It’s been more than a decade since Jonathan Perry put on a Dunbar football jersey, yet the images still stick with him.
At the forefront are memories in relation to his former teammates and coaches, the ones he stood alongside as a quarterback for a Poets program that won three straight Class 1A state titles from 2006 to 2008. But just as prevalent are the flashbacks to seeing drugs, glass and needles on the practice fields.
Growing up in East Baltimore had its challenges and Perry didn’t realize just how “not normal” his childhood was until he got to the University of Alabama-Birmingham to continue his football playing career in college.