Man of focus

By: By Hannah FerdinandIn 2004, as he was leaving prison for the fifth time, Andrew "B.J." Atchison had to make a choice, what he called a "butt-naked," honest decision. He could stay within the confines of penitentiary walls or make a change to become part of society.

He'd made the promise to change before, but Atchison vowed that this time would be different. This time he would surrender himself to a different life-one with love and one with a future. He wanted to become a better man than he once was, not just for himself, but for his family, his community, and his neighbors.

Following his release, Atchison returned to Englewood, the same neighborhood where he grew up in a family with a history of drugs and violence. As a young man, it was not long before Atchison succumbed to the streets and followed the path that he thought was his destiny. After more than 20 years of checking in and out of prison, he was done. He simply did not and could not face those walls or himself. "I was not happy. I did not know myself," Atchison said. "Now, I smile from the inside out."

Although he returned home, Atchison did not return to the same old habits, the same old hangouts and the same old homies. He began his new life by "adding on" to his neighborhood and his family circle. Shortly after his release, he remarried, rekindled relationships with his two children and renewed his sense of faith.

It was a change that others noticed from the start.

"There was something special about him since the first time I laid eyes on him," said Brian Drummond, a case worker with Illinois TASC, who worked with Atchison after his release. "He had spark, he just needed a focus. He is that focused man today. He became great."

Atchison's wife, Angel M. Godfrey-Atchison, gives him full credit for changing her life and taking care of her. Godfrey-Atchison, an ex-offender herself, is blind in one eye and partially blind in the other. The couple attends church regularly and gives recognition to God for bringing them together and putting them on the right track. In addition to reconnecting with his own two adult children, Atchison has embraced the addition of his wife's six children from previous marriages.

Godfrey-Atchison said people are dumbfounded at his life change, but she herself does not want to know about his past. An ex-offender herself, Godfrey-Atchison believes that what came before her in her husband's life is not important to the man he is today. "The past is the past," she said. "All I know is he isn't the same BJ as he was back then."

A warm and effervescent personality, Atchison attracts people with his broad smile, his firm handshakes and his deep sense of passion-often illustrated when he ends his sentences with a loud "Amen!" He's quick to share his story with others and to talk about the blessings he's received.

On most Saturdays, loyal supporters from around the neighborhood come to hang out and lift weights while they wait to have Atchison trim, cut and shape their hair. Dubbed "Buff 'N Cuts," Atchison's barbershop was merely a fluke that has become a community water cooler in Englewood.

After three months of intensive remodeling, Atchison converted his garage into the small barbershop, complete with a television, stereo system, and matchbox cars "racing" on the speedway design painted on the garage walls and chairs. His friends and relatives donated workout equipment to complete the shop.

"People are not ignorant. [There was a time when] they did not want to be around me," Atchison said. "Now, I am surrounded with people that like my presence. There must be something about me that must be interesting."