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What does it take to rebuild a life after spending 26 years in the prison system? My guest for this episode, Alexander Campbell, has an answer. With a candid and raw perspective, Alexander shakes the conversation as he shares his story from the streets of Washington DC to a Virginia prison cell, and finally to a new life as a mentor and a chef. This conversation is a stirring exploration of generational trauma, the struggle for meaningful dialogue among men, and the transformative power of overcoming inherited emotional trauma.
Alexander's narrative takes us on a journey through the culture of DC, where he was born and raised. We experience his reflections on the impact of generational actions and the apology he extended for the mistakes of his generation. The conversation then turns to the challenge men face discussing real issues - a struggle intensified by generational trauma and ego. The discussion unravels the paradox of our ancestors' sacrifices and the difficulty we still face in meaningful dialogue - a struggle that Alexander has lived and now shares with us, offering insights and lessons.
Bringing the conversation to his life post-incarceration, Alexander shares the challenges and realities he faced re-entering society, from rebuilding relationships to finding employment while on parole. His transformation into a mentor for at-risk youth and a chef is a testament to his resilience and determination to not regress. Alexander's story emphasizes the healing power of conversation, especially when addressing inherited emotional trauma. This episode is more than a conversation; it's a lesson in human resilience, generational trauma, and personal transformation - a profound exploration of the human experience. Tune in for this captivating narrative; it is as enlightening as it is life-affirming.
Hey, welcome back to another episode of Let's Just Talk About It podcast. I'm your host, chuck, and if you're here for the first time, this platform was created to give genuine people just like you an opportunity to share a portion of your life's journey. So, with that being said, i'm excited to have special guest Alexander Campbell on with me today, where he talks about how it was for him growing up in Washington DC and what he's up to now after serving 26 years on a life sentence in the Virginia prison system. So, hey, do me a favor, go and grab your husband, your wife, your children, or even call a friend and listen in together to my conversation with Alexander on Let's Just Talk About It podcast. Hey, let's jump right in Today. I have Alexander Campbell on with me today. Man, thank you so much for being on with me today.
Speaker 2:I really appreciate you Absolutely brother, thank you for inviting me and giving me this opportunity. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, man, i love to have those genuine conversations, man, with genuine people just like yourself. So, first of all, alexander, where are you from?
Speaker 2:Man, i am from Washington DC, southeast Wow, southeast Wow, where you living at now. I'm out here in PG County, prince George's County, the number one county for Black America. Wow, shout out to PG?
Speaker 1:Absolutely Yes, sir man. How was it for you growing up in DC?
Speaker 2:It was cool. I come from a military family and started out in DC, but then we went to traveling because Pops was in the Navy. So I was blessed to see a few places North Carolina for a minute, We was in Hawaii for another minute, then we came back to DC And then we came to PG. So I kind of been around.
Speaker 1:So how was it for you like moving around man? Was it rough for you going to different places, leaving your friends and so forth? How was that for you?
Speaker 2:You know, other than leaving family in the early years, just dealing with DC, being around cousins and family and stuff like that, that was always a wonderful thing because family is key, especially when you're young and you've got those cousins that you grow up with because you have them trusted situations. Going over to Hawaii, though, that was different because there's not too many blacks over there, so the few blacks that you have, it was cool in regards to being older, but I was young, so it counted in regards to being able to socialize with anybody. But on my return home, coming back to the city, you have all those experiences when you're young socialize with everybody else, and then you know, when you get the dinner with us, this can be special.
Speaker 1:So you came back to the States, right? Yes, sir, yeah, and you grew up in DC.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i grew up in DC and Maryland. Sometimes I stayed with my grandmother, sometimes I stayed with my mother, who was out here in Maryland. You know, i went to Anacostia, i went to Eastern and then I did a stint at Roosevelt out in Maryland. So you know I had some problems Got you Got you.
Speaker 1:So you was in DC in like the 80s man, because back then DC was like the murder capital, absolutely. Wow, did you ever in that time were you around that kind of stuff?
