Stephen Hayes, Lender Green-Al-Khaaliq, and William King II

00:03 Yes, my name is Kira. Hayes my age. I am 38. Today is Saturday, September 27th, number 18th, 2021. The location is at my studio at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

00:21 The name of people, I'm with my mother, Linda Abdullah green, Abdullah college, and my brother William King on my relationship mother and brother.

00:35 Almost there, son.

00:39 First one.

00:43 Hi, my name is Bender. Green Abdul khalek. I am 71 years old and today is Saturday, September 18th 21, and I'm in Durham, North Carolina at my son Studio.

01:00 Stephen Hayes.

01:02 Thank you.

01:06 My name is William, King. I'm 53 years old. Today's date is September 18th, 2021, and my brother, Stephen Studio.

01:19 And,

01:23 This is my brother, Steve.

01:35 Okay, so I guess this is a conversation with us, everybody? What?

01:41 Was it?

01:43 It made you want to think I would. Let me go get him. A workbench.

01:49 Well, the reason why I decided to get this.

01:54 What things for you is because I seen you doing so many things, tinkling and picking up sticks and finding things to.

02:05 Mango, but I just seen it in him that he was doing things earlier. So I bought them.

02:15 Work bench.

02:18 With real tools second grade, right?

02:36 You went and bought those things. It was it was it was cool. Like I loved it. I enjoyed it and I did everything with that. I think we have 17, 18, years, old, work pants. So we got this cuz I seen it in him to do other things.

03:07 I've seen it in steep into his motive motivated to make things because there's a lot of things that I was not.

03:17 Buy for you, I wouldn't buy gun. There were so many things. I wouldn't buy, and he would just make the biggest thing in my life, but, like, guns and weapons, in 4 days, to, to attack my brother with, because he will harass me, right? So,

03:53 Like you you send me make what I make when I make for you. I would get you with.

04:02 While making things in the balls and straws and nails and stuff to throw at me and hit me, and I have wild wild by barbecue shish. Kabob Sticks. Kebob House on throw up my brother like a mace.

04:31 Already, but I think you

04:37 I made all these things.

04:41 To attack you but also you were one of the one people one person that baby.

04:48 Make stuff across the street from the cemetery. When I first realized about breaking through, it's okay because I had that that little remote control car that you took apart on Plank Road, and then we move the Dayton Street and you got me that work best and then

05:31 Maps will come to the house every morning.

05:35 I live down the street from our house.

05:49 Make a Lego make me you were coming home now, but my brother will come everyday and what's so funny? Because one day I just had enough, I said I had to add a little plastic lunch box and I ran downstairs to it's cuz I was his possession right there, that little purple car.

06:36 So, what's him doing this year running after his brother? So we got in the car and our car and drove on off to his school. White women? Let me tell you what I did to him. He got on my nerves so bad that you love them because there's a fifteen-year difference in. They're going the same day, but 15 years difference, so I didn't beat the children. They didn't get

07:07 Spankings and stuff like that, but that day he got on my nerves so bad that I took my hand and I slapped him and we went and took him on the school. I felt so bad, but I was scared that I was going to jail. So they I want you to clap. So is Tri Tri Cities. Might not be too good today at 6 because I hit him. I was so frightened. My nerves is real bad that day.

07:47 That was one of the worst times but he bought this on. So all this, you know, these things you would bring, let me tell you but that he had even had it in the Attic of the apartment. And I always think I want to go knock at the people that you were that lives there and see if he's still up there in that attic, you know, so what was also always cool is that you are with Cam.

08:30 To the house. I will bring an old machine. So you and thanks for your fine on the side of the road. Like what was it about getting these things that y'all sit on the side of the road, or did y'all with that job on the way that made you want to come bring it to me?

08:47 Fresh out of prison. I would always bring things home. Yes, like, Taurus up. I would I could for the secretary or administrative department, but I would bring like we might have a old toner, use toner from The copier or

09:19 Anything that they're throwing away, copier is because he always talked about even always talked about having something making such a mama. Can I patent? And she had great dreams and I always told him to talk to you to always keep those dreams going. Don't let anyone break your train so I can pick up things any clearer and bring some, you can make something out of nothing except me, you know, or ask Mom.

