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024 - Redefining Realness: Exploring Environmental Justice and Youth Empowerment with Jaffe Judah
27 Plays9 months ago
In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, Reggie D. Ford sits down with Jaffe Judah, a community leader and advocate from Nashville, Tennessee. Jaffe shares his journey from a tumultuous childhood and prison to becoming a dedicated advocate for environmental sustainability and youth empowerment. They discuss the importance of vulnerability, redefining what it means to be “real,” and planning for the future. Jaffe introduces his books, "From Prison to Prayer Through Poetry" and "Men Inspiring Men," highlighting messages of resilience and holistic masculinity. The conversation also explores environmental justice, community empowerment, and how Jaffe's organization, Recycle Reinvest, addresses systemic issues through education, job opportunities, and advocacy for sustainable practices.
Highlights:
⭐️ Jaffe shares insights into his organization, Recycle Reinvent, and the BLKBLOOD Voices podcast, highlighting his commitment to community engagement and sustainability.
⭐️ Learn how meditation, prayer, and fitness became essential tools for Jaffe's self-care and personal growth, leading him to overcome challenges like substance use.
⭐️ Explore the concept of vulnerability and its evolution from perceived weakness to empowering authenticity in Jaffe's life.
⭐️ Reflect on childhood memories of cooking with family, revealing moments of connection and therapy around the dinner table.
⭐️ Gain perspective on the impact of dysfunctional relationships on Jaffe's upbringing and how self-discovery in prison became a catalyst for transformation.
⭐️ Discover Jaffe's redefined understanding of "realness," emphasizing the importance of actions over words and the power of love in fostering connection and alignment with one's true self.
⭐️ Reggie shares insights from therapy about anger being a secondary emotion, often masking deeper feelings like fear or grief.
⭐️ Jaffe talks about his involvement in youth mentorship programs, working with young people in juvenile detention centers to break cycles of anger and aggression.
⭐️ Emphasizing the importance of having a plan, Jaffe recounts how he used his time in prison to map out a future that included acquiring skills and staying focused on positive goals.
⭐️ Jaffe describes his transformation and his concept of "healthy gangster music" as a way to promote positive messages within the hip-hop community.
⭐️ He introduces the ideology behind his movement, Bang 4 Liberation, advocating for channeling aggression towards systemic change rather than intra-community violence.
⭐️ Jaffe discusses his books "From Prison to Prayer Through Poetry" and "Men Inspiring Men," focusing on themes of resilience, positive masculinity, and community support.
⭐️ The connection between waste and crime in marginalized communities and the impact of environmental pollution on crime rates.
📲 Connect with Reggie
Instagram - https://instagram.com/reggiedford
Facebook - https://facebook.com/reggiedford
LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/reggiedford
Twitter - https://twitter.com/reggiedford
YouTube - https://youtube.com/@reggiedford
Website - https://reggiedford.com
Book - https://amzn.to/3Y7gBXp
Podcast - https://reggiedford.com/vulnerabilitymuscle
Podcast’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/vulnerabilitymuscle
📲 Connect with Jaffe
IG - @RecycleReinvest
Website - Www.RecycleReinvest.org
IG - @blkbloodvoices
IG - @bang4liberation
Website - https://www.rasjaffeejudah.com/
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Transcript
Introduction to Vulnerability Muscle Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Just getting incarcerated when I was young, around 15, 16, you know, and I, in it like, when I got locked up, I didn't, like, you know, get out, go back, get out, go back. It was like, no, I got in, and I was in there more. And for six years, nine months. Welcome to Vulnerability Muscle, the empowering podcast challenging norms and guiding you to find strength and power through vulnerability. I'm your host, Reggie D. Ford. In a world that often portrays vulnerability as a sign of weakness, I believe it is a source of tremendous strength and authenticity.
00:00:33
Speaker
Through insightful conversations and thought-provoking interviews, Vulnerability Muscle aims to redefine vulnerability and help listeners develop a new perspective on their own lives.