Speaker 2:You know you was excited about that stuff. Yeah, You went to the Go-Go's. You know I was fighting and stuff like that. So that was part of the coaching Right. And look at them, soldiers, right up in those at that time, forerunners, and offenses, sobs and things like that. You know that can have an effect on a young man's mind. You know DC has a strong coach. At any time Every major city has a strong coach. You know New Orleans got it, los Angeles has it. You know, like with the gang situations out there, that's the culture, that's part of the day, that's part of everyday living. Chicago got its own, the brothers up in New York, they got their style and flow. You know every major city, even Memphis, you know those are cities that got their own cultures.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So man, you older now. You know you in DC. How was it for you when you finally felt like you could come out of the house? you grown now. How was that for you, man?
Speaker 2:I started that early. I was like man, maybe 13 or 14, when I thought about that. You know, because life was weird, you know what I mean, because we were already doing big boy things and then I wasn't a little guy, so I was already doing a lot of things I wasn't supposed to be doing. Yeah, and being immersed in the culture. It was exciting And you know we look at it as insane now, but that was exciting. All the fighting and all of those things and chasing the girls and all that, never really focused on what needs to be focused on, but just being caught up in the culture and man, hey, you know how that can be.
Speaker 1:When you look at the culture now, you just spoke about it When you look at it and it seemed like it's insane. What do you think is going on with the young black male today?
Speaker 2:Well, I know we dropped the ball in my generation.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Talk about it. That's just being real. I explained it like this I went to a high school and spoke not too long.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And what I did was I apologized to the students for their parents. You know, i'm old enough to be their grandfather at this point. I'll be 56 this year. So and this is the reason why I felt necessary to apologize after I explained certain things to them, i said I did, 26 years on a life sentence in VA, did the deadly sin across the mind and in doing so, if I had a child at that time that I went to prison, that means that I went to prison and I was 23 and I came home at 50. So who would have raised my son or my daughter? You see what I mean. So now, with me being 56, that young person would either be around okay, i'm 56, then that person would be like 36, maybe, you know, a little older, a little less. Now they would have a child. Now, what did I pass on from that being there and being a father? You know what I mean. And then what generational curse did I leave behind that would affect it, me having a son or a daughter? You know, i didn't raise my daughter in a way of knowing what man to deal with. What kind of man would she want in her life? My son, i didn't teach him how to be a man, you know, and how to deal with his trials and tribulations, as he's coming up Now with all of that negativity that I left. What negativity did they grow into? that they inherited or picked up on the street? because now we're dealing with street culture. There's no telling what would have happened to my son or my daughter because of the male or the female that was introduced to. They like to help them grow into adulthood, so now they got those issues and they passing them down to their children, which would be my grandchild. So we're dealing with a generational curse in a whole nother level. And because we're dealing with a generational curse on a whole nother level, it's not surprising that these young brothers and sisters are doing what they're doing, because they don't even understand what made them messed up.
Speaker 1:You saying like you opened the door to something they didn't understand.
Speaker 2:Yeah you know, because when did I have a chance to teach them how this world was going to be Right? So I didn't even prepare their pun, male or female. I didn't prepare them. I would have left them to be raised in the street, because there's only but so much you can do from the penitentiary. You know you're more of a ghost than anything else. You can write letters, you can conversate on the phone, but in reality, once they become a certain age, how much are they going to listen to you from the gate? So I don't really blame them, i blame us, and I blame not just my generation. I blame those who had an opportunity as well to help make change. But I understand that a lot of adults feared my group. They were scared of us. They weren't gonna come save us. So I get it. You know what I mean. I had very few people that tried to help me and I appreciate them not realizing what it was back then. But you know you got to be able to relate to these young people. You just can't talk to them. You gotta listen to them And a lot of times it's too late because they already did some things that are on the way to cost them their whole life.
Speaker 1:Do you think it could be fixed that things could turn around? And if you do, what can we do to make what we're seeing better?
