Jack Levine and Alexis Simoneau

00:01 My name is Jack Levine. I'm 70 years old. Today's date is Friday. December 3rd 2021. We're in Tallahassee, Florida. I'm being interviewed by my partner in this Escapade Alexis simoneau, and I am her mentor.

00:21 Great. In my name is Alexis. I am 30 years old. Today's date is Friday. December 3rd 2021. Where in Tallahassee, Florida. I'm interviewing Jack Levine and I am his minty.

00:36 So Jack, will you introduce yourself and tell us about your life's work as a social policy advocate?

00:46 Well, I never introduced myself in the same way twice. So here's a new thought.

00:53 I am a net worker. I really believe that meeting new people and finding out what's important to them. And what guides them on their path. Is my life's mission in some ways. I translate, what I learn from them into my advocacy work. So it feels to me that I'm always seeking new relationships and then building upon the ones I already have.

01:21 All right, and how do you tell us about advocacy? And what what that means?

01:29 Well, I was an English teacher for several years. So I always look at the the root of the word and the root of the word. Advocacy is Voca. The voice, The Voice simply means to me that. That's what you used to Advocate. Advocacy is a tradition humans, like to Advocate because they have wants and needs, and they want to make positive change either in their own lives or their families life for their communities life. So, to me, advocacy is a calling and I received that calling decade after decade, and that's what I still do. And there's no days off. When you're an advocate. You always have ideas thoughts that bring people to a new level of awareness. And I'm very, very pleased to be in this role because he looks like what are you actually do?

02:28 Well, one thing I do is I stay very, very attuned to what's going on with the news is what the problems are and frankly what the solutions are. So, for example, just in the last couple of days, I came to learn whole lot about how grandparents, now that I'm a grandfather. I are very nervous about the well-being of children. It's not only health concerns, but mental health, concerns. And what I mean by being nervous is they have not faced this, when they were raising their own children, this degree of violence, this degree of discontent. And what I've learned is that people need to be acknowledged for those Earnest concerns and then to try to feed that into some solution.

03:20 So this idea that grandparents are worried about their grandchildren is a feeling. I have that, we need to make some reforms and how we communicate with grandparents about Solutions.

03:37 What are some of the ways that you hear from these grandparents Jack?

03:41 Well, I'm out. And about, of course less. So these days, but I meet them where they are sometimes in senior centers. Sometimes one-on-one and being introduced from family members and I believe in small talk to a certain degree. So I kind of want to know where somebody was from what they did in their work-life. Something about their ethnicity, something about their special interests. And then after I get that kind of introduction, I usually Papa questions, such as how do you think kids are doing these days? Give me an idea of what you've observed. It could be from the media from personal reflection. And then I get into these conversations, that could have grow in their importance, and sometimes it's 5 minutes. Sometimes it's 50 minutes depending on the circumstance. So I'm kind of a collector of stories and try to train

04:41 Play that into my advocacy.

04:44 So I know you spent a lot of time on the road and this year probably looks much different than it did before. But before the pandemic, when you are on the road a lot, how many people like this? Would you say you interviewed in a given year?

04:58 Weather in different environments. Of course. I was making between 150 and 200, presentations a year, for over 35 years. So that would be in more intimate seminars of a couple of dozen some times on college campuses, sometimes in schools to conference features and workshops. So the numbers are being front for me. The numbers are big.

05:23 However, the importance of those travels is to really get a gauge of the texture and diversity of who's out there and in a state like Florida, where diversity is one of our main calling cards. It says, It's amazing to me that almost every five miles is a different Florida. So I say that not to self aggrandize in terms of my experience, but there are a lot of folks out there whose lives I have touched and, who have touched my life, too.

05:55 Got you. Well, so let's talk about children's issues. Why why are these issues so important to advocate for?

06:03 Well, I have pretty good data to show that we were all kids once.

