Apr 4, 2008 9:07 pm US/Eastern
Paralyzed Girl Teaches Power Of Forgiveness
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Kai and her mother will be receiving the Lee F. Jackson achievement award from the Urban League for their work in bringing the community together.
WBZ
Kai Leigh Harriott turns 8 next month. We first heard her name five years ago when she became the victim of a random shooting.
On Saturday night, she becomes the youngest person ever honored by the Urban League.
She is smart, sweet and soft-spoken -- and it's worth listening hard to hear what she has to say.
Lisa: Do you think you will walk?
Kai: Yes.
Lisa: How often do you think about that?
Kai: All the time.
It was 2003 -- a July night. Three-year-old Kai was on her third floor porch with her sister Aja. "There were... shots, shooting sounds... and one hit me. So Aja took me in the house and I felt like I was floating," explains Kai.
The shooter was Anthony Warren, who was standing in front of Kai's house when he sprayed three bullets into the air.
In court, Kai spoke to the man who put her in a wheelchair. "I forgive Anthony Warren," she said. "What he done to me was wrong, but I still forgive him."
Lisa: How did you know you wanted to do that?
Kai: I never wanted to be mad for the rest of my life, and God told me to forgive.
Kai's mother Tonya David also forgave Warren, and accepted his apology with a hug. "I just knew it was a choice I had to make," she said. "Because if I allowed that anger to consume me, I wouldn't have been able to be the mother I needed to be for the children."
Lisa: Because otherwise you carry it around?
Tonya: Hmm, hmmm.
Tonya has made it her mission to spread the message. She is working to create a foundation called "Forgiveness is the Way."
"Can you imagine the kind of place we would live in if everyone got along and forgave one another? It's a choice and are you willing to free yourself from the anger that you either hold against someone, or you are holding within yourself?"
Lisa: When you look into the future, what do you see for her?
Tonya: Anything she wants to be. I believe she'll be able to do it. I believe that she's gonna be walking.
Lisa: What are the things that make you feel the free-est now?
Kai: Being able to, um, do things on my own. I want to be the girl who can run up and down and play.
Lisa: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Kai: An artist, a veterinarian and a librarian.
Kai and her mother will be receiving the Lee F. Jackson achievement award from the Urban League for their work in bringing the community together.
Where do Kai and her mother find their strength? In a word...God. They are deeply religious, very close and committed to helping other people let go of their anger and live better, more peaceful lives.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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