Tyrone Ash and Kiplyn Primus

00:03 My name is kiplin Primus. I am 54 years old today is March 1st 2016. I'm at storycorps Atlanta and I'm talking to a new friend. Mr. Tyrone Ash. Thank you. My name is Tyrone. Alexander Ash. I am 65 years old just turned in that February the date. They today's date is March 1st 2016. I too am at story Corp here in Atlanta and talkin with my newfound friend. I'm sure going to be for life.

00:40 Mr. Ash, thank you so much for agreeing to come today. And I know you want to talk about this project that you're doing with your granddaughter. But before we get there, I want to start back and talk about you. You're from the Bahamas. That's where you grew up. Could you talk a little bit about your childhood? What was it like growing up in the Bahamas? And what part of the Bahamas where you went. Well as you can listen to my voice, you can hear the lack of a Bahamian accent. Well, I came to the states with my family. I was the fifth child at 2 years old. So at 2 years old in 1953 so I can tend to have not gained no Bahamian accent, but I came here when I was here in the states at 2 years old. It was all new to me new to my all of my family.

01:40 We were really kind of tight-knit family with churchgoers are all that good stuff. Our neighborhood was in Hollywood, Florida be migrated through the Port of Miami had a good time always growing up with a loving friends family everywhere and everyone so my childhood without me knowing it begin with

02:06 The desegregation and the Brown versus Board of Education. So I was a two three year old kid at the time didn't know how it was going to impact me and as time went on I was beginning to realize it or I became president of my 5th grade class 6th grade class all the way to my

02:30 10th 11th year, so, you know at that time we still had a bit of segregate desegregation going on. So, where's the black class? I was a president for the whole class school class. I wasn't so interesting Lee enough my class begin integration in Broward County. We were the first totally integrated School in Broward County. Someone decided that they will take

03:00 Five Junior High's from all over the city.

03:05 And put us all in 10th Grade together for a first year of integration and it went well there in that first year. I became the first president in the school history. So that whole part of board of education on Brown versus Board of Education. Excuse me. I became totally immersed in it. But as I said earlier by being president from 5th grade all the way up through Junior High and believe it or not, even in our reunions, I was still president. So I've always had that a roar that the beetle leader. I don't always want to be the leader but nobody else would take the position. So I end up being the one that became the leader. So my whole life has been somewhat

03:55 Leading put being out front willing to take the strikes to hits for a for doing that. I did not get a scholarship even though I was a scholar athlete. I did not get a scholarship in the schools. Cuz this is 1966 in the middle of the civil rights movement. And I was accused alleged to have led several civil disobedience is at the school where they weren't all my ideas. Do you know somebody say, oh we going to do this and I said, yeah, we all do that in so I'm right there with them, but they didn't say that I was the leader of it, but that's the way it kind of went interesting ly enough the show's goes to show you.

04:42 We came to school one day my senior year.

04:45 The principal eloped with the assistant principal and they were both married. So I'm telling me it's the kind of life that we were able to have in in during those times. So some of the white students for sale all the new principal is going to be one of those military guys are going to get your in people in order. And so the principal's first day someone decide what listing him a message so we are schools located in an affluent neighborhood where we all were integrated. Well the blue principles first day of school.

05:26 Someone said we're not going to school today, even though we caught the bus has their we're not going to school today. So all of us got together winning all the classroom tell all of the other African-Americans, we're not having school today. We finna go home. And so we all walked out the school and walked the two and a half miles back to our neighborhood. And what was that to do that? How old were you sending a message by doing that because we were always telling our parents about the treatment we will receive you know, but during that. A lot of our parents thought that being integrated would give us a better education what that's what they knew. Well we were the ones who was experiencing and we knew that there were

06:14 Injustice has an equal treatment and it was all getting tracked it toward us focused on us. So we knew what was going on and we were just oh well go to school get your education. That's the most important thing. We didn't go along with that. So we had to get a message to my parents as well as a message to the school that we're not going to take this. So how did your your parents and what about your older sibling because when schools were integrated your right parents were like this is your chance. This is your opportunity to get this good education sitting next to these white kids. So when you all were protesting the treatment, how did your parents react