Meet Joffy Judah
00:00:43
Speaker
Each episode of Vulnerability Muscle delves into a variety of topics such as mental health, social issues, and mindset shifts. We explore the power of vulnerability in healing, building resilience, and promoting personal growth as well as fostering meaningful connections. This podcast provides practical tools and strategies to navigate life's challenges, overcome adversity, and create more inclusive and just environments for all people.
00:01:09
Speaker
In this episode, we got my man, Joffy. Judah, what's up, Joffy? What's up, Brezer? Let's do sports. Man, all is well, man. God is good. I'm feeling good. Centered. Happy to be there, bro. Not going to care. You're one of my favorite people in Nashville that do what you do with the passion and the way you do it, for real. I appreciate that, man. I appreciate that. And I want to start off by just just from brother to brother, give you your flowers because since I've known you, which hadn't been that long, every time I see you, it's nothing but mutual respect, like true genuineness from you. So ah salute to you and for the passion that you do, the work that you do, it like so it's on full blast. And so um um it's an honor for me to be here with you. For sure, man. Yeah, man. Yeah. So tell tell me a little bit about
00:01:56
Speaker
who you are, tell the world who you are and what you got going on. So I am a child of God from Nashville, Tennessee. um What I got going on is a dope organization called Recycle and Reinvest.
Rapid-Fire with Joffy
00:02:12
Speaker
We are a local 501c3 sustainability nonprofit that aims to bridge the gap between trash and crime by um providing community engagement and artbased oh art art-educational-based workshops and programs for Justice Impact youth in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as provide youth green jobs
00:02:35
Speaker
um planting trees in the summertime. Yeah, man, as well as the Black Blood Voices ah podcast oh that y'all can go tap in, but those are two separate things, two different websites. And, man, other than that, but also working on my next book, you know what I'm saying? We just got a book that dropped, and when I'm working on another book, I'm not gonna go not gonna stop. yeah You feel me? So that's a little bit of what I got going on. That's a little bit, a lot of bit. I like that. We're going to tap into some of those things. But before we get started, I want to kick it off with a couple of rapid response questions. It's cool? here Yeah, yeah.
Joffy's Early Life and Challenges
00:03:09
Speaker
All right. What's one thing you do to relax when you're feeling stressed? One thing I do to relax when I'm feeling stressed is meditation. um I've been increasing my meditation and prayer this year. um And I've been um
00:03:24
Speaker
you know, leaning off like smoking, you know what I'm saying? I used to like, when I would get stressed out or when I just, she just needed a moment, I would like pick up a blunt, roll up a blunt and like, that would be my go-to. And like, as of recently, um I've been almost a month and a half sober ah from smoking ganja. Just mainly because like the space that I'm in right now, I really want to put more focus on oh myself as a clear me. You know, I think back to some of my you know, earlier years, you know what I'm saying? Before I was smoking as heavy as I smoked now, oh I think like my my some of my most clear and focused years was when I was soaked, right? And so to answer that question, man, meditation and prayer and working out, that was the top three I would have to say are mandatory. absolutely They have to get done.
00:04:17
Speaker
Meditation comes up a bunch. I mean, it's that mindfulness, it's connecting where you are, bringing your focus where your feet are. That's what I like to tell people. I like that. It's dope, man. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word vulnerability? First was the first thing or first word? First thing. Okay. The first thing that comes to mind is um willing to be open about things that are private, but in a way that you don't overshare to where um you feel shameful. That's what vulnerability means. That's what I think of when I think about vulnerability. Interesting. I like that. I like that. ah Last one. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
00:05:05
Speaker
Damn, one of my favorite childhood memories. I really didn't have a childhood, you feel me? like I think, man, one of my favorite childhood memories, oh
00:05:20
Speaker
A raffy
Family and Cooking Memories
00:05:21
Speaker
response. it wasn't I wasn't raffy for that one. A childhood memory. It puts people on their toes. Sometimes you got to think hard. And a goodch and and a positive memory. where I think we can all pull that negative memories out because that negativity bias. we we We go straight to that, but I want you to think about something that's positive. so um'm I'm holding a little space on the air right now for you to think. Go ahead. So I think my favorite childhood memory has to be probably cooking with my family. Ooh, okay. I think cooking with my family because one, I'm a great cook. You know what I'm saying? I do take pride in getting down in the kitchen, especially for these plant-based meals. Yes. oh I say being a cook because like, you know, um the dinner table was was our
00:06:06
Speaker
space of therapy. You know, the dinner table for us was our moment that we had to oh I guess become connected, you know, when life ups and downs kind of separates us. And as you get older, as a, from a, from a young man growing into a teenager, you start to find yourself, understand yourself. And sometimes in that time you become a little bit more disconnected from family as you once were. And I think, you know, when we had those moments with grandmama and granddaddy and mama or daddy, you know what I'm saying?
