Junius Shabazz Higgins

Junius Shabazz Higgins was born November 1, 1975 to Ruby Elzie and Jerome Higgins at Physicians and Surgeons Hospital. Born 2 months premature, he spent the first weeks of his young life in the neonatal ICU being cared for by the nuns and nurses at Schumpert Medical Center. He was baptised at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church by Pastor Herman Anderson as a young boy and spent his formative years living on a family farm on the Copper Road. The multi-acre back yard offered an array of options for a growing boy. It could be said that young Junius never met a bicycle, crawdad fishing pole, a tree branch, or a tractor that he didn't like. Eventually he and his younger brother, Patrick, became enamored with the TV show, The Dukes of Hazzard, which featured 'the Duke Brothers' doing acrobatic tricks in their souped up race car. This led to Junius and Patrick creating an obstacle course in the yard for racing bikes. Others joined. It became so popular that the family yard became a gathering place for kids in the neighborhood.