07:03 I had great parents great parents in that they were they were not highly educated but they were had a whole room full of degrees in common sense. And so they taught us with all that, says and so they knew that I wasn't a troublemaker. Okay, I couldn't be that because of the way we grew up teachers were common common common people walking into a houses all the time cuz that's how I parent. You are going to get an education cuz of the teacher is going to be my friends and so they were always in and out of the house so we couldn't act up in school. So can a cup in the community are all of my older brothers and sisters were athletes Scholars at school everybody in the community. Most people in the county knew my family so we couldn't be in public acting up nowhere. So

08:01 They were somewhat surprised at that time. I graduated I didn't tell you what I came from a family of 11 children. So most at that time with me, most of my older brothers and sisters were all gone off at school. So I will Solace and at that time.

08:21 Parents knew that something wasn't right for me to be involved in that kind of activity. So only thing they could do is say what we got to straighten it out because this ain't nothing this is it ain't right and then what's wrong something was wrong? Okay, cuz that was part of my classmates with that long, but it was everybody it was everybody right? So you talk about your older siblings, but what about your parents? What was it like for them to come from the Bahamas to the US that was that was interesting.

09:03 And are we all talked about it? We being all my brothers and sister sometime talk about how courageous that would have been it was one two three.

09:16 For I was number 5 and my younger brother was two months from being born so they came up with like six five kids with one in the oven, you know, and they just left everything. My mom was entrepreneur had her own business. He built it from selling sandwiches in the Bahamas out of her back door. So she ended up getting a corner store and and but she knew that

09:46 The Bahamas at that time did not have opportunities to offer on so.

09:54 Apartment her my father and her got together and decided that they were going to buy some tickets and move to America. Fortunately. My father's half-brother live in Dania, Florida. That's right there by Hollywood. And so we began

10:16 And his home so we all got together and live from there. My mother was so proactive that she couldn't stay there long. She want her own place. So we end up moving into an apartment.

10:31 Then we move into.

10:34 A rental house

10:36 Then we moved into another apartment cuz she just was trying to get her feel for American. Well, she end up buying a home first you bought lots and then with my father always all over the city found this home that they actually moved on a trailer to the lot that they said that they had purchase and so rather than just get a single light.

11:05 My mom insisted on a double lot. So here she was by this time. There's probably seven eight kids. She's been here what five six years and so we end up my mother and father actually sitting standard in that Library community because how could a mother and a father with all of these kids? Not all welfare? Okay kids don't beg nobody ask nobody for no food, and they didn't bought a house on a double lot. Hey, what are we doing? Are we better wake up at night, but that was the standard that they said so everybody knew was the neighborhood because star athletes and Scholars. So everybody was telling the kids while y'all are too kind of be like them ashes. You know, it kind of got us two

12:05 Where we were always so when I leave apples and so that means we couldn't be loose could get in trouble, right?

12:15 My mom had the kind of personality where

12:20 When she walked into a room she was about 5, maybe 5 feet 5 one when she walked into a room.

12:30 Everything stopped and she glowed and everybody would pay attention to her my father.

12:41 Was Paul

12:47 He did a lot of work.

12:52 Excuse me. He did lawn work. So he had a broad stature. Then he walked with a lot of dignity so valves physical traits kind of help describe the kind of personalities that they would have and now what did your mom do because she being an entrepreneur in the Bahamas? So what did she do when you all immigrated here to did what they call at that time. They work on hotels on the beach.

13:23 But that's the children start coming mother and dad got together said you can't take care of the kids and wanted to so she can up just become a housewife and mother and your dad had his lawn business at his lawn business and he wrote The Bicycle Believe It or Not So, how do you do a lawn business? Well, he at a boys so he had always had someone who could drive. So the drivers are we scared his equipment to one spot at a certain time and he come and do the work and they pick it up and take it to the next right. Now. What did they share with you about living in the Bahamas beach everyday diving for conch?

14:17 Schools were important and they like the school because it seemed as if they knew they were getting smarter and smarter every day. It's almost as if they were challenging the teacher to be able to create new information for them. And so that's the what they told me that they enjoyed quite a bit. But because at that time the Bahamas was still a commonwealth of the British so it wasn't independent yet.