06:07 And the idea that we can start early even prenatally in the assistance of children to be successful as fascinating to me, you know, there's a phrase I use. It's not whether we pay it's when and that is a kind of a cautionary phrase that I used because it's some point we have to recognize that early prevention is the best medicine in addition to that children because it, we have an emotional tie to children and because we see them as the not only their cliched future but the actual future. I feel that we have the obligation and the opportunity to do everything we can to make them safe healthy and ready for their own successful future. So to me, kids are so important in every culture in every creation.

07:07 That do we have to pay more attention to them and we have great science. Now, that proves that when we do the right thing, for the first 45 years of life. Usually that lasts a lifetime.

07:22 And who is your biggest influence and in following this path to do advocacy for children?

07:30 Well, who flashes to mind is my biggest influence, is my, my dear departed dad. He had quite a life story. He was born in 1891. My father was 60 when I was born and he was born in czarist. Russia was there for the programs. He had to escape the programs with his life with his friend that he came to the United States as a teenager and the history of the twentieth century. Really? I learned, you know, from him in his midlife in his mid-50s. He lost his side. He became blind within 24 hours. Now. I came along seven years later. When way of telling that is some things don't require good Vision. So, I was a product of an older man who was blind, but the reality was that his blindness turned out to be a great gift to me. It's odd to say that, but because of his blindness,

08:30 I was conscripted to service to be his reader to be his leader in unfamiliar places. I say that influence is important because those gifts have lasted me, a lifetime and he lived 85. So when my father wanted somebody's opinion, he gave it to them. And his opinion of me is I should become a teacher. That's one of the first messages I ever heard from him. Is he's always admired teachers and he wanted a raise me to be a teacher and sure enough. That's what he got and even visited my first class when I, when I got my degree and was assigned in the Bronx, New York to Via an English teacher, so I consistently think of him and the gift to his blindness was to me through really throughout my life cycle.

09:25 Seeing where there any other experiences when you were young that if you know made a made a big impact on what you're doing today.

09:34 Yes, I think of myself as

09:40 Not as strong, physically strong person. I'd ever really saw myself as a super athlete. I never saw myself as being able to achieve mountain climbing or deep sea diving. What I did do though is I was sensitive to a couple of kids on my block. I grew up in a Beach town, called Long Beach. New York, and they needed a buddy. One little boy named. Stevie. I remember distinctly he was the brunt of bullies wrath. Very, very, very scorned for his special needs. We didn't know what was wrong with him, but there was something wrong with him. So I ended up not defending him physically, but I recruited some stronger kids from a couple of blocks away.

10:32 To come and help defend him. I kind of negotiated his protection. I think there was actually a movie like my my my best buddy or my best.

10:42 Brother something like that. But what I'm saying is, I think I learned negotiation through understanding that there were some who were kind of weaker than me. And if I was not picked last, I was feeling like they would be the one who would be picked last and kind of they say you wanted to send out there is if you have that power, so, I I learned that from from defending, not only Stevie, but other kids who had misfortune

11:16 So, you kind of going back to you. Also, how you said you were in networker. I'm curious if you have any other examples of what that looks like throughout your life.

11:26 Yes, what I'm super interested in is knowing knowing what folks feel that their heart of hearts when it comes to. What's important. When they wake up in the morning. I'm I'm kind of inquisitive about that. I want to know if people share with me and of course, it's a comfort level that that I try to achieve. Is a, how did they deem it a positive day. What, what did they want to Compass? What did they want to do that? They haven't done an example of that. Very recently happened. When I asked her, a friend of mine, a good friend, which relative has he regretted? Not being in touch with in the last month or year? Or it does? He have a long-lost relative and he kind of looks strangely maybe suggest guy. I really haven't thought about that. I said, well, now's your opportunity. If you don't mind. I'd like to know.

12:26 Who did you lose touch with that? Maybe you'll be able to call him her. What I realized is that was looking right in his eyes, but I was actually looking in the mirror because I was thinking to myself. Oh my gosh, I've got some long-lost relatives to. So that's an example for me of positive networking is I made this an opportunity to advise him. But all the sudden, doesn't that advice reflected back on something that I needed to do. It was kind of a fun game and I know I did my partner and I think he did, too.