09:59 That sound.

10:04 OLX, you want to come to you?

10:09 Why you give me a hard time when I asked? Why do I, why do I give you a hard time when you at work? Mostly because I don't buy McRae and I like the crazy stuff. Right? So if I tell you what I make it and it doesn't turn out the way I'm telling you that I'm making it or you already have this certain expectation of what it's going to be but it's not, it doesn't end up finding out that way and sometimes I just want to keep the stuff for myself. You know what they making?

10:47 And I'm like, I don't understand what you're making because I can't see it. So won't you draw it out for me? Cuz if you tell me what you're making, I'm going to say. I'm going to have a certain expectation that's going to be a certain thing. But you already been to something else. That's why I don't.

11:04 How to, how do you feel about everything that y'all done?

11:13 Now, how about now? I'm creating a monument.

11:17 Which is in our life is happening, right? Or did you have any idea what I was going to do? You know, I really didn't, I didn't know what you were going to do. But I knew that what you were going to do that, Steven was do it, do it because she back in the days when Steven was coming up. I pushed him push you into a lot of directions, not a lot of foundation, six years old, but way too young you have to be 13 to get into that and but

12:12 I knew that you were going to do something.

12:15 Good.

12:17 I didn't know exactly what because we have learning disabilities. Disability disability, learning the ways. Somebody a child learn and not

12:51 You know.

12:53 I don't dance. But then again, I didn't feel bad because I said so we can overcome this and I sometimes I was really stressed working with Steven me doing you helping you with your work.

13:10 It was so stressful because he couldn't get it sometime. He was Chase Mama. I'm not getting this here. See what you would say that to me. It would save. Mama. Can you read this to me? So what makes them sense? And everything. And so, I worked hard on this year, but then I decided that I'm going to

13:30 Find some other means of assistance. So I went out and find private school for Steven to go to actually he went to to private schools at the same time. So I'm spending a lot of money and a lot of my energy with you still struggle, you know, you work and you know, two three jobs and wants it help support us, you know, it was just you doing everything.

14:03 And I thank you for everything because without me saying that struggle that you did, it gave me makes it like a guideline of what I need to do to help provide for my family, you know, to help me work hard, you know, to succeed in that, you know, the show that certain example or or how I want my family to live. If you know

14:26 Yeah, but you know, we we find out we had, I had this learning is learning curve. I had to get through, which is the weather today, you know, even when I was in college, you know, what, they had, like the little popcorn like this thing called popcorn, when you read that, they read one person to read something that stress and read something, I will always sit there and count down, how many people listen to? It's my turn to try and go over the paragraph. I need to go over real quick and see if I can find anywhere. So, I don't know if I signed them out real quick. And if I feel like I wasn't going to go to the bathroom and it walk out the class while I still had those problems.

15:20 It's called reading stuff. You know, I thought I was going to be good at math. You're not wanted to, I wanted to go to NC State mechanical, engineering, you know, you know, like my mom said, she had me doing all these other things, but these programs on your they have national black engineering thing or for kids or no people about to go to high school, go to college to go and look at, you know, engineering schools, and she put me in this. I might super your house. Probably what? 15 in the area. I need to bring dress clothes, you are you going to be dressed up? You going to have all these best for everybody is wearing regular clothes or dress shirt and everything.

16:20 Is regular in a party and having fun. I'm out here dressed up and I wasn't going to let me see and let you know. So that made me think that I want to be an engineer and then I end up going to simple answers to simple. And I want to take this math or is that was like I thought was transferred to the state and let you know what you got to do. So I wouldn't wake up the homework. I don't know if y'all know this. So.

17:20 Wrote my name out there and lay there. And he never took up their homework. And so I was like, what I got to do it and I'm getting an F in that class.