00:06:41
Speaker
Everybody in my house or everybody in my and my family really knows how to cook. And that's what has contributed to me knowing how to cook. So I would have to say cooking with the family, man. Yeah, cooking is therapeutic, man. I love cooking. What's what's your favorite meal to cook? My favorite meal to cook. I got a lot of them, but I think
00:07:06
Speaker
my favorite meal to cook. If I'm eating meat, it would have to be a grilling salmon if I'm eating meat. If I do, if i if I feel like eating meat. oh If I'm not eating meat and we're going plant-based, I think my favorite meal to cook may be a maybe some type of pasta, okay some type of plant-based pasta like Rasta pasta or some type of ah pasta is really dope ravioli you know i'm saying like something like that something feeling but also like like really flavorful dope yeah i like that now i gotta come back to something you said earlier you said you didn't really have a childhood right explain that what i mean by that is uh i really i really didn't have a
00:07:55
Speaker
you know, period in my life where the innocence of me was ah as pure or as in a line with being joyful, being playful, oh being a wanting to connect with others. I felt like, you know, in my childhood, I had a lot of disconnecting from others. I had a lot of oh and not wanting to be playful and joyful because of the the things that I was going through kept me in my head a lot. And I think that, you know, not having that oh willingness to like go outside my compass on a willingness to even be vulnerable, right? yeah That really kept me from experiencing a lot of other things and also just like kicking it with a lot of other dope people. You know what I'm saying? And I feel like, you know,
00:08:51
Speaker
with me going through that and also just getting incarcerated when I was young, around 15, 16. When I got locked up, I didn't like you know get out, go back, get out, go back. It was like, no, I got in and I was in there, motherfucker.
Family Dynamics and Trust Issues
00:09:05
Speaker
For six years, nine months, you feel me? so like to go I like to literally go from elementary school middle school and locked up, you know what I'm saying? It hit different, you know what I'm saying? I only went to high school for like one year, wow you know what I'm saying? So like it really, and then like for me, when I was in that space of like, you know, I played football in eighth grade, you know what I'm saying? But like after eighth grade, I ain't played football no more, you know what I'm saying? So like for me,
00:09:34
Speaker
you know, and before I got locked up, you know, when I was in middle school, from like fifth to eighth grade, we had started our own little game, you feel me? But it was like a ah neighborhood a boy game, you feel me? And it was like, you know, ah back in the day, they had soldier boys and they had, you know, and we call we considered ourselves at that time the warriors, right? Based off the movie, you know what I'm saying? We were playing, but that those intentional things that we did led to worse stuff. yeah yeah And that's why I feel like, you know, and and at that age when you were like in fifth grade, you know, and like when you were at that age, like I grew up
00:10:15
Speaker
I was a little bit of a bully, a little bit of a bully, you know what I'm saying? but i be in and And I call it a bully because, you know, that's what they call it now. Back in our time, we were just growing up, yeah you know what I'm saying? Kids picking on you a little bit, this is your time to learn, you know it it you know? And if you got the proper guys around you, it may not always lead to a fight. It may just lead to defending yourself with words or being firm in your boundaries, right? I really didn't have that on a consistent basis. So for me, you know, I grew up, you know, taking kids lunch money, you know what I'm saying? But I was broke too. Right. You get what I'm saying? It was like a thing like I'm hurt, so I'm gonna hurt you. Yeah. So they say hurt people hurt people. And that's true. That's very true, bro. Yeah. I had to like really hold myself accountable for my bullshit. You get what I'm saying? And like,
00:11:08
Speaker
Growing up, fifth grade, sixth grade, man, I'm talking about sixth grade, seventh grade. We already breaking in this year. You know what I'm saying? I didn't really have a childhood. That's what I mean by that. Like most kids, they on the AAU, they playing pile. They boys scouts. None of that. My family. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? My dad was what he was and my cousins were what they were. And I had uncles that was like in the military and stuff. But like I said, if it's not consistent. Right. That's huge. Your immediate influences will catch you. Yeah, definitely. And like I think of back to my childhood. And I would say when I was five years old, the first time I broke into a house.