13:02 So what's a positive day for you?

13:06 A positive day for me is getting ready for the evening. Rest, knowing that I've made a new relationship and feeling that that relationship has the potential for the future. You could say, I'm actually addicted to relationships and I don't call it negative addiction. I want folks to know what's on my mind, and I deeply want to know what's on their minds. I like to collect relationships with your, with your friends and your community will technology is not my friend. It's a tool that very, very slow to learn. So, usually I try to interact personally.

13:58 And I also try to at least twice a month. Do an essay on a subject that I think my network would be interested in. So I do send a regular message to my network. And then, as soon as I get replies back and I do get many sounds a little braggadocio, but I do get many that I reply back to those reply. So, it's basically a chain of responses, and sometimes people write me the most emotionally-charged and wonderfully affirming inspiring replies. Sometimes these replies, a very, very deep in terms of their recent Misfortune. I'm not a therapist but, you know, I, I don't play that role. I don't want to be accused of being an unlicensed therapist, but I like to be there if people want to communicate with me.

14:53 I know you're not on social media.

14:56 So you do all of this through email and to, to do a lot of phone calls, telephone, email and personal. Those are, those are my top three.

15:07 Yeah, I find that really special. I like I like getting my emails for me. Jack.

15:13 Alright, I ask you some more about advocacy. So you mentioned that, you know, you've done a lot of work with children. And at one point you kind of shifted your focus to other Generations. Tell me more about that.

15:30 Well, as I shared my the age of my father, I grew up with a lot of old people. He used to invite his buddies again cuz he couldn't drive anywhere. He was blind. He used to invite his buddies to our dining room table. We lived on the beach in New York and they passionately had these phenomenal debates about civil rights and issues of the day, you know, again and I grew up in the early 60s and 50s and 60s. When was that, that conversation was very, very rich. And these folks all had political leanings and interest in policy change. So, I was kind of embarrassed an old people's wisdom and All Peoples passion.

16:11 Then I got involved with children's causes by helping to raise my own nephews, my brother's three sons, and then I realized there's a magic to the children. So I kind of was in between one to another went to graduate school for Child, Development. And that's where I met Charlotte, but then I realized after about 40 Years of the work, that it was time to go back to kind of my routes, which is intergenerational to try to bridge. The relationships between children and Elders, not only in families but in communities, so that's my big banner is together. We are more strong. We are more confident and we are more successful rather than being segregated among the ages. So Florida is a perfect place to do this work, of course, cuz we've got a whole lot of everybody.

17:02 And we attract a whole lot of diversity and age. Diversity is one of those things that I am very, very passionate about

17:12 Can you talk about connecting the the different Generations? Can you give an example of what that looks like?

17:18 Will mentorship is an example. We are connected. You and I, because we met by happenstance at a meeting in Tallahassee. You were looking for a seat and I had a seat next to me and I'll never forget the time we met. It's probably been nine years and I'm guessing that that to me personifies what I mean by mentorship.

17:42 The thing that strikes me the most about separation.

17:48 Of the ages. Is, if you don't know somebody, there's no way you get to learn from them or even like them. And we are so segregated because, you know, we will have our different lifestyle. So, in the University Town, like Tallahassee, where I live now, for 42 years, anytime I get the opportunity to introduce a fresh new face from either FAMU or FSU or any of the other colleges to one of my peers because of a common interest. Usually I do that and then see where that grows from here. I guess, you know the old cliche of you know, you plan to see it and see which way it grows. That's what mentorship is for me.

18:34 Nah.

18:36 I've been working on some interesting projects here in Tallahassee that I have that I've heard of relating to, you know, mentorship and intergenerational work and do you want to tell us about that? We are going to be watching very soon, something called hours hours for the asking, ours for the asking. And that's setting a goal of a million hours of volunteer time across the generations which comes down to mathematically 2 hours a week or a hundred hours a year for ten thousand people and we're going to declare that as a standard for how a community counts, it's time together. And I'm going to Advocate that be done. As much intergenerational is possible within families. And those volunteer hours candy soda versus to collecting books and delivering them to free schools reading those books at three schools doing oral history with elders.