Speaker 2:It can be fixed, but it's gonna take a great effort. You know what I mean, Because we got a lot of people that are out there that are more on photo ops. You know, they like to be out there and be seen and take pictures, you know, but they're not really getting down to the nitty gritty because they're not explaining to these young people what the problem is. You know what I mean. If they don't know why they're upset, how you gonna help them? Yeah, you know, we got all these tool chests, you got all these programs. Okay, cool, i got you, no problem. But if you're not gonna be able to fix the root of the issue, then them tools only gonna help us so much If they use them at all. Yeah, you got to be able to relate to these young people. See, i haven't forgotten who I am Absolutely Like you yourself. See, I remember when I almost caught my well, yeah, almost caught my first body at night. I remember that At nine. At nine, wow. I remember how I plotted to kill my own father at 13. I remember how I was smoking bulk. You know, that's that liquid PCP on top of weed.
Speaker 1:Called it bulk.
Speaker 2:Or smoking it, yeah, or smoking a dipper. You know the liquid PCP but you dip in a new port or a cool. See, i remember doing that at 15. You know what I mean. Yeah, and saying some foolish things like you know, a shirm a day, keep the doctor away. Or a sack a day, or keep the doctor away Yeah, you know what I mean. I was tripping there. Yeah, i remember all the fights. I remember getting put out of two high schools and why I got put out them. Two high schools, leaving one dude on the steps in a coma after school and then drinking iced tea on the church steps from across the school in front of the principal's office. You know it would be tattered stuff. You know what I mean. So I remember those things, you know what I mean. And I look back and I say wow, i was tripping, yeah, you know, and not understanding why I was tripping so hard. You know I had to discover that when I was in prison.
Speaker 1:So when you look back over things like that, do you realize now why you were doing it. Was it like you were angry at somebody or something that went on in your life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was angry at my father, but I didn't realize what my father had went through before me. Wow, because he had to deal with abuse, he had to deal with not knowing his true identity and certain things like that. That's deep man. Yeah, you know what I mean. Yeah, and so by him going through all of that and then going on top of that to Vietnam, you know war has a way to destroy a man's mind, yeah, your mind, you see how I come And so he was fighting many demons on the front. You know, he had to deal with his own personal issues Wow, growing up. Then he had to deal with the war issues. So you're dealing with a whole lot of psychological things that have, you know, messed him up Absolutely. So how could he come back and be the father that he was capable of being? Because he didn't leave like that. But he came back and that stuff, you know, and I'm grateful to say that, you know he's good now. I got a lot of love and respect for that guy, right, you know, but it came through a lot of healing And I'm grateful that. You know, when we sat down and we really got to talking like men realized that man, he a hell of a dude, yeah, and I'm grateful that he survived himself And that's the power of it, because the more I talk to him because he's a highly intelligent dude that you know I realized that's where I got that from, where I got my study habits from, you know, and it's just an awesome situation.
Speaker 1:They only did what they could do and what they saw other people do, but none of them really knew how to show affection.
Speaker 2:Right, they didn't get affection. Yeah, because it wasn't cool for men to show love.
