Charles Wilson and Brandi Washington

00:05 Okay, go ahead.

00:08 My name is Charlie Wilson Junior. I am 69 years of age. Today's date is August 25th, 2020. I am located in Chicago, Illinois and year was Miss Brandy. It's my first time meeting her and we worked on the same project. So we going to try to have a conversation and move forward. Thank you.

00:34 My name is Brady, Washington. I'm 18 years old. Today is Tuesday, August 25th located in Chicago, and I'm here with me.

00:47 Working on the same project for the next year.

00:52 And yeah, how you doing today?

00:56 I'm doing just fine and yourself.

00:58 Good. So my question is can you describe?

01:09 About the blanket that I grew up on if this is if I move to Chicago first of all and 1971 and I was already and I was married and I moved here from Mississippi Mississippi that the town that I grew up in and when I got here Chicago brother-in-law will be up here in the same address. I get a series of grocery stores and he wanted me to come him to help him run the running so I did so and I can't even when I moved very address that I'm living at now.

01:53 And one thing I loved about at the time that was no vacant Lots blocked. The block was completely different houses on the beach house with living here. So he was a nice community that I moved in here in 1971 and you know it out because of the fact in a community of needs and you have a lot of the younger people who got grown out and they never did come back and unfortunately it has lost at home whether they just threw tax increases or whether they just choose not to hold on to him and but all in all this is still an ice block.

02:46 So that's pretty much it how to block use it did its present.

02:51 Oh, okay, or a major 24 used to move from Mississippi to Chicago. What did a family member?

03:08 We have one eye.

03:11 You don't be honest with you. I never had no intention of moving Chicago my desire to move to Mansfield, Ohio because they are I had on my mother's side. That was a lot of folks live there and they will my ever intention but after my brother-in-law called me and asked me to come here to assist him I did so and you know, what the first major city I have ever been in a visit and I at the time I was 21 22 23, I'm sorry when I come here and it is also I never heard some of the things that transpire people getting shot another and I never been evicted that I never was exposed to that in Mississippi know what people lost their life, but

04:10 I got a job and work.

04:15 And my family here and we be nervous.

04:20 Okay, what was your as with Saturday like we do every time?

04:27 Fort Myers hotel game

04:29 What was like your average Saturday at the town? Like what would you do on a Saturday?

04:42 If I wasn't working because of the place that I worked at a bit and we had to work a lot of overtime and I was working for that place and also working for my brother-in-law at the same time. My every Saturday was supposed to work Saturday for me.

04:58 Do you have any siblings?

05:03 I have one son.

05:07 But I said siblings and it's for boys.

05:22 Oh, okay, okay.

05:27 Do you do you have a favorite teacher or that?

05:37 Yes, I did John write.

05:42 He was my role model and reason why is because

05:47 He was a mathematician and he was extremely good in math and I was to coming up with you know, in high school and I was just call me the mathematician. I love numbers. I love accounting. I Love Stuff of that nature and matter fact. That's what I'm making myself in when I went to Triton College in accounting and he was my favorite teacher because of what he taught mathematics and that's what I love to do. I love deal with numbers and that's what I pretty much beat my face my career around its name to do with numbers.

06:27 Did you go to college?

06:30 Yes, when I came here Chicago to I went to Triton College and took up a County.

06:35 Oh, okay. That is because the place that I work it out in and out of Melrose Park, but they had a before he don't Credit Union and the person who used to do it to work for them. It was time for him to retire. So the president of the credit union asked me to fill that position cuz he knew that I have a love for numbers and I really didn't want to do it because I never wanted to be in charge of other people money other than my own but he convinced me in to take the position of President treasurer of a Diamond Credit Union.

07:25 And I took it and then I went back to school to that went back to try and call you then to get get a folder acquainted with Accounting in that area. So I went to two classes there and just found myself in terms of accounting and I did so I started my own business business back in 1991. I own a credit app that that's also went back to school online account with the with our Ashford University in taxation. So I went to physically accountant and then I took all night classes with Ashford University to improve myself in taxation. And so I can have a tank. I didn't hear it for the last 30 years.

08:25 He is actually.

08:27 Did you go to church?