19:36 Reading a conversation about Cuisine and how to prepare ethnic Cuisine II. I want people to take out their photo albums and narrate their photo album so that they can be put on a different medium and create family, albums for people to give his gifts. You got me started here, sister. There are lots of ways we can connect that do not involve us being Spectators. One of my pet peeves is spectator ISM that you watch somebody else do something rather than doing it yourself. And I'm hoping ours for the asking, will set the standard for giving of time, which of course is mutually beneficial.

20:18 Yeah, I love that excited to see how that goes. So done a lot of work with the advocacy, in your, in your career. What is what are some of the things that you've learned? What does it take to Be an Effective advocate?

20:35 Will advocacy Law requires somebody to feel that they are being listened to

20:42 And listen to in a quality way, it may be a cliche but

20:47 You can't Advocate unless you have a voice but your voice is that meaningful unless somebody is willing to listen to it. So I try to be the most optimistic guy in the room. I take optimism pills every single morning, and it's a special prescription cuz it's the time-released. Kind every hour I get another dose, and when you're optimistic, you give people a sense that they too can be optimistic. Now, the adverse happens to pessimism is also contagious. So we got a kind of steer away from oh what was? So everything is bad or negative negative negative because people catch that and unfortunately, it's usually downhill. So the key to effective advocacy is optimism.

21:33 Fresh thoughts, fresh ways to attack a problem and then create a conversation in which cut people come to an agreement and it does not have to be partisan partisanship. Maybe one of the problems is people want to disagree with someone because there are of a different political persuasion. And I say, I bet you have more agreements a disagreement if you're willing to talk it through and again, family issues to me or the most non-partisan opportunity, we have in our communities because I've never met a person. And I know a lot of people who say, I don't want children to be safe, and I don't want them to be educated, and I don't want them to be healthy and I don't want them to be successful. There's no such person that I've ever met. So the question is, how do we give people the tools to reach those goals?

22:27 And I'm very, very excited about every opportunity to have people understand. That moving forward is a lot better than moving backward, especially, now that we have so many challenges.

22:40 I love being optimistic sounds like a good way to approach these things. So so when I think about the kissy everyone, you know, I kind of just think of like politics in lawmaking and things like that, is our talking about here. That's a form of advocacy. Advocacy at the core though is wanting to make a difference. And now making a difference in a law or a budget is one example, another example is making a difference by giving of time and giving of talent and a passionate relationship which brings people to more closely together. So, I mean, there are lots of definitions of what we can advocate for to me.

23:24 The worst place to be is to be passive or to just accept things the way they are. And that's just not my style. And I hope that I could keep other people from falling into that trap. Another example that, you know, just flash to mind is the creativity that goes into literature. When people write a fictional stories and and write poetry, to me. There is a deep contemplation of what emotion that brings to them to want to express themselves. And I think of advocacy as a kind of a literature, it has characters. It has action. It has scenery. So, I mean, I don't want to be too far-fetched to your, but my English teacher,

24:14 Self kind of comes back when it comes to advocacy painting, a picture of what could be, that's a very important part of that whole idea of making a difference.

24:25 So when your experience, you know, talking to all these years from the state and I'm sure beyond what what's either of the type of population, or maybe even a specific person that you've you've been inspired by when you're trying to encourage them to be advocates.

24:46 Well, there is something about older women.

24:53 And now that I'm on the older side myself, but there's something about older women that has always inspired me to want to learn the multitasking that it requires to be female in our culture.

25:09 Especially older immigrant women.

25:12 Who come to another place? I usually not speaking the language or not. Well, at all, usually struggling for economics and finding a way to not only be nurturing in their own household, but to be nurturing in the community. So when I think of people who have always impressed me, wanting to know what it takes to have that kind of culture, courage, and commitment to take care of business in a very positive way. I think of older immigrant women and they have become a substantial part of my network.

25:57 So,

26:00 What are some ways that you maybe influence our recruit other people to join you in in your work?