Speaker 1:Right, You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:They didn't you know, love the sun, or to embrace them. You know, it was always a hard discipline. Well, i take care of you. That's love, right there. Right, you know, and that's because, like I said, the generation is unfolding, yeah, you know. So we became so hard and callous And it backfired because you had to be hard and callous, because the outside world beat the brother up so bad back in them days. You know what I mean. Because his father was born in 1902. That's two generations up from slavery And depending on how old his father was before my grandfather was born, he might have came out of slavery as a baby, right? Because we know 1865 and my folks got roots in Virginia on my father's side, so it's no telling how old his father was and how much he had to endure. So we talking about some things and traumas And you know, and a lot of us don't understand, that traumas don't stop with that person. Traumas can go beyond that person individual to affect others. That's deep man, that's good, you're right. Yeah, so the traumas that your dad went through could affect you and you not even know it. Not even know it. Wow, and that's where we suffer from as far as people, because a lot of us, you know, we haven't had that hard sit down with our pops And you know, if we're blessed to have one or know him, we haven't been able to sit down with him Or we have not been able to sit down with our mothers because you know to find out some things, ask your mother which she was praying for when she gave you birth. What do you mean by that? Who did she imagine you to be? So we talking some heavy weight stuff? I was blessed to ask my mother that before she passed And I was like, wow, ok. And she had another conversation with me before she passed that like blew my socks off. So I was like, oh man, this is heavier than I was ready for. A lot of us don't understand. You know, when our mothers are giving birth, she got one foot on life and one foot on death. She can die doing childbirth Right. So can a child. So it's a traumatic situation. But, depending on what she was going through, what was she praying for when she had you? Was she looking for somebody that can change the world? Was she looking at somebody that can change who her family is, getting away from what the past represented? You know there's so many keys to that. Only that she would know. What was she praying for when she had you? What was her thought pattern of hoping that she would become? Did she read to you while you was in the womb. What did she look at? What kind of music did she listen to? I mean, there's so many factors into that science that is like, wow, man, i really got to dig this, i really got to understand, because that helps you understand them and it helps you understand what her prayers are and work. So you might be in the manifestation of your mother's prayers right now as you strive for greatness Got you. We don't know what tomorrow might be. Right, you know you might be the next brother on 60 minutes. Who knows, who knows, who knows? But you know, only you know the road that you're going on. We just don't know how that road is going to end, which direction that it goes. Right, right, right, but it's why you should continue to strive, yeah it's real tough.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, man. You're right. You know, when you think about a mother, when they have an their child, what's their hopes of that child becoming something?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, because we got to understand that. Those mothers that came through slavery, what were they praying for, right, you know what I mean. What were they praying for, yeah, when they, sons and their daughters, were being birthed. You know what I mean That sacrifice that they had to make in order for that child to get here, the fears, the doubts, the love. I mean it's a lot, man, and as men, how do we really comprehend?
Speaker 1:Wow, why is it so hard for men to have conversations today, man? It's like it's hard for men just to talk about real things, man, you know, because?
Speaker 2:you're worried about the wrong things. Got you Talk about that, you know? because sometimes our ego getting away, and we're so used to being the he who is the loudest is right, or he who has the most education knows more than everybody else, and so that's what it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but the reality is at the end of the day, you know we still got the same struggles, we still got the same issues. You know money problems, people passed away, so it's like all of us real on on an even playing field man. Yeah, it's just hard for them to have those conversations sometimes.
Speaker 2:It is when was like. You know, i don't know how many males you have in your family, you know that are older. There's a lot of the males in my family They died out because of the age. And then I have some cousins that are like in the mid 60s to 70s man that in trying, you know, making an attempt to talk to them, they got to give you this grandiose story you know about. You know how great they are And it's like I'm looking at them like okay, you know, and so I'm turned off, right, because I'm not coming to you with ego and I really don't care Yeah. I got you. Yeah, you know what I mean. I'm going to give you respect because you're older, but don't think I'm a big slave, because I haven't forgotten what you did when I was a child. You know, you're lucky, i don't whoop you now. So, right, you know I'm lucky, i don't put that work in on you now. So you know, when you push me and when you bully me when I was a little boy, i'm a big boy. Yeah, i'm a big boy. Yeah, you know, not too far removed from prison, so I'm still trained to go. Yeah, so I try to put that dude aside. Yeah, and you know, and I just look at them and it's very rare and you know in all seriousness who you can really take in your trust right, be able to relate and conversate with you. Yeah, Yeah, You know because sometimes yeah, because how many times do people that are older than you just talk to you? There's no conversation. They're giving you instruction, they're not, you know, asking you whether you think you know how can I help you. They already got you figured out, but they don't even know you Right. And that's the problem now with so many of us. When we talk to young people, i can't help nobody young if I can't listen, because he knows or she knows what they're going through at that moment. They know how they feel. Right, i can speculate. If I speculate, then I'm already wrong and they can't trust me because they're going to look at it in the wrong way and say I've judged them. They used to be in judge, wow. So now we got to open up conversation in a way that can work. You know we have to be able to listen to them and give them a voice and say, hey, what's going on? I'm here to talk to you. You know I can prove that. You know you can trust me. Just, you know, observe me, don't watch me, observe me. Yeah, wow, you know. Study what I do, study my current, because a lot of times we go at them with religion, because we forgot how to have faith.