00:11:53
Speaker
And it was it was an influence. It was influenced by the eight the third graders. The third graders going over here and they're breaking in and they're taking all the different stuff out of these people's houses. So at the bus stop, what am I going to do? I see them going, I'm walking right behind them. And so I think it's important, like you said, to have consistent influence on whatever it is you want to see. We had an episode with Kenji who said that you know a lot of parents and a lot of people, teachers, whoever, they say they want positive things for their child. and I want you to go to school, I want you to do this, but they show them something different.
00:12:31
Speaker
And if you're not showing somebody something consistently, whether it be love, whether it be ah to go to school to show up, to not bully, to to do whatever in a positive way, then what are they going to learn? Facts. and And, you know, that matters because, you know, I don't like to, I don't want to, you know, he's not like my hero or nothing. But I feel like when he said this, he made sense. Steve Harvey has said oh you know Don't be surprised when your children start lying to you if you train them to lie for you. o right And I was one of them that was one of them children that grew up lying for my parents. You get what I'm saying? so like not ah so i'm So at a young age, you know what I'm saying? like I was one of them kids or children, you know if I water geek it off, my momma say, hey, go turn that water back on. And I'd be like, well, I mean, mama, why is it off? right Don't worry about that. Go cut that water back off so that way we can do what we need to do. right As I got older, I started to be like...
00:13:30
Speaker
Dang. Something wrong with that bitch. Something wrong with that bitch. I wasn't even supposed to be doing it. And I feel like if you don't allow a child to stay in a child's place, they will start responding like in the dark. I think also with that is communication. if If she would have communicated to you just the reality of the fact we did not have the money to pay for this rent. it would have been harsh for a kid to hear that, but at least they don't internalize whatever they internalize or find out later that what they were doing was wrong and then start to internalize that. So I think the communication has to be critical. Yes. You said something that that just like, it's on my mind heavy right now because I was just sitting down with my little brother and we share the same dad. And so ah we were sitting there talking about how
00:14:15
Speaker
our trust issues are just fucked. We got trust issues. Oh, that's real. Through the roof. i i can like It's so hard for me to trust even like what's on the other side of this door right here. And and we were talking about like younger childhood experiences that where that started to form. And one of the things that we both shared was our dad was in prison. And during prison, you know he he called us on the phone at our mama house or whatever. And five minutes into talking to us, it's like, okay, doubt is number four. And that number that we're all on our mama's phone calling another woman.
00:14:55
Speaker
right he's He's giving her the the game. right Everything that she wants to hear, that's what he's telling his other woman. 10 minutes go by, they hang up, doubt his other number for me. Here's another woman. And it's like, damn. And we seeing this is almost like an influence of this is how it is to be a man. You got to have multiple women, but also internalizing subconsciously that I can't trust nobody. Look what he doing behind all these different people back. And that just hit me so hard because like we were lying, we were being deceitful with him in that. Facts. And then what does that turn into? Like you said, like deceit towards you. And that's, that's big though. I like that. Bro, I can, I can relate to that because I used to grow up seeing
00:15:41
Speaker
oh my parents have dysfunctional relationships, right? oh You know, I used to grow up seeing, you know, my so my mom is an awesome mom. Let me say that. My mom is an awesome momma. Don't never get it twisted. um She did her damn best to raise me, you know what I'm saying? For real. And I was just one of them kids who was bullshitting me. And a lot of things that came up on me were self-inflicted. But, and And in between those times of self-inflicted pain and troubles, I've seen her you know date men that were married. You get what I'm saying? And um I know they married and she know they married, but it's like that was what she was doing. You know what I'm saying? Whether it's to pay bills or get that emotional support or whatever that may be.