08:32 That girl said yes. Yes my parents especially she definitely would not going to allow us not to be in church.

08:43 But we want to check my phone once a month. I know here we go. Every Sunday in the South differed different conversation that we can have about that. But what yes, but we went to church every once in my area third up for Sunday. I cannot remember exactly what it was funny was yesterday idiot.

09:22 Did you have a favorite song like a church song that you had on your?

09:30 A favor taste

09:41 Bianca on the top of my head. I cannot come up with favorite. I love I love I love how you fight your battles for you. That's one of the songs that that that that resonates with me because I put a lot of my trust in him and I guess I'm trying in my face. I'm a deacon at my church. I belong to New Macedonia Church, and I'm a dick in there that church and I have a strong faith in God.

10:26 Tell me like a little bit about like your family like your siblings your mother you have.

10:53 Well come up in the South but yes, we did. We had a family tradition every Friday night. We have a fish fry but that was something that we did it was with the family near all of my civil in my sisters and my brother we we we we we we will contribute to have it at my parents house or we might have it at my uncle's house auntie house, but it's not that we did for me two years if it's to make sure that we had a fish fry because that was a part of our culture. We pitched a lot coming up. We fished a lot because it was recreational for one thing and then one Wheels provide as a way to provide I put food on your table because the South it was. It was not that easy to be pulling in the South but you did you didn't have a lot of resources in terms of money.

11:52 So you had to be in order to grow your own food through you don't meet you call Fresh Fish in Florida hog and cows and put in an order to get fresh beats up, That was a tradition for many many years is 2 light and totally I had five sister to sister that is older than me. Unfortunately one of the past.

12:26 Thank you for the 10 and one thing I never did learn how to cook and my two sisters they will do all the cooking and all the things we have two boys by me being oldest son. Only thing we have to make sure we provided the wood is Norco good, but I never wished I had

12:57 You know, he even today just one one out off the other one.

13:28 Like your heart because I think that you like that seems that you like do you like do you like doing anything after that? I can guardian or anything?

13:48 Like this one thing we did we did a lot of garden and Fish House and and I don't know what kind of baseball and softball kids. That's one way we could very easily in the saying I said, we put it on gold and we just play basketball. My father taught me how to hunt and I love to hunt and I just stopped running actually within the last couple years because every time I said that that took I moved Chicago I never miss but two times

14:30 1971 up until the present for not being in Mississippi at home for Thanksgiving. We always go back home for Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Thanksgiving at my in-laws house and will end when we there at the house. We just stop doing it about a couple years. I just stopped running a couple years ago, but I still go home every Thanksgiving the twice-told haven't been in Chicago in the reason why I miss one time because I just had surgery and the doctor did not want me to travel during that time of the year. And the other one is because I so bad at the talk around and come back.

15:23 Flash

15:25 I have one question. Is it true that Mississippi song Dirt tastes like sugar?

15:33 That's that's a myth. I couldn't answer that question because I had that did not eating.

15:51 I did not get to see is a I'm not one of them to do that.

16:33 That's what business. Do. You have a text message?

16:41 She sent me a little bit about like what's going on at like

16:50 You know for business LLC, and thank you cousin.

17:10 TV

17:12 Speed a way to school by by doing taxes and soul back in 1990-91. She said that you know, she wants to start her own business and I good at doing taxes. Why don't you know how to do it and she said where you know what that's a good idea but I don't have the money to do it. That's why I would give you a weirdo in Spanish ship after you do taxes and I get paid and 1992.

18:10 It'd be good if you know if I know how to do taxes also because you never know who might want to split and I didn't want you to be left without knowing how to do that. They call me the number to come to me real easy to do you know, and I've watched an alert washer and then at night, I probably do some tax return by hand, you know, we used to get the books that involve the books and you can do you know, the old-fashioned way to buy and

19:10 Did I just kept us from going?

19:12 In accounting and Taxation. So this is a lot of business so she been working here for 15 years.

19:33 Good night.

19:37 Engine light important information for life people who want to start businesses and for people who want to buy this is not just so you know, I also note to self person seems like they have energy

20:07 Information that you like that you can give me like, you know any food, but some of the things that I tell you a lot of young people who want to start businesses what you want to do you want to make sure

20:28 Let the business you want to start you want to make sure that it is a demand for it.