26:09 Well, I try to be as nice as possible. I don't know if I do that consciously or unconsciously, but I want somebody to walk away from a conversation with me saying, you know, that's a pretty nice guy that is as important to me as then maybe thinking. It's pretty smart guy or that's a pretty aggressive guy or that's a pretty interesting guy. I want them to feel that there is a reason

26:38 For meeting me, and for me, taking an interest in them. I think there's a deaf, you know, an organization that comes to mind is one that you're very involved with her. Through the Junior League community, volunteers, who I've been working with for over 40 years in Florida.

26:56 Almost all the League members I've met and I didn't really mean. It literally hundreds of them. They come to a cause because they want to make a difference pay for their own families and then for their communities, and they're very, very creative. Now. I've been hoping for more exceeding diversity among to do Leagues. But at the same time I've worked with other organizations that have been singularly, African-American for example, National Congress of negro women, so I'm not saying this is about white black or ethnicity. This is about commitment and the courage to make a difference. And you know, I'm feeling also that the idea of moving forward with a, with an organization that has a great track record of making positive change. The Junior League actually will one of the four founding organizations of the advocacy group that I headed for.

27:56 35 years. So, I mean, I I know how influential they can be and that's why I'm a big fan.

28:09 Well.

28:11 I'm, let's curious to hear more about about your

28:22 The people that you've met on your chores, right? So you've had an opportunity to meet a lot of people and talk about a lot of really important things, you always, for me about about people. So I'm also a photographer, a hobbyist photographer. And I capture the moment. Usually, if I meet a gentleman who tells me that he's going to go visit a relative of his and I have time in between lunch and dinner. I say well, I'd love to meet who you're going to go. See and I almost always capture the photograph and then send it as a gift. Again. It's my way of saying, gosh, I want you to remember that moment. But also it gives me sensitive artistic pride. In being able to capture that moment. I have taken photographs of children, friends children.

29:19 That they come back to me 10, 20 30, and plus years later saying that photo you captured of my little boy, who is now a college graduate or my little daughter, who is now? A professional has a lot of meaning. It's on my home mantle. We may duplicate copies of it. We put it in our Christmas cards, that, that to me, is a really life-affirming relationship building. And and I could really literally as I'm thinking and speaking flashing through, you know, whole albums of those photographs that are out there. Sometimes I said them already framed cuz I just know that if I just send them by email or in a single print, they make it kind of buried. So well, that's another way. I like to give gift. And by the way, you know, another of my passions which is cooking and cooking for people for those causes cuz you've been my assistant

30:19 Several of these dinners. What an amazing feeling it is to be able to feed people. Some excellent Cuisine, maybe something they haven't eaten for a while and then have a program, a conversation around the dinner table. Sometimes their meeting each other for the first time and Josh. I've done almost 70 of these over the last 18 years. And these good cause Cuisine dinner is just another example of wanting to bring people together.

30:48 All right. So thinking of people, I know you talked about the influences that you had when you were younger. And now, here we are at this stage of your life. Who do you look look up to today? Who who, who inspires you? The last years? I've been putting a pretty big investment on Foster youth. These are young people who have through no fault of their own been removed from their families and put into a system that can be very, very challenging emotionally and otherwise, so I have affiliated with several different Community groups that try to elevate the status of foster Youth and get them ready for higher education.

31:40 Right here in Tallahassee at our three institutions of Higher Learning, Florida, A&M University, Florida, State University and Tallahassee Community College. They're actually organized efforts to coach Foster youth as early as age 15 that they too could be college graduates. And I play a role in helping to guide those organizations, not as a professional staffer, but as a friend of the, cause the reason that is so important to me is the data demands. It only 2% of foster kids, go to college to percent.