14:50 And so there were political conflicts.

14:55 Some people may call them riots, but it was between

15:00 The majority in the majority was of people of Bahamas who at color? Okay to Menard. It was the Europeans who had all the control and they decided that they were not going to go with that anymore.

15:18 So eventually Bahamas became independent but that man that that was the kind of

15:26 Pretext what's really? Push my parents to move us to America now. Tell me the story about your great great great great great. Great tells the story of my aunt who just passed last year. I will come to America to visit her niece. I mean her uncle that was my father and her mother.

15:54 Was from the Congo and told her stories? Okay that she got from her mother. So these are stories that was going that was that was coming down and soul in the story. We were able to trace my great-great-grandfather name Timothy Ash okay to

16:17 Through 22222 oral history. So now the story goes that he was actually captured in the Congo.

16:27 Put on the ship to pack go through the middle passage of the Atlantic.

16:34 And when the ship docked in the Cat Island of the Bahamas, he actually put his wrist into the furnace and actually burned his chains off and then he swam to the to the island and this was free. So he was never a slave during that time in the Bahamas.

17:00 You had a lot of

17:03 Freeman that were black they work all free men of color right free men of color and so

17:11 They were able to own land get jobs take care of themselves which made it difficult for slave owners because their slaves want to be just like them and so it became a real battle for the slave owner + slavery did not work. Well in the Bahamas, they could not do plantations. So he had now all of his labor, but where is the work, you know, we're still work for them. So they're in that story, you know, we were able to actually come across the facts love of her so we had so he had a son named Timothy Ash.

17:55 II didn't empty Ash had a son that became Timothy Ash the third which is my father brought my grandfather. Okay, but he was the father of my father. So the records actually in the Bahamas can be traced up to take me to the 3rd and we knew about 10 minutes seconds. So when Timothy the first that's what we call him was captured it and in on the Atlantic in the Middle Passage, that would have been during the time of the Haitian revolution back in the 1750 1780s. So at this point we can trace our family directly on the way back to that time. In the Haitian revolution that was Toussaint to something right when he overthrew the French, correct, correct, even though he never experienced it Tucson didn't dessalines actually completed the job.

18:54 Too tired in my great-great-grandfather triumphant over the Middle Passage and Selene kicking the French out of out of Haiti if you know, so that was the start of some very good stuff in the world. I think that is such a wonderful story of Tim. Ash Boutique couldn't have known where he was or what was going to happen. No, but he just knew he needed to be free right and he wanted well as my aunt puddin.

19:29 That's what makes our genes our family genes so strong I was because he was determined to keep

19:39 Surviving so that his seeds that the family that he left in the Congo did not end with him. Okay, so that's why she said we are so strong that we have to continue to love one another and it's past and what is happening is the other part of our family the help Burns.

20:04 Have oral history wear when the slave slave trade became Under Fire to stop all of the slave trade. Some of the slave ships was actually enter enter interdicted. I believe so time for it some of the hepburns which was part of our family through marriage was set free, which means they never was slave. So you have here you have two families.

20:36 Which is unusual it is that join together to become one family and the ancestors of picture. I can meet you at something never were slaves. No people enslave mom wasn't safe. And so to me that's a real prideful thing. It should be but at the same time I use it as an example or as a fax as a fact that truism for people of African descent, especially in America to realize that you got irish-americans. You got german-americans. You got English Americans Japanese-Americans. What does African American mean you come from Africa, but we would want to say no. I don't know nothing about that. That's not my country. Well,

21:33 I'm sorry, but you know that's interesting and it was when I was growing up people would say to to me about a family man. Y'all feeling a little good boy, if y'all could bottle whatever y'all got inside of you and package to that boy y'all to be millionaire. So I heard that couple of times when I was growing up and so

22:04 So do you think that that work ethic and that leadership stems from that refusal to follow the norm the refusal to to just stay in line with whatever was going on with that absolutely and it shows and it shows not just in me, but almost every one of our children and ever even when we meet new family member we look at them some of us use the same names of the other members of the family way back and they all seem to care that same pridefulness about themselves. You know, my great-great-grandmother was short like my mother

22:47 And they said she carried a big stick so many ass with someone that you just could not mess with she wouldn't give you the time of day, but don't mess with her. So it's all became real real.