20:33 Tannerite what you want to start you need a canvas to see what is a a great the man that that that that said that's Community needs and offer you start a business. And then once you figure that out once you get good Insight on that.

20:51 Don't just be of one item of one item types of a of a business.

20:58 Understand there is it is if it's two girls, like you said someone want to see a purchase.

21:05 A lot of things that that beats inside of that purse.

21:11 That is essential to the person who's buying it.

21:15 You know what? I mean that they could be Cosmetics that could be I don't know what I'll definitely make accommodate that purse and you want to do want to be able to show All For One Stop Shop find out what that is offer more than just one item in so that you can wear your class and your customers come there instead of you. Just telling them the first you can sell them other items that they can use to put in that first. If a barbershop Barbershop other than get this cut hair hair shampoos have different things in order to assist in accommodate that person who's getting haircut and that's in that area. I mean

22:11 Stop around and make sure that you can could become a full service business. Take a look like Walmart in a Walmart number retired from International Union. UAW. Nnnnn. Walmart is a good example. I don't know because of the fact that take something Walmart stores that you can win you can you can buy gas you can buy.

22:42 Schools in a household with me you almost can get it at Walmart for when you are starting your own business you want to have the same mindset is trying to be a one-stop-shop. You can be at the comedy satisfy your customers. All right there on the one roof.

23:00 Yeah, you got to be able to speak to it. You got to have stick-to-itiveness and as I called it because until the first year the first couple years you might be able to you might be just survive as long as you stay that long as you can stay there and and and and that M&M advertising advertising that you never have. You can put it on your mouth is the best apple advertising that you can help if Sally Ann come in and she tells me that you know, I went to hear and I got everything that I needed that one spot that the best have some time that you can you can you can you don't don't think that you're going to meet you become successful the night, but you got to you got to be able to stick to it. You got it.

24:00 You can see the Gulf of it for you. And I did for the least I get my initial investment back, but older course over the course of 20 some years that I've been in business. I am grossly legends about

24:30 And then they wouldn't let them come. They come to my house old and me and all the income because I had to work has not paid them cuz this is Valerie. I have two people that help provide living for other people. Also. I just want to be my wife.

24:56 No, nothing much because we can afford it. I've been to places like Memphis, the best kid because it was about 35 miles Memphis, Tennessee you in about 30 miles from where I live in South Carolina breaking stuff of that nature, but I never do any kind of major traveling until I get until I graduate from high school got married and moved to Chicago and then from that point for weapon doing a lot of traffic because of the job the type of job that I had sent me all over.

25:43 Do you have as a kid? Do you have like had a favorite store that you and your siblings used to go to or you and your mother anybody in your family have a particular favorite story could be a 20 * a grocery store.

26:02 I can remember many of times.

26:08 I'm going to

26:10 Southland Mall

26:12 That that is all up in his right eye is not in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee for this is is on the outskirts and you can do a lot of grocery shopping. You you you you you you get all your school supplies in that area with my mother to go to that place because like I said, we didn't do a lot of traveling but anytime that she left Mississippi came to Tennessee. Like I said, we were just setting miles away. I will always enjoyed going with her.

27:02 Okay. Do you have any good memories from the 70s?

27:13 Well

27:16 You know what? I like I said I come in there in the early 70s.

27:20 And no.

27:23 What are they like that one of the things that I loved about it being at that point? I'm a lot of homeowners live here and they lived in on home. You can see a lot of vacant lots and

27:35 Because I was a workaholic I didn't spend a lot of time up and down the streets cuz I never been a street person. I was a workaholic. I work because I want to make sure that was in the position I could support my my wife and my son at the time. I just don't have one child. And so I have a lot of the quiet neighborhood the back in the seventies services offered to the people, you know, you didn't have the necessary way out of the North Lawndale area in order to shop if you didn't want to so that was a plus.

28:22 All but over the course of the years business and have closed the people that died off and then they didn't keep them going and other tragedies that nothing happened force force peoples who the hell away from this area who provide over here.

28:45 What advice you can give to someone about the high school?