00:16:33
Speaker
And then on the flip side, when I leave mom, I go to daddy, you know, I go to daddy and I see him pulling up on diggers and roll. And my stepmom was a prostitute in real life. You feel me? And at the time, like, you know what I'm saying? But like, as I get older, that hits me harder, you know what I'm saying? like as i And I don't do this anymore, you know what I'm saying? I'm only being vulnerable because like I said, this is a space where we can, I can share these things and these are conversations that I've had with my my parents, but at the same time, I want people to have a better inner understanding of self and what other people go through. Say that one more time. Have an inner inner standing. You know, I don't want to be under you while you're standing. You know what I'm saying? So I'm not over standing, inner standing.
00:17:18
Speaker
You know what I'm saying? So I had to have an inner standing like, okay, the reason I'm choosing certain type of women is because I've seen my momma do certain type of things and I've seen my daddy do certain type of things. So I'm thinking that that's the way until I hold myself accountable. I have these conversations and it's like in my mom says, you know, baby, I wouldn't write when I did that. You know what I'm saying? So don't do what I did.
Self-Reflection in Prison
00:17:41
Speaker
You know, so seeing that, you know, really put a toll on my thinking on, you know, we ain't no woman straight. You know what I'm saying? Well, having my thinking on, you know, man, every woman a gold didn't. You get what I'm saying? That's not true. You get what I'm saying? So I think,
00:18:00
Speaker
You know, seeing that is one thing, but it's like how we process it is another. Yes. Yeah, man. Yeah. you I want want to give you some grace because you said a lot of what you did was self-inflicted, but I think it's learned behavior from somewhere. Your mom was doing a good job, but there's learned behavior from somewhere. And so there is responsibility in a community, in a village or whatever it may have been. that created that concept that you saw that you had to be and act a certain way. hell yeah So it wasn't just on you, my brother. I appreciate that, I Because people definitely try to hold that against you. You know what I'm saying? like For real, bro. Now that's why I'm so like comfortable with sharing it now, you know what I'm saying? Because like if I didn't take those moments to discover myself, I would never truly connect to a higher and a better me. Where did that self-discovery come from? ah Sitting in prison. That's where it started. Because that's the only time of my life ah when I was going through that that I had, ah I was forced
00:19:08
Speaker
to pay attention now, you get what I'm saying? Like, if you don't want to act right out here, they gonna leave the light on for you and you're gonna be forced to you know deal with your your demons and also you know it's a level of you know i feel like when i was in there like i had to become a monster right in order to survive around monsters you know i'm saying you had to become a monster you didn't go in as a monster you had to become one i wouldn't know monster when i went in see i was just i was just portraying something. I was really, you know what I'm saying, faking. But i ain't I thought I was being real. And what I mean by I wasn't no monster when I went in is I was only doing what I needed to do to survive. You feel me? Now, I have certain people in my family that, you know,
00:19:57
Speaker
They're past the level of trying to survive. This is just who they are. you d ah That wasn't really who I was and who I wanted to be. It was just that when it came to you know finding money or getting money, working a nine to five didn't always cut it. Slow money was too slow for me. So like, yeah, I did work a job, but I did rob, I did sell weed, I did sell pills, you know what I'm saying? Because how I grew up hustling didn't mean legitimate, didn't mean healthy. It didn't mean being aligned with your purpose. It meant being aligned with your purpose and a little bit of your pleasures. You feel what I'm saying? So oh today hustling looks completely different than what hustling looked then, you know, because of that self-discovery and because of that, um,
00:20:42
Speaker
being forced to really be, ah and when you're in prison, you you get to see how everybody's fucked up in here, you feel me? It's like- In what ways? In the ways of everybody has a... uh, ulterior motive. Everybody almost has a deceitful mind. Everybody is almost using you for, uh, to get ahead. Some people use other, some people use the game for protection. Some people use the game to build their ego. You get what I'm saying? Some people don't even have a family. So it's, so it's like you, you start to see like these different patterns that you have and y'all are sharing, y'all are having these trauma bonds.
