JOE MANNS BLACK WALL STREET AWARDS | WOODLAWN | 15TH ANNIVERSARY
A West Baltimore brother’s journey from addiction to recovery, from struggle to strength
(WOODLAWN – May 27, 2026) – Having honored more than 3,000 individuals in nine cities over the past 15 years through the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, I am constantly reminded to remember those individuals who have helped me personally along the road of life.
While we often celebrate entrepreneurs and business leaders, I also believe it is important to recognize those pure souls we encounter in life who have remained authentically themselves — people who have endured hardship, fought through adversity, and still found a way to give back.
That is Darryl Green.
I first met Darryl back around 1983. Well, truthfully, I remembered him from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, but we also both worked in the Stay In School Program at the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn.
If you are from Baltimore, chances are you know somebody who works at Social Security. The Woodlawn campus is the national headquarters — bringing thousands of jobs to Greater Baltimore. Through the years, Darryl and I stayed connected.
We both saw life in the streets.
Through it all, there was always mutual respect.
One day out of the blue, Darryl called and said he was on his way over with some food. I later learned he was cooking for a men’s recovery house in Sandtown where he worked. I had seen him around the neighborhood before, and he began telling me about the work he was doing in recovery.
This award is simply my way of saying: “Bravo, homeboy.”
Clearly, you have done the work to earn your way.
Keep it up.
Born and raised in West Baltimore, Darryl grew up in a neighborhood shaped by poverty, limited resources, and the strength of a mother doing everything she could to raise him and his younger brother, Peanut. From Franklin Square Elementary to Pimlico Middle School, and later Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Forest Park High School, Darryl’s early years were marked by both promise and challenge.
After two years at Poly, school staff told him he was not showing the “characteristics of a Poly graduate,” a painful moment that pushed him to transfer to Forest Park High School, where he graduated in 1983. Looking back, that moment foreshadowed the resilience that would later define his life.
For years, Darryl battled active addiction, enduring some of the darkest chapters imaginable. He openly speaks about the disappointment in his sons’ eyes, including the painful moment when his firstborn told him he wished his uncle was his father. He remembers falling off the Light Rail and breaking multiple ribs. He remembers nearly losing his life after falling into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Eventually, Darryl became tired of being tired.
On January 15, 2022, he chose recovery — and he has remained sober ever since.
His transformation has not only changed his life, but the lives of countless others throughout Baltimore.
In 2023, Darryl became a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, dedicating himself to helping others find the same hope he fought so hard to reclaim. Today, he works at Crossroads Wellness, where he is known for his authenticity, humor, honesty, and reliability — the kind of man people affectionately call “My brother,” “My A1 since Day1,” or simply “My ace.”
His values are simple but powerful: honesty, integrity, and taking life one day at a time.
His favorite joke — “Do you have $20?” — reminds people where he came from and how far he has come. And his saying at work, “We take things to another level at Crossroads,” reflects the pride he carries in both his recovery and his service.
Before becoming a peer specialist, Darryl spent much of his life cooking — using food to bring people together. Today, he brings people together through something even deeper: hope, connection, compassion, and lived experience.
Through his work with Crossroads Wellness and collaborations with organizations such as Common Humanity Mission, Tru Healing, Penn North, Tuerk House, Charm City Care Connection, the University of Maryland, and treatment centers throughout Baltimore City and County, Darryl has become a trusted figure in the recovery community whose impact stretches from Baltimore City to Queen Anne’s County.
Now in his 60s, Darryl Green is being honored at the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards — WOODLAWN for not only overcoming adversity, but for choosing to give back, uplift others, and lead by example.
For me personally, this honor carries special meaning because I have watched Darryl’s journey from boyhood to manhood — from struggle to strength, from surviving to serving.
Darryl Green is proof that redemption is real.
He is proof that recovery is possible.
And he is proof that Black men in Baltimore continue to rise, rebuild, and give back.
The Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards — WOODLAWN will take place Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 pm at Shura, 6665 Security Boulevard in Woodlawn.