17:42 Taking over the next semester and I just dropped it because I was like, I'm not going to go to pass this course. It was it was just kicking my tail and I was coming back from a door going to the door. One of my friends are Reggie. He will show me what they were working on. It was making art, it was on some type of Art and Design, Graphic Design. I was always department at. So, that's the first time. I just went straight to that apartment the next day and set with the chair. And I was like, Hey, I want to make my major. That's how I know figure out what I wanted to do. Well, not that I wanted to do it, but that it was something there at the school that pertains to what I done with what I do or what I've done and I he was like, well everybody think art and artists going to be easy. So I'm like, okay.

18:40 I've been doing this all my life, man. Just left, the sign me up. So he signed me up for that to chill out, me to do graphic design. So that's how I got in college. Always look at the stuff that you were. I mean, it all came from everything that you all gave me, you know, like the ability to be able to adapt to these plants at you all found it gave me.

19:16 That is what helped me. I guess, what kind of person I am calling. My number one skill. If you would like to say what, what do you what do you like to work with? The most, as far as material or is it? What do you do tomorrow?

19:33 You know.

19:35 Bannerlord, work with has been able to adapt. Adaptability been able to adapt to these materials, because

19:42 I can't.

19:44 Are you so many things? And I fell in so much stuff. You know why? I feel like trying to create something, but I'm learning from that failure all the time. You know, what material, what to use? Everything. I mean, I remember when I was a kid at Lakewood and you helped me make that out of here. I will hit. We had that Halloween thing at school and make your own track suit, and it here was just dragging all through all falling off.

20:26 The school all through the hallway. When I went to I went out to eat and

20:45 He stayed at home by himself, at this time. He was about maybe 10 years old. And so Steven, you came, you call your grandmother up. You was calling everybody cuz I didn't have a cell phone at that time because what he had done.

21:02 He was where he had knocked the power out what you had done, Steven.

21:09 Was he was working on something, something electric and I don't know how you knocked that power out, but he was really worried. And he was, but it was when we came home. We just went in circuit breaker and everything. That's what we did. One time. I come in and he had trying to melt down some Crayon. So Steven had put the crayons in the microwave. He messed up that microwave. He was worried about that, but I wasn't worried about it. I was bored worried about not being able to Camp the next day. I was a man of the microwave.

22:09 And clean crayons out of the microwave cuz he was things was not as

22:15 Serious, as you thought it was, okay? So back to

22:22 All right. Now we know and I did all this art and all the stuff.

22:27 With a cash crop anime that that's you know, I go to graduate school, right?

22:35 Everyday, I will call you like every week because I felt like I was an artist and if I would not have called you.

22:48 I don't know what it was, but I needed to call you. Cuz if I didn't call you, I would probably feel like I needed to get leave the school because I was the only African-American student in that apartment. I didn't have to ask American professors, to relate to, and, you know, the whole thing with all these students, and his talk about things.

23:07 It didn't really look like we was talking about this. Like you didn't when you when you would come to visit me. You will see some artwork. Can you block? What is this? You did not understand it.

23:20 I could not.

23:22 Communicate with

23:25 With my coworker like yes, we were cool friends and stuff. But as far as what art, I didn't have the vocabulary.

23:35 To understand what they were saying and it didn't realize what they were saying. Did not look like what they were making.

23:43 Even though I didn't really come to like, come from a super art background. Like I didn't know all these orders. I didn't know all these different techniques. I didn't have the knowledge of everything. I just knew. I knew how to make.

24:00 So I'm not making cash crop because I told these teachers that I want to make something that's going to Wild my audience and I don't need to have me, not need to have all these different things that y'all talked about. I just know I can create something, I can create something amazing.

24:17 Last one I seen her saying that I was really wild. Do it my little head. I would like

24:23 Brothers music was beautiful. I was so proud of you to remember when he called me at that day.

24:47 Well before then before he completed cash crop, I would go down to Atlanta so much cuz I was worried about you. I was worried cuz I know that he wasn't eating he wasn't sleeping. He was just working on this project. He was working on that project. But when he completed it, call me up and he called me up one day after he at. Once you make some mirrors and let the man that was the owner Mark and Marcus.

