LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Dewayne Smithers knew Father Norman Fischer for 14 years. That's why he says it hurt when Fischer suddenly passed away on July 15.
"So, when I got the news, it's like you know my whole world was shook because I wasn't expecting that you know. I'm talking to him on Sunday through Instagram, and then you know 24 hours later he's just gone suddenly,” says Dewayne.
Dewayne says he needed an outlet to get through his grief. He recently released a music video, "I miss you much," as a tribute to his friend.
He says, "So it's not easy to deal with. So, a lot of people be like 'men shouldn't cry'. No, men should cry. You know you should get it out. So, this is my way of getting it out."
A lot of people in Lexington knew Father Norm, but Dewayne says there was another side that fewer got to see.
"You know he would just come in, take off his priest collar, and we would just sit down and talk, like real conversations. So, I was able to see a side of him that most people didn't see. And for me I count that as an honor and a privilege,” says Dewayne.
He's a youth motivational speaker. He says he's seen the stigma—especially among young Black men—that says you shouldn't show your emotions. He says you have to find a way to express yourself.
"Rapping and poetry for me is a way of getting all my grief out, getting all my trauma out, being expressive -- especially toward the younger black men of our community because a lot of them are taught if you cry man you're a punk, if you show emotion like you're a punk,” says Dewayne.
He wants this song to bring peace to anyone who's lost a loved one and to encourage people to continue to carry Father Norman Fischer’s light.
Dewayne says, "He was like the gift that kept on giving and now the gift is gone. So now what we have to do, we have to step up and you know like continue his legacy and like being a light to the world and treating people equally, you know with love and with compassion."
For more information about the song and Dewayne Smithers, you can visit his website by clicking here.