00:21:27
Speaker
And it's like, dang, we really not friends. We just try to survive, bro. Which I bet. Take them trust levels. Yes. Hard. Yes, bro. Hard. Yeah, man. So I went through ah and you know a lot of a lot of what I got into. A lot of the fights that I got into, a lot of the positions that I got into when it came to doing bullshit, i was I was mainly in those positions because I had a partner that was sharing the same struggle, and we was and and that was how we related, and we we thought that was what we gonna be loyal to. That wasn't real, man. But when you get inside, excuse me, when you get inside, and it's ah it's a means of survival now,
00:22:14
Speaker
now you gonna become that monster. yeah Damn, you don't have to. damnm you know You brought up real, the term real a couple of times. What was real to you then and what is real now? and
00:22:31
Speaker
Real is one of those words that I feel like isn't adequate adequately approached or defined because there's so many different definitions of being real. What was real to me then oh was,
00:22:57
Speaker
oh real to me back then was, oh using aggression over communication. That was real to me at one point. That's not real to me no more. Real to me then was oh using sexual power as a means of authority. That's not real. Real to me then was
00:23:30
Speaker
oh
00:23:33
Speaker
Real to me then was like, oh
00:23:41
Speaker
ain't nobody straight until you prove it to me. That's not real, you right? Because you gotta need to be sure of yourself. You know what I'm saying? Now, You know, I do still hold some of those. Now, they are still certain. I feel like elements that I need to hold on to from that past that still help today, such as, oh you know, my aggression is no longer used as um a way to like not communicate, but my aggression is now used in a way that I turn it on, turn it off, right? Because it's only my defense defense mechanism. um Back then it was like my offense. So I'm always, you feel me? Or I feel like things that I still hold on to from back then that I still use now is oh paying attention to
00:24:38
Speaker
what you do as opposed to what you say. I think back then I was more gun hold on. If a certain person said a certain type of thing, I'd go for it. Just because a level of respect or you know what I'm saying? But now it's like, all right, I'm gonna see what you do. Right, you feel me? I'm gonna see what you do. Your actions speak a lot in the words for me now. And I think that what's real to me now is being vulnerable, right? I think back then, I don't think being vulnerable was real to me. I feel like being vulnerable was weak, but now being vulnerable is a level of empowerment oh that i that that I have now. And also like,
00:25:20
Speaker
what is real to be now, the most one of the most realist things to me now is love. and I feel like because I feel like love, and I ain't just talking about like intimate love, you get what I'm saying? I'm talking about, love for self, love for others, love for nature and the planet, no understanding how to be connected and be in alignment with the oneness of true self. That's like that's like so important to me now. and and And that overstanding has put me in some of the best places and best rooms and the best people oh thus far, man, for real.
00:26:01
Speaker
Dang, you just dropped some bombs, man. Some good ones, some good bombs. And I'm glad you didn't send me none of these questions. No, because these just come to me. These come out of just straight curiosity. But what you when you were talking about what was real to you then versus real to you now, it reminded me of a section in my book, ah is ah I call it an interlude, but it's called normalization. And it's it's all the things that I normalized, and I was trying to look it up. but couldn't find it, but the things that I normalized in in you know before I got this realization of what is actually healthy to what ah what isn't truly normal. so like the The childhoods that, I know we probably share a lot of similarities in our upbringing, but that was normalized and and
00:26:44
Speaker
looked at as just the way that things work. But it wasn't normal to experience the things that we saw, right? Like, like to to normalize ah knowing that pops ain't gonna be there. Like, there more than likely, my dad ain't gonna be there. It's normal in my neighborhood. That's not a normal thing that we should normalize. It's unbelievable. Man, I agree with that. To normalize the way that we're punished, even. right We still see that today when we we hear how it's communicated, I'm a beachy. Why? Why do I don't have to get beaten to learn a lesson when I'm like a kid growing up? you know And I think about that all the time, but just like even the way that we, like you said, vulnerability wasn't normal because it's looked at as a weakness. But in in my in the strongest periods of my life as a man, I've been vulnerable.