25:26 I gave Stephen the biggest room in his Studio. He called me up. And he says, to me, you remember. You said to me, you just Mama to gave me the tickets room. It was so and they had never had this kind of artwork now. Cash crop. Was it? 15, statues? But I really so you did, and I was very excited about Stephen's work, but I thought that Steven should have gotten the student of the year award.

26:15 For that piece of artwork, but I found out later that it was a lot of maybe some controversy about that.

26:26 About cash crops because his professors told him the same thing while me, where the end of the day in the subjective, you know, and people on stuff. I think when I made a cash crop, you know, I wasn't eating all day, all night every day.

26:50 And I did not realize what I was making. I just knew I was making something, and it was going to be awesome.

26:56 And I made it work. It was up. It was showing and everything. I was working at the gallery and it was just sitting there in the gallery floor. I didn't realize what I've done until I Googled my name, you know, before I can Google my name. Nothing will come up. And I seen it and it blew my mind. I realize what I created at that moment was so that blew me away and that's so amazing. Like that's something that I always want to do with any piece of art without me. Like if I, you know, I want to be a blow myself away, you know, it was your day is amazing. And what school is.

27:39 One of my favorite teachers.

27:43 Lucy and CeCe.

27:49 She helped me out a whole lot when I was an undergrad.

27:55 She came to the house. You took pictures of all my artwork, build a portfolio for me, and sent it to a college in New York and allow me to go to get my first residency. Alfred University.

28:09 Are y'all going to drop me off, that was a long drive, but I always enjoyed those long rides for Great, Wall driving, like, you still go with me everywhere, but it's also why she passed out of a little over 10 years ago.

28:43 She said for what a lot of stuff, you know, as far as me being a teacher.

28:50 I do a lot of things that like what she did.

28:58 Lot of my students. Still in contact with.

29:03 This nasty weather for me.

29:06 And if she at sorry, not crying.

29:14 Stephen, this is a very difficult and sensitive time for him because she was just awesome little short lady. Very good with her students and you know, she had a lot of students that she trying to get scholarships for them to go off to other schools and everything.

29:47 But Stephen is the first one that you are, the first student that took her up on these offers. The only thing that we had to do.

29:59 Give Steven spinning money. He had his place to stay. I think they provided that he work with. His name was John.

30:22 I the wind siewert, you know, it and was there for the students, I do that. Now, like I'm always there for my students. There are even if they already graduated.

30:34 345 years ago. I'm still in contact with a lot of them feel like texting to see how they're doing and checking on them.

30:43 After I graduated from Central in 2006 and 2000 and 2010 I graduated from that was my 2010. She was sick and she made the six-hour trip to go to my opening and she gave me a hug and said you did it. You doing it.

31:08 That was amazing. That's the type of teacher. I want to be, you know.

31:16 Yeah, what you doing? Good, you made, what we met about.

31:40 History class or anything, but he's always available.

31:53 We may have we done daycare. If I would have, did all these these things. My brother was, you always, you always been riding always ride in the car, you know, about you, but now I see why you were ride in the car. You'll be there, you know, if my co-pilot help drive to these long places to drop off this artwork, but now we're at the point now where I'm making the monument. What do y'all think about that? Used to come after? You know, I passed everybody thought this is going to be here forever and it's there.

32:37 Is this Monument is here going to be here for?

32:41 Colored Troops at March for our freedom later on downtown alive, right?

32:48 I'm a cash crop was about to transport slaves and stuff that's happening on today. And now making it the monument about the color shoes that help fight for the freedom of slavery. Why do your hands are part of the sculpture in a your hands are going to be in this, you know, what about life? As far as this one, as far as the content for this, I am with a sculpture self. I am canceling, the faces. I can see the faces of all of

33:36 The descendants of Ishmael who fault is going to be in.

33:43 How do I come up with? What I want to do? So, I was a lot. I know you're right. I don't think, I don't know what you were doing.

34:03 Like you say when we taste what you're doing and you say some are we don't know. We don't know what's going to come out. We don't know if it's going to be very proud of you. Stephen and sometime, I want to shout out to the world.

34:24 Mother.

