, he returned home with a vow to make a difference in his community.

You can find out more about James at: http://www.thejamesstern.com/