Speaker 1:You know, we forget how we were growing up. We were kids too. Absolutely, absolutely. We forget that part. Yeah. Yeah, you were a child too, yeah.
Speaker 2:It reminds me of that scripture. When I was a child, i thought I was a child as big as a child. Yeah, when I became a man, when I became a man, Yeah. I was a child as things, and a lot of us still. You know, we still haven't put away those childish things.
Speaker 1:That's why I wanted to create this podcast man, to give a platform to have those genuine conversations, because I felt like people weren't talking man anymore. So it's like I wanted to create that platform. We can have those conversations, just like we're doing right now. Just talk, talk about it. You know, you mentioned that you did what 25 years, 26, 26 years. Can we go back to that moment where you had to do that time? What was that all about? Because you never know who's listening some young kid or whatever, thinking that out there, being grown, that is a walk in the park in prison.
Speaker 2:You know, when I caught this child, i thought I had to prove something, and that was one of the hardest things, you know, because when we come up, we always fighting with each other. We always got to be the toughest dude, we coming out of the city always proving how hard I can go, whether I wanted to or not. You know, i lived up to somebody else's ideal of with manhood is, you know, who I should be. So I threw away a lot of stuff, threw away the fact that I could play basketball. I threw away the fact that I had the opportunity to go to a lot of different schools. I threw away a whole lot of stuff, all because I thought I had to prove myself to people that didn't give two tiddles, and that's where a lot of us get caught up at. We think that we got to prove. You know, we're here and gain clout because we want to be on IG today or Facebook, you know, and all these other social media platforms. You know, i got a gun, so I want to shoot. I got this, so I want to go hard. You know the foolishness, and even though we didn't have those things back in the day, it's the same mindset, and so when I went in that courtroom and that's the other part I didn't realize the consequences of my actions. You know and that's something that a lot of people don't understand The cost and the consequences of your actions. We think, okay, we don't pop that gun and we don't you know, we don't kill somebody or we didn't car jack this or we didn't do something outrageous That the consequences are going to be low because we're not fully developing our mental capacity to understand that, hey, this is going to cost you, This is going to cost you, this is gonna hurt. So when they gave me that license, i was like ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, wow, and you know, and when you get in the prison and you realize that, you see, and you know, i remember talking to this dude named JR, like dude, i remember him. He was doing the license on special circumstances, So he had to do 25 before he went up. He was already, i think, on year 30, something like that, even 25 or 30. He was already there And I said I got this license. He said, well, yeah, i just did one. He said you just gotta be a man to do it, otherwise somebody else would be a man Like whoa. You know what I mean And you know you grow up real quick, you know. And then I got to meeting other brothers, brothers doing 25, 30, 35, 40 years. So you know, you get to looking like man and not ever going home. Right, you know, that's some hard stuff. Yeah, you know. And you got a hope that you know somebody will pull you up, like some old heads did with me and some old heads did with yourself. You know that somebody pulls you up and say, hey, bro, you might want to do this, this, that's right, that's right. Man, you might not want to do that that way. That's a long road to hell, bro. Yeah, the object is to go home, no matter how much time you got. Absolutely, that's the goal. So, yeah, that's the goal. So when I thought about it, you know, when I understand the consequences of what I did, i was like whoa, okay, we got to figure this out. Because you know you go through them fights, man, you go through them fights of depression, absolutely. You go through doubt. You know what is normal about when it is hot as hell in your sale And it's like 110 to 130 degrees Been there, yeah, and you land on that concrete floor, yes, sir, with no seat on the floor, straight on the concrete floor Because it's so hot. Shucking the air out the bottom of the door Because that's the only air you got. And then you know you can't go to sleep there because you got to worry about a mouse running on your face. Wow, And it got those hot fans blowing dust Man hot fans And then you can't even open up the fence Because you got the back stuff coming out the fan. You know what's normal about them. Who wants to live there. That's so abnormal, absolutely. So you know in a lot of people don't really grasp that. You know who wants to be around a bunch of men every day. And then the way the system has changed, everybody's in your business. You're not doing time no more, and that's one of the most dangerous parts about it. The stains have changed so hard that at one point prison you had an opportunity to be a man with a good prison. Now you be questioning, because they don't make prison what they call sweet With somebody that don't know better. You know they cool with three hearts in the cock. They cool with joining this or joining that. They cool with not going to school. And you know they're not thinking about their future in regards to how to make it, yeah, how to come out, yeah, they're not looking at the future in that regard. They're looking at it. Well, i'm going to prove something to you in here. Like yo, that's insane.