34:29 And knowing Steven, I don't do that because Stephen isn't one of those. I know it again. I should be like, don't you do it? Don't do it. Don't tell him because I didn't want to have that sign that stuff that he does, this, and that's why, I know people say, oh, you artists like can you do this? Can't do that right now? I don't dance.

35:07 Like I would have a friend call his life. Hey, can you make a payment from you? I know I can't do it and then I will and it's not me trying to what where I want to see myself. And what's my part, if I see myself as I was, never the one that's trying to put my stuff in the streets shows or anything like that, because I saw,

35:32 Am really, really excited about the the monument that he's doing because I I went down to the, to the place. Where is this year? Out of, I'm looking at my stuff is going to be here at this museum for life. I'm just, I'm just so excited. This is something I'm excited. I'm a, I'm a proud mother. I'm really proud of me and Spencer.

36:33 I want to make y'all names sound out. I'm going to be safe protective. I want y'all to live until you die. Be safe. And, of course, you know.

36:49 I love you. It's what I ain't when I can see what I talk to you all. I want you all to teach your children.

37:01 Teach your children when I talk to you.

37:07 Two sets of grandchildren, you know, I have the older ones and Stephen have the younger ones. So, you got to talk to these children.

37:25 If you taught me a lot right now brother, and like a father.

37:38 You took me.

37:41 Trips to New York. You took me everywhere when there were.

37:47 Points when you would teach me and we'll talk about today, when I talk about my hard work. Are you at taking you around and stuff and talk about stuff like to talk about life. Was it about that? The make you wanna

38:02 Teach me things like my brother, but you being young and we both know if anything is going around like the neighborhood and how different it were a real nice cars, my little crappy apartment. Then when you going somebody in the neighborhood, people have money in what they're making their houses are huge. And there's a little

38:49 We riding know we're not in our neighborhood. If I was riding the living low, but, you know, I just wanted to see that with a different people, exactly located west end and we seen a big difference in things. I just want to see if you can pick up on that chair. And I talked about that, I could leave you. And I talked about you and that, and that moment about you taking me around and that helped that help me think about.

39:41 What? My? Why was white as an artist, you got to have a why, you know, I mean so why you want to create and and what what's your message? I tried to do that. With my students is where I was trying to ask them, what their wires. What, why, why do you want to be all this? Why do you want to trade? What is your message? What are you here to change the world? Are you here just to make something out there.

40:06 A lot of my experiences as a child growing up, comes out through my artwork. I use these instances or these moments these events to create art.

40:20 And,

40:22 Just those conversation that I had with you.

40:25 Help. Rob Mart work will talk about my wife, you know, all I want to change the way people who look like me or view or, or giving exam use my heart rate as an example. For someone who looks like me. If you want to change the way they live in order, to give them another way, another way out, and figure out what that Craig or forgot, what they want to do in life because of all the social media. We don't have, we have music videos. That's all we have are black. People look like when they met with the media, makes black people want to be and stuff. So I want to I want to imitate. You see if I want to be like them. You know, I had the goggles that have no motorcycle or jet skiing anything, but I have a puppet that had the dog was on his head.

41:24 Phone number for no reason. And you know, those conversations you had with me is what helped me stop, So I was selling originally, I was buying those clothes, right?

41:42 And I was wearing all that stuff, you know, I want, you know, those name-brand things and then at some point is it snapped?

41:50 Like, hey, I don't need this stuff, you know.

41:54 And that those conversations I had with you help me help help me get through that and help me think about right now to this day, what my wires. Why do I, why do I run? And like I said, you know, change the way we think. We were other people. If you was to know, like, I travel the world with my best friend, Chris, and, and people look at us to different two different way. Like he's a white man, unarmed black, man, and I got dreads. So they going to think of something else and what they say on Telegram,

42:32 An example of a ball but people will look at me and be like, hey, yo, what's up? Snoop Dogg? I will try and get me a high-five or ask me for drugs and stuff. And I'm like,

42:57 So why why is it that you want, you know, you want to approach me for this stuff, but they never did that to Chris cuz he's a white guy, you know, so a lot of my work deals with trying to change the way I'm being few or people. Looks like me as being with you.