28:54 Say that again.

28:55 What advice would you give to someone who's about to finish High School?

29:01 I wanted to let you know I'm going for them or you can go to college.

29:10 It'll last 2 weeks ago 3 weeks ago now my my grandbaby my youngest grandbaby just turned 18 she dating now me and her father. We left three weeks ago and took her to 2.

29:27 Columbia, South Carolina

29:29 Because she be going to go to Benedict College and see if you want to be a doctor and a stepmother is already in seawater of DMC want to become a doctor and this it is right that I gave her and I would give this to anyone and you know.

29:50 If you have a desire to go to school go to college.

29:55 Make sure you going there for a specific reason. So I said that great she said because I want to fucking my education. That's okay. Sounds good. I said what are you willing to give up in order to do that? And she's not willing to give up anything?

30:26 Is you willing to give up?

30:29 You know Fred houses Pine in with the wrong crowd going out to the house. I don't do none of that. I said that sounds good. Because if you want to act crazy you do not have to leave Chicago to do that.

30:45 So I'll tell you if you want to go to school. If you go on there for a specific reason stay focused on why you are there they focus on while your parents are paying for you to go there.

30:58 If you want to act crazy don't don't don't put that burning that's have an expense on them. If you just want that Crazy Mocha, you know if you want to go to school.

31:10 Make sure you go there for that person because you have the rest of your life in order to be something else.

31:16 But what makes you get what you want what you need in order to make sure that you can be able to self supported you can support yourself and whatever it is that you want to do beyond. That is one thing I tell young women have been married for 49 years, but I still believe in being independent.

31:35 I'll be happy that you should put yourself in a position as a young lady so that if it is you don't have to depend on nobody but yourself.

31:48 Always look at it as an independent person on my life because you never know. What was what the next person might do. You might find it you might think it is dream of you like y'all get married 5 years later something happened y'all separates, but if you

32:05 Learn how to be self-sufficient

32:09 Play whatever he bring to the table. It just don't want to go to college Ashley.

32:25 There's no personal icy betch.

32:31 I feel like I do everything. I'm quick. I learn fast. I could come to Elena Valley that I'm not used to and I could adapt quickly so I can go somewhere that it's uncomfortable and you know in the DAP, I'm so good with

33:04 Play I think she's on vacation. So I come up and stuff like that like this like if I could you know.

33:23 It is one thing. I'm glad to say that to you know, you a lot of the college is not for everybody. So you won't find you put yourself in a position where you can depend on yourself. I just said something that you seen that you really want to become a part of a mortician like Creek you do. You know what you need to do.

33:51 Add a way to be busy be the best mortician in the city of Chicago and you still be on the same path as my grandbaby who want to become a doctor.

34:01 Call you a call day at the end of the day. You want to be put yourself in the position where words come to work. So, you know, you can pin on your own self and don't have to depend on somebody else doing things for you.

34:13 But you know what at night. Have you ever look up in the sky at night?

34:24 Is that hard to do because it's too much light, but if you if you got in the country in the sky at night, what do you see?

34:39 You see a lost dog.

34:45 Do you see yourself in one of them Stars?

34:53 Look up in the sky and you look and see how is shining bright. And you said that's going to be me that's going to be me. I'm bright like this. I'm going to make my presence known in this world.

35:10 You need to to to have reason to continue to push yourself forward because they can stop you from becoming who you want to be but you need to look at that star and remind yourself daily.

35:30 That could be made that stars meat that's master. I'm going to shine like this stuff in this world the same way that start Saturday night. I'm going to make my mark in this world. You don't have to go to college. I'll be at your college classes, but I didn't proceed this is rolled into a full-time college, but I did some classes in order to help me to be what I wanted to be in that is an accounting and and and and I feel invited, you know.

36:00 I never looked at being a millionaire.

36:06 I believe in generational wealth.

36:10 Right now when I came to Chicago young lady I want to hang out home was a was a son and a wife. I left $100 and $100 in the bank down in Mississippi that I let my wife and my son started with my brother-in-law and everything that I own you can put it in your school bag other than a wife and my son

36:34 Now, like I said, I never thought about becoming a millionaire. I thought about generational wealth and right now.