23:02 In the family and just kept passing that I'm passing out passing out and I believe that important simply because we got to have some standards to work with. Yeah, and so we can work with those standards.

23:17 I think I'll children would be better. So now you have continued to mention that your family your siblings. You all were scholar-athlete what how did being an athlete figure into it? How was Athletics apart of what you all appreciated and contribute it to We Were

23:39 All those play football. I meant a football mom being the lady that woman with high-caliber the girls never did they were music dance ballet piano that kind of thing, but all of the boys were

23:59 Rough and tumble track stars basketball Stars football stars some of them play music. I was not one of those but all of us oldest brother was president of his class. He was the first one to

24:18 Work at Florida Power and Light which is the power company in the front office. They had other people working lies outside the ground but he was the first one to work in the front office at first African wrap to work in the front office. So our Athletics without us wanting it to be just kept us in the public eye, you know, so after you get the taste of being popular in the public eye, you don't give a tuppenny going back next year and get some mowing. So and then I grew up and watching all of my older brother to get all of this old lady is in the paper. I want some of that and because of my father's stature on the community and we were able to perform well,

25:09 Sure, that's a test that I've give to all of my younger nieces and nephews. Okay. My oldest was Rudolph Rudolph Rudolph Ash and I forget the age he would have been when we came to the states right now, but I can figure that out then and he end up dying about three years after graduating from high school or him and his friend who was in the service came home on break and they was out double-dating with the girlfriends and at that time a lot of railroad crossings didn't have the gate and the signal at one came through barreling through like 45 50 miles an hour. No. No horn no nothing and just wiped out the whole little for young people.

26:05 My next brother was Anthony Ash. He still living so he's the oldest today.

26:14 He went to school University of Illinois. I think he's probably coming right around 70.

26:21 Maybe 72 about now. So he went to University of Illinois want to be a pilot and during that time of going to the University of Illinois. Sorry, but you can have what it takes to be a pilot. So it's somewhat crushed him, but he graduated graduated in industrial education.

26:47 Introduced filmmaking and in to industrialize and they actually asked him to come to DC to talk about how he filmmaking works for the Charlotte. But it to him it was like helping new skills. So that's how he did that. He came back to Florida and worked in the union for a while teachers union and now he's retired didn't have any kids his wife. He's a widower cuz his wife passed then there's Catalina. She's the oldest girl Helena, right? And so we generally called her to General because she was always in charge when Mom and Dad wasn't they always make the oldest girl the one in charge and sold. She was a what and she kept.

27:42 And she kept you all in line to line and she knew that the condition of the house was her responsibility mom going to come home if you want to clean out and then she never said that she had to do all the work. She just wanted a clean house though. That's what she made sure that all of us did, you know did what we supposed to do so her thing because of her all the boys learn how to cook take care of our house. We are in our own clothes with the creases that stand make your jeans stand up are you doing so because she wasn't going to do it learn how to watch all of it. So she was a suit she did a very great job for us and then there's Philip.

28:30 I think that's the one I was talking about the had his back surgery today that is here in Atlanta. He lives in Atlanta. He's a more spiritual in terms of his beginning that he wanted to hate that he chose.

28:46 And so him and his family is doing well. He was the only one he was one of the ones that played tennis in sports. He did well still doing well cuz Rudolph it's only one that has passed out of all of us been me Tyrone Erykah Badu like my parents knew that there was something special about the name Tyrone and only thing I could come up with cuz it's nowhere in our family. Okay, then know where there's no other Tyrone in the family that I know of at 9 I've gone back and be there to try to find width is during

29:36 My birth the actor Tyrone Power, okay, which by itself is a powerful that Tyrone Power cancel that that went. Well that went well. Well then unama's Michael.

29:55 Let me put this so I don't have to say it to all of them.

30:00 All of us with the college from Rudolph all the way down to the baby. They'll ever won seven of us graduated. There's about five additional degrees additional higher education and

30:18 And all of the kids are kids are college graduates are on the way getting there. So Michael was one that went to college broke his wrist. He was more the quintessential athlete of the family, but when he went off the flooring and he broke his wrist in summer before the season started as a freshman.