43:19 Do y'all have any regrets? Do you have any regrets at all? Mom as far as

43:25 You know, I don't know about anything. There was no coming up for us or or you can tell it tell us about your childhood.

43:34 Tell you about my childhood. Tell me about you.

43:43 I'm the middle child out of 7 children.

43:51 My dad died when I was eight years old. So my mom was left there with seven children.

43:59 The youngest son was my older sister was 16, so

44:10 Oh, that's a lot being a single woman cuz she never got married again.

44:21 But she was knowledgeable on how to raise us.

44:27 So,

44:29 I'm out of my traits, come from.

44:34 Do what you said, do what I say, not what I do and I solved my you all that Steven in Spanish.

44:43 I learned.

44:45 Because my mom didn't have a lot of education but she kept us on the right track.

44:52 I pushed myself.

44:55 Into my education to get my education to go to school and all that. And I think I was the smartest child in the family that sometime. So I did get

45:13 My associate degree from Durham Tech Community Center.

45:19 Community College, and then I did one year at Central.

45:26 And then I wanted I decided that I'm sick, and I have another baby. It took a lot of time and I was working and going to school and I took a vacation.

45:41 And when I came back, I decided that I wasn't going back to school. It was really tiresome.

45:48 Hidden camera.

45:50 Stephen in Spanish, are you? And then? So, I did get pregnant later and here comes Steven and everything. So that was

45:59 A good time in my life. And, you know, I lost focus on what I was talking about the news. I hate motivate myself to do good and so I did.

46:17 I am end up getting married at some other young age with the and everything.

46:29 And then I was in a relationship with 15 years.

46:43 Just enjoy being a parent and taking care of my children and the tricks that I am turning onto them his to be stable. Be safe. Take care of yourself. Nobody owns anything. It's what you do for yourself. I bought you into the world and got you to a point that you can do for yourself, so too.

47:09 Thank you. And any fondant, look what to do. You know, what are you?

47:24 Like to do. I used to sell a lot. I couldn't draw. I never could, I would so make clothes and then I had two sisters and mom and sister that I make close to them.

47:40 When I'm with pretty chunky. So I had to make her some clothes and things and I

47:47 Really I said I enjoyed doing for them, but I didn't really cuz it was forced on me, but then I had two friends and I enjoyed my friend. We love to try to dance.

48:02 We always stay inside where that the Supreme.

48:13 We didn't work and all that stuff during the horse and buggy, which I used to do.

48:24 Stephen would say to me talking about Mama back in the old days and I'm like what old days? You sound like we were in the horse, but I enjoy life. And you're on the weekend on Saturday or Friday. This will go to the recreation center and we would dance and we had people that teaches a chaperone us to make sure that nothing and I enjoyed sitting because we're right there on the corner and I knew what we were doing, and you know that when the street light went off, but you supposed to be in the house and you didn't go outside and play like that at the school. I mean, when you come home, like these children do these days. I think we

49:24 Went in the house and did a school work and I other chores. That's what we had to do. What do you think happened between then? And now as far as adulting a child or the growth of a kid, you know that because I mean way down there and yesterday, I really think that I would learn to

49:56 Is push the button and let the kids now, they let them just go. They push them too fast and they don't get much chance to be children anymore and you know, so the file and doing things that people do you think?

50:10 I want to push it back a little further than you think. Cuz of this is Generations. You want that? That do this, but it happened at

50:19 When you grow up your generation at mom, when you rub, your generation was there. And saw me all, you know, how to how to do stuff and then in the next, the next Generation somewhere along the lines. I feel like it broke light. And that drugs were, you know, I have to do is change the sound with chain or something was introduced that created this pain to stop.

50:56 They say it was my for my my my generation drugs. Half a right.

51:06 The stock got to do and stop doing what they're supposed to do, right? So.

51:13 We started seeing these different games, a ways that people where people are acting strange game.