Speaker 1:Glad you made it out. Appreciate it Of that situation, man. People just don't know, man, it's no fun. So yeah, so what are you up to now? How long you been home, man, i'm going on my sixth year, man. Shout out to you, man, shout out to yo man, yes sir.
Speaker 2:So what are you up?
Speaker 1:to now, man, how's your life going now, since you've been home?
Speaker 2:Man, i've been blessed with a soldier for a wife, bro, i'm going to tell you Talk about it, boy, man, the guy I've been shining his light on me. I don't even know how I was blessed to get her. Yeah, but I'm a happy camper. I can tell you that, man, she's a soldier. I can tell you that She's a soldier. She's a soldier And much as I respect her, i really respect that lady. I really respect her a lot Because, man, i got to understand her And you can understand this because you're just being real. I was locked up from the age of 23 to 50. How in the hell would I understand how to have a relationship with a woman? How would I understand it? You have them little girls while you in there. You can go, not little girls, but you meet some women. But it's not like coming home and eating and having a real conversation, because I'm 15, 20 minutes on the phone and them little visits And you know them things. Ok, you might have dipped with a CO or you might have dipped with a counselor, but that's not even real. But how do you really deal with a relationship with a woman who's been out living her life for all that time You've got to deal with. Whatever she dealt with, whatever trauma she dealt with, whatever blessings and success that she dealt with, you had to grow And I had to grow. You know what I mean. And I had more real conversations with her And I sometimes joke than I have ever had with any of you man, because she cared enough about me to tell me the truth. You know, like Slim, hey, look at it, you need to do X, y and C. That's how you want to make it out here, otherwise you're going to be the average dude and you're going to go back And I ain't going to be with you Just like that, just like that. No cut. You know, like she said to me, you know she could do bad all by herself, she wouldn't need no help Because on paper I look bad, i look rough, you know, and she's a highly successful individual. So it was like she was like. You know, i would not advise this. You, 50, coming home on a murder case. Yeah, you know, you don't spend 26 years in prison. You haven't been with a woman. So what are the likelihoods of you running around with this girl that good, you might want to chase to see if you can have a child, or you know, because you're not going to be making the money. You're just starting back out and you got to figure this. And then, how long does your body last when you think you're going to work construction for the next 20 years? Right, right, you know she has a real soul to come face to face with And I'm grateful, yeah, you know what I mean, because that's what a brother needs, but he has to be a soul to him, be able to handle the conversation Right, because there's a lot of sisters out here that are good men, good soldiers, but a lot of brothers don't understand. You know, in order to have a soldier in your life, you got to be a soldier, got to be one, yeah. All that arguing, cussing them out, doing this and doing that, that ain't going to help you, especially when somebody's trying to help you understand the landscaping which you're coming home to, because a lot of us think we got all the ass. We ain't been home for two days, just two, just two days. She been out here the whole time living life. You going to tell her what it is, what it is Like you going to win? Yeah, and when she asked you to be a soldier, then you looking at her like I'm a soldier, you don't know.
Speaker 1:No, she don't know, hitting your chest.
Speaker 2:That ain't no question. Now, you mad, you want to ball your face on up on a fighting cat man If you don't sit yourself down Facts, man.
Speaker 1:Hey, a lot of people feel like, man, when you come out of prison, you going to go right back. You proven it wrong, man, and I just want to give you a shout out, man, and tell you man, thank you for holding up And thank you for being that example that you can make it out here and be successful.