32:19 We have now a wonderful system of Florida where we give free tuition. We will you provide a living stipend of about $1,200 a month. We provide campus coaching We have basically created the model in the nation for promoting this opportunity track for foster kids. So when I think of what's pretty new for all of the work that I've been up to and enjoyed this is much more tangible. And I get to meet these young people. We have group sessions and I learned about them and they learn a little bit about advocacy. So we're going to be launching some very exciting. Next steps achievements. And I have met some of these Foster youth who have not only finished college, but finish law school or on the professional track and the people who are working with him or not. Only proud of

33:19 But are motivated to do even more when we're talking about thousands and thousands of young people whose lives a change for the better because they're involved in these Innovative programs here in Florida.

33:33 You think so?

33:37 What looking back on your career, as well? What what something you most proud of?

33:45 Well.

33:47 I feel, I feel that a visit. I played to a horribly abusive institution back in 1979. Call the Dozier school for boys.

34:01 I was a schoolteacher at the time for delinquent kids in a community program. And I learned about the, the Rumour, I guess it would be that this was a horrible place and and I went there on my own and actually found evidence of abuse and neglect and came back to Tallahassee. I was 28 years old and started reporting to some influential. People what I saw and what I heard when an institution like that, and it's not unique to Florida, but we were particular, you were bad, putting people in bad places if they had delinquency records.

34:43 When I think of the courage that it took to make an unannounced, visit the courage that it took for me to come back and report it and not be afraid of ramifications cuz I was working for the same agency. I could have been fired on the spot. That was not a fear I had, but realizing that once the lawyers got involved. It was out of my hands because he became a celebrated class action lawsuit. Call, Bobby M lawsuit.

35:13 We reform the system to a great degree and I'm not taking singular credit for that. But it was, it was my courage to drive over. There was my courage to smell what I smell. Observe what I saw and really feel the sense of obligation to to make a difference and

35:34 Bringing bringing up on reform of that institution, which is now happily closed, and shuttered is, is probably right to the top of the list of what I'll call accomplishment.

35:50 So what is next in realizing? Your vision for families and communities in Florida will all be real personal on this one because now that I'm a grandfather, I see the future through my little granddaughters Vision in their eyes, odds are

36:14 They're going to weigh out with me.

36:17 And Legacy is a very important motivator. When you become a grandparent, you kind of think more often than ever about what you will be remembered. So, for me, my next is building Legacy for my granddaughters to be very proud, and for them to realize that they have a family, not only who loves them. But, who will invest the necessary time and the necessary, other resources to help them be safe and cared for when I hear them. Say my grandfather name which is pop-up gets the greatest music to my ears when I sit and read their stories at night when I called her name and they come running. It can't be anything but kind of a paradise on Earth to be with them. So what's next is to solidify that relationship?

37:09 Got over the years to come and then to convince other grandparents to take that opportunity to because you know, it's not the easiest thing to invest time, but it certainly pays Bountiful dividends. So that's what's next.

37:28 So when you're you're thinking about your grandchildren remembering you what do you want them to remember?

37:36 Oh, I just want them to remember being with me, listening to me, reading to them depending on the stage of life that they remember best. I want them to remember me. Cooking, their favorite pancake breakfast. I want them to remember us, having just joyful time together without the necessity of too much planning. More spontaneity going to places that revealed the beauty of nature. There are lots of pictures to that album and I just didn't feel very very connected to the Future when I think of that

38:20 So,

38:22 We're almost done here. But I'm curious. What do you think? The 20 year old version of yourself? Would say to that Legacy. How has it changed? Of course, I can be your

38:36 Silly about in say, who is that bald guy?

38:42 It was impossible to predict the future when I was a kid.

38:46 Again, a lot had to do with the past when I was a kid because of my old dad and learning about his past.

38:53 So, I think the vision for making the difference really started, you know, in my young teaching days and in my protest days and the days where you could put enough time in to really learn to make a difference. So, you know what you do Valves and I'm glad I've always been an activist and I certainly hope that that's going to continue for as long as I can.

39:20 Awesome.

39:21 Well, thank you for sharing with me today. I just am so attracted to your wanting to do this with me. It means a lot, because there were even some real fresh thoughts that came through this process storycorps isn't amazing mechanism.

39:40 Thank you.

39:42 You're very welcome.