00:27:38
Speaker
and I've stood on my word and I'm still behind the actions and the experiences and behaviors that I've gone through. And that has only provided me with strength and empowerment. And so I just redefining normal redefining real is is huge. oh You talked about and I want to switch subjects for a minute, but I got to hit back on this, but aggression being one of those things that was reeled in, but not real now. And my therapist was recently telling me about Because I was like talking about this these these moments of rage and anger. oh and That's real. She was telling me you know anger is a secondary emotion because
00:28:18
Speaker
the there is there is always a primary emotion that comes before anger, whether that be fright, you're you're scared, but you come out like, okay, i'm I'm ready, or it may be grief, grieving the fact that I don't get to go to Disney World, I'm sitting here in the hood, so yeah, I'm gonna be mad about it, right? There is something that precedes anger and aggression that, have you ever have you ever thought about that or tapped into? Not like that, bro. I'm glad you presented like that, but, You know, I've never approached that framework, but I do say
00:28:54
Speaker
oh
00:28:58
Speaker
Like, there was a things like, you know, I started to learn like, if I see, because i okay, so my background is youth mentorship, right? when i When I went to prison, I started to get back involved with the community and I started to work down the juvenile detention center, right? Just working my real hard in, did a few other things. And before I got to this point with my own organization and working with them youth down the juvenile detention center, I would notice how they go zero to 100, right? And I think a lot of youth that grew up in the areas that we grew up in, we think that's normal to go, somebody step my shoe, it's up.
Reinvention and Mentorship
00:29:37
Speaker
No, no, no, bro. You know, and really,
00:29:43
Speaker
You know, I've always said if if you mad about small stuff, it's got to be some bigger issue, right? So it's like it may not be that a person stepped on your shoe. That may be the only pair of shoes that you have that are nice. So it's like, man, you didn't mess up my only pair of shoes. I've been working hard. I've been grinding hard and I've finally And what does that underline? My self-worth. Yeah. I don't have many things that make me feel good about myself, but these pair of shoes make me feel good and you just stepped on my self-worth.
00:30:15
Speaker
So now you gotta get it. And I started to, like I said, hold myself accountable and like really like pay attention. Like, am I really mad about that? You know what I'm saying? Now there are moments when I feel like where it's hard to kind of, I guess you use that framework when there's like certain principles that get crossed, right? Cause then it's like, you know, well, damn. They just lied to me, or they just did something deceitful to me. like oh hey mean I've had my own family members put me in terrible positions, you know what I'm saying? And like my anger goes to the roof. But it's like is it's just the fact that you cross the principle that you don't do, right? But at the same time, it's like,
00:31:01
Speaker
underneath that is like, it ain't even about the principle. It's just like, it's like also the, my understanding of what I have defined as loyalty. They may not define that as you feel. Absolutely. So it's like, i'm we trying to connect and, but we're not even communicating The underline, you know what I'm saying? It's like talking two different languages. Yes, man. Yeah, man. But I liked it though. Damn, that's good. I mean, you had that thought process of it being a primary emotion connected to it because you knew it wasn't about the shoes.