Speaker 2:Appreciate that soldier Because it was. You know it's a challenge Because I'm still on parole And you know there's jobs that I can't get. Can't get, yeah, you know, because I'm still on parole. Because a work as a peer support specialist that's somebody that you can talk to, that's gone through the same things you went through but can guide you into being successful Wow, you know what I mean. And there's certain jobs because I'm on parole and because of the governmental that in my field, they're like, oh no, not until you get off parole. And it's like, wow, because under the old law you can't get a job in Virginia. A license is the equivalent to 600 years, and even though I didn't, did despise on this, you know they still looking like, oh no, you ain't done enough. And it's like, okay, you know I don't do no wine, i don't do no crying. Of course I want to be off of it. But I understand why I went to prison too, you know, and I don't blame nobody but me for going to prison. I accept responsibility for my actions. So in my endeavors and the things that I do, you know, i don't allow that to hinder me from being who I'm capable of being Right, you know we're not going to allow nobody else to dictate in regards to my success. You know, because I look at it as okay, you still hold me on parole. Okay, i'm looking at that 600 years, all right, so that means that I won't get off parole until 2592. 2592. Yeah, that's 600 years. I got locked up in 1992. I'm still on parole. So they say that's the equivalent of 600 years. So it was 2592,. You know I can travel all 50 states and US territories. I'm cool, you know, i can do other things that I want to do And eventually I get a passport. But I'm not going to allow them to determine what my vision is of my success. Right, and you have to have that determination. You know what I mean, because when I came home, there wasn't jobs. You know, in regards to what I wanted to do, because I didn't have a history of working, you know, dealing with those gaps, i went to DC Central Kitchen. That gave me an opportunity. I became a mentor to at risk youth, as well as being a chef. After that, i was blessed to be able to go to the Georgetown University in regards to doing a program called the pivot program Wow. And that gave me a certification in entrepreneurship and business, and so I'm working with the peers of books. I want to build that up as a business. Speaking to brothers and doing this, i've been blessed to speak several times in several places. So you know we building it up, you know it just takes time. You gotta have the heart. You just can't fall backwards and say, man, this is too hard, now I'm going to go ahead and get that hammer And then I'm going to go ahead and pick up that package and we're going to go and regress back to what we were doing before. Absolutely not, absolutely not, absolutely not. Because what are you sacrificing? Yeah, you know what will you be sacrificing? The people that love you yourself? Yeah, you know what I mean. Like you know, like you haven't given people enough time and the thought of having to clean out of toilet so I can wash my clothes, yeah, and you know the food is worse than it was. then, yeah, you know, there's no guarantee that you're going to live through it, whether it's the food, psychologically or whatever else. You're challenging ways that man is not even saying and then to regress into that savage state or back into that mindset. Man, what is the value of that? Right, you know and then you know we're older now. How much time do you have left to get these people?
Speaker 1:You're right. You know, man, that's suicide. It is definitely man. As we close out, man, i want to ask this question. I love the ads. If you could go back, alexander, and talk to the younger you, what would you say to him?
Speaker 2:That I would punch me in my face. Boy, i would punish Slim. You would have got him. I would have got him. I would have asked oh, you like to fight anyway? Yeah, let's get it in, Let's get this out of. Punish him, i would have changed his whole perspective.
Speaker 1:He didn't want to hold a different direction.