30:42 He just said he going to enjoy College University don't go for that so he came on back so he he he he went but he never graduated now. He has two sons. That's a spitting image of it twins that good and everything that they touch and they have that competitive Spirit, you know, when he's married with his wife who's from Jamaica then after Mike. There's Christine. She's the second girl. So you had all of these boys and girl Christine and Christine is

31:31 The image of a mother sweet come silent

31:37 But she got an iron fist. Okay, so she covers with that velvet glove and that's what the

31:46 And that's how Chris is? Okay, then you have Timothy who's retired from the service who's into technology?

32:01 Who has a son whose name Timothy and he has three kids interesting enough his daughter which is his second child is now councilwoman in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Then his youngest son. Joey is playing football is oldest son Timothy.

32:25 Began

32:28 Making his own drones programming them to fly at everything else. So major company came and got my forgot which one that it will work for them. He still has like two years or a year-and-a-half a college to finish and we keep telling me why you making the money just go to college at night get it out the way it may come back to you may need it. I don't want to do that. So him and his friend are now using drones to do weddings. That was Tim. I did Chris and then there's

33:13 No, godliness, Angela. I was going to say you got to pass the test if you give it to them pretty quick, so I became the baby girl. Okay, she's an accountant works here in Fulton County director of their grants Management Department Angie. What's the pritzi of all all of us even the girls? Because when we moved the house to wear any Streets On the Block, so we had the house about to 300 yards from the Main Avenue and Angie going to Sunday school had to take her shoes off and she was going to get it get dirty so you can get a thing. They're not at all. At all. She has a son and a daughter her daughter who's the oldest has her master's degree her son has

34:08 His degree

34:10 And believe it or not. He has aspirations be country music writer. Okay. Yeah, so that's unusual. Then you have Ted we call him Ted, but his name is Theodore. And that's the last four. Okay, and so Ted lives in North Carolina. He has three kids and they're all doing well his oldest and attended College his wife just finished her degree and cheese.

34:45 Open heart surgery nurse here. So she loves her position. She was the first one in her.

34:56 Hookah, family graduate from high school freshmen graduate from college so you don't see you last on with Ted and they became a good couple because all of us was going off to college then we have a very last wish maybe I deserve the best for the last well, this is douglas douglas world was about maybe two three heartbeats from being president of IBM. He went to technology all the stuff in school and he was just a few heartbeats away from being president of IBM major top 100 company and you know, it's so nice to have two girls. So tell me about your mom just a little bit because I am curious. She said she was about 5 ft tall 5 foot 1 and you all were big strapping guys.

35:56 There was no messing with mine. So how did she do it? Cuz I mean I I hear Mom's today, you know, I don't know what to do and it's like if you don't want know what to do with a four-year-old you definitely not going to know what to do with a 16 or so. They say you start your itchy. Do you start your own, you know and you know sisters have the way with the eyes and so you start young enough.

36:20 Did well in any discounts back to the fact that two things one is fear.

36:28 Okay, and the other one is pride. Okay fear because you know, they will kill you.

36:37 Pride because you don't want to disappoint them you want them to feel believe that you go to give your best do the best you can do. So she always stressed us do the best you can do it everything if you play into the best if you do with your chores do your best so there wasn't any room much room for anything in between. It's always do your best and so

37:05 It almost hurt us and we used to say to her all the time. When we was younger. I was just don't be this one. Just come on and beat us know but she goes on and talking about us and this did she beat us and then then we say then she comes back and say with the little whelps on I see what y'all make me. Do, you know I would like to do that, but it's that talk that she will give you that's worse than to be so weak. Nobody want it that and so that I'll be able to do that so fast forward to your granddaughter and the book that you wrote.

37:49 Just a little bit when we quickly have a why did you think this was the way to answer the questions that your granddaughter because I didn't know if any of a story that will give her the full story in 10th Grade integrated School.