51:33 But,

51:35 I think that after what I saw the trickle down and be the Dothan started to like for the going the wrong way because you know whose baby on people having kids, you know, like maybe the male figure wasn't there or trying to be there to help ensure show them how

51:56 How to how to add if plant is playing a role in how people have been, how people being raised, because the dumpster, and television.

52:22 Taken away from the family center.

52:30 Parents are, I guess they're turning the eyes and say it's okay, technology and take care of this. And we don't work and have to worry about

52:43 Go ahead on your children, because

52:51 Orlando, from television.

52:55 A man, the game settings. So I try to keep my head. It's just I was thinking that

53:13 We?

53:14 We have no, so many influences better out here and back then there were, you know, out I was saying, hey, I I live the kid who had the African-American dancing from my dad was there and he wasn't there and he had a love for drugs and women and he always was trying to show me off and say this is my son. He did this, he did that what I did this with my son, but you didn't do anything for me and my mom did

53:48 A lot of kids that grew up in that on that, you know, saying that as examples.

53:55 And then those examples are starting to trickle down, but I'm heading in the daylight. You do what we do have.

54:02 Media we have one fact that I there that is still manipulating us some type of way. So probably 12:30 a woman, Can't Raise A Man. Yeah, but

54:21 Where's your mama at work? Still? My mom did everything, you know, and I'll and Father's Day and Father's Day. I said we still give her a gift for Father's Day. That girl was I Daddy?

54:55 I know cuz you just be cancer with a year ago. And I was there every night. It was your wedding first time cuz you treat me with your wedding day. I wish I was there. Yeah, I was worried. He was so I have leukemia. I was diagnosed in 2018 in June. I was driving from South Carolina back to DC.

55:47 With somebody in the car and I was in the car crying.

55:52 But I went into remission after 17 years. I'm 17 days, but

55:59 Then I got really, really sick. I really got sick later on. So from I was in the hospital for times that year. After in June, if I was diagnosed and everything and I was really thankful coming in because you couldn't, I would say I was here and I will, I will go there and I will stay the night. Go back to school. I was so worried about you. No answer after everything. When we would talk. I would like my eyes to your time and say whatever you need to say. I don't hold back. So I know you used to hold back a lot all the time, but in general by

56:49 You know, before everything have you will hold back and I say what you want. I would like this is your time to talk. I just talk, say what you got to say and don't hold it back. Like just let it go.

57:10 Or anything. And so has cousin. She says,

57:22 Life is too short, too short, and you need you.

57:26 Get it out. What you have to say and stuff.

57:33 Yes, so far.

57:38 For future Generations in our family to come.

57:42 What? What is there that you always say to them? What what what wisdom would you all want to tell them?

57:53 What is what I would tell them. This is too, don't give up. I would tell my family, don't give up on your dreams. Don't let anyone.

58:05 Bring you down.

58:09 You have to be focused, keep it in your mind. Don't let them change. You tell you to go to McDonald's and work.

58:17 When you know, there's something else that you can do, you have to keep trusting yourself and say I can do.

58:25 I can do.

58:28 And you all y'all. So don't take the short route, take the long route because in that long route, you would get more and more knowledge and you'll learn to appreciate what you got, what you got. I think God thank God cuz I think I got some of the best le grand babies in the world, but I just tell them to let you know. The phone is reims, know you can go anywhere.

59:28 But I'll just probably dreaming and keep going. Don't stop, keep going. I love I love him. He has all my old Legos and he hasn't he's grown a big Lego to play something. I would ever dream of

59:52 Do you see any other threat? Any trace? And he'll like, like me making stuff a lot and heat and he looked up the speaker.

01:00:05 So you better, do you love what you do? He loves working with you and I think any moment you being him being a person like you are similar because his mindset and he play. Oh, oh, oh, oh Minecraft, you don't play all those other games at all. You do is always. Mine is going to be some but I don't know why you going to be.

01:00:44 What are you going to be somebody, you know, it's cool. You're not used to come in and break all my Legos and stuff. Random Legos over here. I'll tell him. He ain't, he ain't worth nothing and he's sorry and it still is me being competitive, but it's also making fun of getting him, ready able to make whatever he can make, you have not be and not be afraid to be proud of what he made your love. I am so I enjoy it so much trash to him every minute, every moment.