Speaker 2:Now I would have punished him. I would have punished him some kind of tough and then I would have sat him down and talked to him. Right, you know, i just sat him down after that and talked to him like Slim, you know, you you got a whole shoebox full of people want to give you a scholarship to play basketball. Wow, you and your junior year. Going into your junior year, you made honorable mention, mcdonald's, all American and basketball. And you're going into your junior year, you was already being looked at. All you got to do is go to school and play ball. You had certain colleges offering you whole scholarships in your junior year, junior year. What would possess you to want to get high fight all the time. You know, chase them, girls all the time. You're doing everything to self-sabotage and you don't even understand why. You know you want to run out here and fight everybody. You want to do this, you want to do that And only because you want to impress somebody. Wow, you know you want to be a big boy. So, yeah, i did knock myself out and knocked him out. I would have punished him and dragged him up on the bleachers and then we could have a conversation after I got him a soda, got you, i had a whooped him, yeah. And then you know, when you look back at yourself and you're saying, wow, because those 26 years I'll never be able to get back. And I think about all that time that I wasted to be able to go to all of those schools. And even when I got a break and I went to Anacostia, then I wanted to act, right, you know, and I had a knee injury, but I still bounced back to become a to play in the DC All-Star game And you know, and in the summer league I was a beast until, like I said, i messed my knee up. And it's like, man, i look back, i had the chance to go to UNLV right after Larry Johnson and then graduate. So I had some opportunities, man, You know, that's why I had to work. Me, man, you, where would you be? You know what I mean. Where would you be? How would you be living? Because I'm looking back, i don't even have any children And that's like, wow, i'm gonna have any children. And I'm looking at my nephew And my wife told me she said, no, you ain't gonna want no son or a daughter at this point in your journey. You ain't got the energy slump And I'm laughing right like what are you talking about, man? I came home, i'm doing 1500 push ups, 1500 squats. I can run 10 miles and straight go, man, i'm gonna tell you a funny story And I'm keeping sure I have a nephew, a great nephew. He's fucked man. The first time I was playing with him he put me down at four At four he punished me.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, he put me down.
Speaker 2:So one day he come over the house. I'm playing with him, i'm calling on the floor with him, i'm chasing them, i'm throwing them around and all of that. We have a bowl. I drink a five hour energy drink. Got you? I got him today. John Got him. I'm gonna punish him. I got it. Man. That little boy picked up the pillow, he threw it on the sofa, he climbed up on the sofa and he lay his head down. I swear to God, it'll look like 10 seconds And that joke will pop his eyes back open, type of I'm ready, ready to go again. Slim, i was ready to go to be.
Speaker 1:Four years old. Four years old, punish me. Yeah, they got another type of energy. today No naps.
Speaker 2:No nap. He just closed his eyes. I swear it was like 10 seconds. I said who got it? No, he's squabbling my eyes back over the lap. That means that I'm ready.
Speaker 1:I tapped out Yes sir, i tapped out, i had to figure it out. So you say your wife was right, slim, you need no kids at this age.
Speaker 2:No, no, she was right 10,000%.
Speaker 1:Wow, hey, man, it was good having this conversation with you, man, i really appreciate you.
Speaker 2:I enjoyed this conversation as well, brother. Thank you for having me on man.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, man, we're going to get together again and do this another time. Until then, man, thank you again for being on. Let's Just Talk About It podcast. I really appreciate you, alexander. Do you have any arms to social media, like things you're up to now that you want to share?
Speaker 2:Well, i'm working on a couple of things that I'll be out in a minute. I'm on ID but I haven't posted in a while. I got some other things that I'm plotting on, you know. I want to bring out a plate and a couple other things that I got You know and I'm working on, like I said, with this peer support. I got some trainings coming up that you know. When I break back out That uh, Keep going, man.
Speaker 1:Keep going. Look forward to him what you're doing, man. Thank you so much again and I really appreciate you. Thank you, brother, and stay blessed. Yes, sir, you too. Wow, what an amazing conversation. Shout out to my friend, alexander Campbell, for having this dialogue with me. You know one of the things he said that really stuck out to me, with the fact that all of us can inherit some form of Emotional trauma, whether it be for my parents or our grandparents, and not even realize it, and then it becomes generational. But after listening to Alexander, we realized now that it could be all worked out by having a simple Conversation. So shout out to you, alexander, as always. Thank you so much for tuning in to let's just talk about it podcast, and please check out my website. Just Google Let's just talk about it podcast, calm, and then hit that subscribe button to receive all the new episodes every Friday. You can also find me on Facebook. Just type in Chuck LJ T a I, which means let's just talk about it. So, as always, until next time, don't hold it in, but let's just talk about it. Talk to you soon.