38:09 I raise my hand ask my American history class Professor. I say how come the only people of color. Black people we see in these books are slaves. He sent me to the office for

38:25 Starting trouble in his class

38:28 Okay, at that time I wanted to be an astronomer. That was my hobby and because of his comments and when I became president I said I wanted to be a strong and they reported it in the school newspaper other teachers. I know you heard that on the news. Okay, I owe so all you just want to sound like you going to be important in and I'm supposed to see how they were destroying the education of my peers. And so when she said that it brought me back to those kind because I stopped astronomy because I can't be looking in the stars and people would like my friends are getting beat on the ground. So I became more more and more active social activist. So when she asked me two questions, she said GP for Grandpa.

39:19 Why you like that one that shook me and I could tell about my mom my dad.

39:26 I didn't know my grandfather that well because down witnessed a stairs in the Bahamas know our grandmother. So I said I might as well tell her the whole story because now I got to go back and research more. So by telling the whole story with all the way back to Thousand Years BC and I wanted her to have Truth where nobody could tell her anything different was based on facts. So when

39:54 The book starts in the beginning

39:57 And we go into how God created man using the Bible.

40:04 Lyrics into the Earth

40:07 The make man well

40:10 When you reach into Earth, he came out with color dirt. And so Adam. What's the name of the first man? And in Latin it means Adam means color man. So it speaks for itself what we were in the beginning. And so I said, well, I just tell her the whole story cuz no one ever told me the whole story. Okay, and I did research with some people who wrote Masters on blacks in the Bible it so I wanted to make sure I was using facts.

40:44 All of an archaeology religious historical historical and so I wanted her to do it and when she asked me that question it was like, oh that's the baddest what I need to do cuz I always was a historian of the family but I was going to do it. It was just on my family our family. Well when she asked that I owe this generation need the whole picture and then when and that's what dr. Carter G Woodson with his construction of black history week, which is now Black History Month. That was dr. Walter Knoll Dr. Schaumburg, cuz I don't want to mess anything up so I can say Walter but Dr. Schaumburg its whole desire and that's why he collected in preserve and add all of these collections gone. And then Harlem they have everything they even have certificates were people actually got their 40 acres and a mule some

41:44 Family safe got the the transaction where it was done. Not a lot, but but he's but he took his price on a Jack the prime of his life all the way to use elderly years preserving that information cuz he thought it was going to be necessary and then recently Harvard University after this study of successful people.

42:04 Determine and this was a study of that is was lack of race gender nationality. Just if you successfully want to know why you got successful. Well, they found out the most common element was knowledge of self history and ancestry and then when we look at that and then look at the top of our neighborhoods today, look at some of our children we could see the lack of that knowledge is why they are not successful. So she's the head the lead of this campaign that we called past or die after forward. And so that's our effort to get this knowledge base 2 in the hands of children.

42:47 I am so thankful that you came to share the story about your family and your mom and those 11 children and the house on the double lot.

43:01 And if that is a result of knowing that your family was free. I think that's amazing. Thank you. I think that's amazing for you to embrace the fact that Timothy 1 was going to persist in being free no matter what and so in your family that Spirit lives on and all of you who lives on and all of us and Solomon and Lily and it's the ones my parents who actually made sure they brought it home and continue with their plans and Lido in and then they just had that kind of Pride we grew up on the street call Farah Street in Hollywood. All the streets are named after presidents was they ran out of President. So they chose forest and Forest is the name of the first Klu Klux Klan Colonel. So we say well if he knew

44:00 Ashes was living on his streets with all of this success dope welfare. He'll be flipping that can't happen on my street. Do you know so that's kind of the stories joke that we have us growing up.

44:17 How old do you think you were when you first heard the story about Timothy? Oh, well, I used to sneak to listen to my aunt when she come to visit. I probably was probably about

44:30 10 12 14 and every time she come over, you know, I tell her I have to tell her the story it so it was always something for me because most grown up so that you don't stop hanging around these grown up the kids out of here always hang on the other side of the walls. So I didn't know that was going to lead to his story in history, but I just love the story. I love that story. I love that. I'm going to think about Timothy one of my life. I love the story. So thank you so much. Mr. Tyrone, Ash and I'm glad Tyrone made it in and I just thank you for sharing this story. Well, I am so thankful that you went out of your way to try to accommodate the schedule that I had to have me to do this. I mean I am

45:28 Totally thrilled that we had this time the chair together. Thank you.