36:47 I guess I got land.

36:50 I got my own private Lake.

36:55 So I made myself some Festival because I will not allow myself to be.

37:01 Sidetracked by other people's activities

37:07 I knew what I wanted. I have focused. I have two young lady. If you got going to school pick out that star up in the sky and said that going to be me and you focus on that and you can become that's why I'm telling you from experience. And I from what I heard because like I said when I come to Chicago

37:28 But when I leave Chicago my statically I'll be extremely different than that.

37:35 So you didn't need to pick out this.

37:42 I don't let no one knock you off your Square. Let me know. If not, let no one no one tried to deter you for being the best that you can be so you don't have to go to college to do this.

37:55 Cuz you have been asking you would like the workaholic and was it at any point in time that you just feel like it wants to give up like he was just too much.

38:12 I don't know. No, I'm old fashioned.

38:16 What I mean about old fashioned it is I don't believe it's in my wife work.

38:25 My my my thing won't my wife don't work. That's that with my motto now. Don't get me wrong. My wife is work.

38:35 But I make sure that

38:40 My responsibilities towards her because when I asked her father, could I marry her I knew then that it scared me because I'm except I'm asking this man. Let me marry the daughter and the responsibility to take care of her for the rest of my life. And so did she work I may I told her I can look you don't let you don't have to pay the bill. I'll do anything for this house. That's what that's my responsibility. If you want to take your money and help me doing that. That's great, but it's not a is not a requirement.

39:22 I told my wife she don't have to work no more.

39:25 Because at that point in time, I had Financial to put myself in the position where I could take care of her and and I never thought that it was it was too much. It was overwhelmed to me because I love to work right now. I retired and goals in life below by

39:51 I retired from work from the UAW International International represent for the UAW Auto Workers because I said that must have made a commitment to myself when I was 23 that I will not work on a 60.

40:12 For no one so I retire at 59 I retire from a job in a year.

40:23 Because I always want to be true to myself and I told my wife you don't have to work because for me to be true to your father only thing that you have to do is if it is take your home.

40:37 Take it home and then and then

40:42 Don't know you wouldn't it will not a burden to me to work and still not a burden to me to work the young lady before you online. I'll be working in my church, since we doing this pandemic a room is out of the church for the corporate room. So that when people come visit us, they don't have to go through this room first and we test it and everything. So I put in a room in the church in the just for that I've been painted. I've been a lot of work for the last two months. That's all I've been doing working in the tray. I love to work out never get a wife he get mad at me because it might I might have some cramps in my arms and my legs and see that that's good because you should drink water cuz I don't know where can I get to work so I never thought it was over.

41:38 Yeah.

41:40 My son and my wife don't make him try to do something you don't want to do.

41:58 But now in college win for him either but he's in the military and when he got out of the military has in Torrance, and now he we wait for the others better than ministration.

42:23 But he but he don't want to call it and it never been a headache you get a good kid cuz I you know, I try my best to raise him up the right way to make the volume to see the basic now. I can give him for him to see me everyday.

42:37 And hope that he didn't get in no trouble today and he didn't know he's a good kid. He's right now. He's 47 years old his birthday and

42:49 Do you have any more questions Brandi?

42:55 I was just asking Brandi if she has any more questions.

43:03 I'd rather than that Brandy. Do you have anymore questions?

43:15 Apple connection to get real bad on okay.

43:22 Brandy can you hear me?

43:28 Hello.

43:30 Can you hear me?

43:37 Okay. Okay. Thank you very much.

43:42 Yeah, you know young lady.

43:49 And don't never said I'm realistic goals in your life that small goals and wash your carpet one set another goal. And then at the end of the day, you can see where you almost coming in. I had to come in to talk to me.

44:26 I look at it as I said before you guys.

44:34 And I pause for about like 5 Seconds dollars.

44:47 Adobada de la meaning

44:58 The second million dollars. Miter saw that $200 on the third day. I got to the point where I go to make set set go me life.

45:15 That is realistic that don't cost a thing what I want to lose a hundred pounds and you go back and eat it again, but it's safe.

45:35 He wants to lose 5 pounds. Is it that you get a t?

46:02 Okay.