01:01:25 I guess with me what I was saying to the Next Generation don't give up. Like I was saying, don't let nobody put you in the box and put in Planet categories of boxes. And that's something I don't want to be a part of it. And that's this, you know, example for the night.

01:01:49 Do you follow what I'm doing? So you can understand that the world, you know, the world could be yours, really watching you. And look at the books and everything. I mean he is always doing something of correcting, something.

01:02:22 You sent me on a ladder one day Hammer some stuff. He climbed up on a ladder with me like a little fine between my legs up to the top of the ladder and take the hammer that I was hammering stuff with and try to Hammer as though cuz that's what he want to do. Let it go somewhere else.

01:03:08 So, you know, when you were at when you were sick and you were in the hospital, I was like, man, I I really want my mom to be able to see me have kids, you know, and I knew that's what you wanted.

01:03:22 I meant listen to, We often talked about, you know, I have kids and stuff and she wants. You just wanted one. I was like, I can't just have one kid because I don't want, you know, I seen how my brother hurt his daddy passed.

01:03:37 He didn't have nobody to Tulane on because I mean,

01:03:44 He only knew. Hurt. He was going to because that was his dad and I fell asleep. So but I don't want to have one kid.

01:03:55 I know your cousin's not going to understand the experience of losing life with their fam, their parents.

01:04:07 And luckily we had plans so that that day when I came to tell you, I tell you all about, I know y'all ain't have no idea what was going on, what it was so funny. Oh my God.

01:04:21 I don't know that I tell you all about how she told me that we were having issues pregnant until you all that here in the studio. And I was working in the back corner somewhere doing stuff and she was sitting in my office. She was like, hey, I got a gift for you. Okay, let me let me see what you got.

01:04:45 If I will come in here and I'll so I went in there and open up this thing and it was a it was like a baby clothes hanger and it was no say, hey, I was I was playing. It was a bill that said I was playing, I was like, oh, yeah, cool, cool, you pregnant I was happy. And then she said that's another gift for you, open that one up and then it had a tire and had a bill by my side. And I was so surprised. And I was just like, what? I don't understand. Yes. Yes, you are. Yes. I am surprised if I know baby and she was just like, just like 5 minutes was just going back and forth. I was a gift. I mean, I was playing, I was surprised.

01:05:31 And I was like, I don't understand it and she just gave me the ultrasound. And she's, I look at this, then I look at ultrasound twins in there and I was like, so happy. We need to go to lunch with your mom. And I'm going to show. My mom has them and everything but I did not understand that stuff. It was, it was funny, but it was it was real cool in you all to have children. I'm so they got to have some children before I die. I leave this earth. I want to see what these babies are looking like and stuff. So, we were really proud and happy and was even happier when we found out that it was being named after.

01:06:31 Ironic.

01:06:40 And then we didn't know what the names is going to be, cuz it's a surprise. And then they finally told us after they were born with the names were. So I was really happy. Yeah, how about? Let's talk about. So you want to start watching the babies and stuff.

01:07:04 And I dropped the boys off to you that first day of what you owe. You said in the panties watches.

01:07:15 Panic, because you ain't looking okay. How long?

01:07:29 I call I was scared. I was so scared that. You got to come back from hell.

01:07:49 I really enjoy what I do with my own grandchildren, but I really enjoy that and ain't nobody break me with my yeah, so then the twins come over every Monday remind, and sometimes they have their own room. And so they have a new bed, everybody. And they bring everybody said they're roll.

01:08:24 But I'm really

01:08:28 Proud of you Stephen in the world. Thanks, but it was all y'all at the end of the day, you know, you put me through all these different things. These organizations you were there as a brother and a father. It was all y'all help me.

01:08:51 Grow and it would made me be who I am today, you know, if I didn't have you all in this example, I will probably somebody else. Family is very proud.

01:09:12 I'm not going to complain about anything card.

01:09:18 I enjoyed talking with you all and everything. I thank you all for being here to talk with me and letting you all know how I feel and how you walked up. Thank you.