00:31:36
Speaker
right You knew it. So, oh but I want to, I want to, so you, you, you got out of prison. You were a young man, young 20 and 22 early twenties and you started grinding. You started getting to it. What'd you start doing and how you get to where you are now? Well, I didn't really start out and I didn't, I didn't start my first business. I was 25. Okay. Right. oh oh The first thing I, so while I was in prison, I paid attention to why dudes was coming in and out, right? And I had homeboys, you know, feel me, like, man, in and out of prison. Now, I now used to talk to OGs, I was like, why dudes, why these motherfuckers still keep coming in and out of prison? It's like, he was like, man, they ain't got no plan. You feel me? Like, that's why they keep coming in and out, because they don't, they literally get out, don't have a skill, don't have their mind together, and they just,
00:32:29
Speaker
focus on the day, he was like, man, you gotta have a plan, something that you could be focused on. So I created a plan and this plan that I created was like, I thought about my life, I started to really think about my life 20 years from when I was, whatever age I was in. And it really started around 19 when I started thinking like this. And when you are exposed to like chaotic experiences consistently, you start to see life completely different. So, I started thinking about my life 20 years ahead. And I knew that if I ever got another day out, I said, man, I ain't gonna bullshit with it this time. I ain't gonna play with it no more. So, but I said, the first thing I gotta do to stay focused is I gotta get a trade under my belt. So I got my barber, I got my barber hours, I'm working on getting my barber license. I've been a barber off and ons, but I got my 1500 hours, right? So I hop out, I do barbering. Barbering kept me focused for like 18 months.
00:33:24
Speaker
As I'm doing that for 18 months, in the midst of that, I'm dabbling in music and I'm dabbling in the youth mentorship. ah My first performance was for the Oasis Center. And my first event was for the all Oasis Center as well. We did an event called Cuts and Classics with Mr. Ron Johnson. Salute to Ron Johnson. shout out oh He gave me my first opportunity to perform, and i but I performed for you. And the song that I created didn't have nothing to do with that. So I, so with that experience that really kind of like, you know, when I performed, it was like, Oh, that's hard. You know, he dope. What is am like, what is B four way? What is, and I came up with all these terms on the inside. You feel me? Because like my music, I i classify my music as healthy gangster music. Okay. I identify myself as a street healer. You get what I'm saying? And I didn't find myself like that because, and I say bang for liberation because I'm street healers because like,
00:34:25
Speaker
you know I feel like as a man, we don't have to prioritize one over the other when it comes to um being a praying man and being a warrior. I don't feel like those exist in two different spaces, bro. You feel what I'm saying? I believe they exist all in the same space. we yeah so I just, I just believe so. So that was, that was how I started to identify myself because it was like, yeah, I may not, you know, gang bang anymore. I may not be in the streets anymore, but like, and I may be, you know, praying more and you may see me at church and all that, but don't ever get this. don and So i was so like I came out, bang for liberation, am life, street healer, big up to Joe Bos with Ithar, who really coined the term street healer. And and you know I came out with the B4L, bang for liberation, ideology. So, or perspective, because it's really B4L, it's not something I created. Right? B4L is a part of a code of conduct from the RBG movement that was started by dead presidents who were inspired by Marcus Garvey. RBG. Revolutionary, but gangster. Right? If y'all know about hip, ha, hip, it's bigger than hip.
00:35:46
Speaker
so I started to become this um street healer, and as I started to like kind of pave my way, oh I wanted to, because when I came out, there was no other group that I knew of that was really from the trenches, focused on pushing healthy hip-hop movement, right? i'm talking about I'm talking about living honest, you know what I'm saying? Like, I wasn't selling weed on the side and working a job. No, no, no, no, no. I was taking the strides, bro, and taking the losses. But i so this is what I'm standing for, though. You feel me? Like, I'm standing for, no, I'm not going to be, I'm not going to do nothing illegal. Are you feeling me? And I'm going to stay true to what this is. You feel me? And that's hard, man. yeah Because in prison, your only number will have to be a better criminal. But I knew that if I backslid on anything, if I, man, if I if i took one month,
00:36:44
Speaker
And I ain't gonna lie, when I first got out, I was about to get back on some scam and shit, just to be 100. You feel me? I was about to get back on some rhyme and stuff, because when I came back home, my partners from back in the day, they was still on that type of time. Right. And that was your friends. That's who you know. Right. yeah So in reality, did I think about it? Yeah. yeah But, you know, my partner, who was on that, he was like, man, cause you just did six in a split. He was like, you about to get out here with us. I was like, I mean, I thought about that. I was like.
00:37:19
Speaker
Damn. He was looking out. He was looking out for me. He was looking out. Not everybody look out like that. Not everybody got the awareness to look out like that. I won't say that they trying to undercut you, but they don't always have the awareness. True. Or exposure to anything else. True. So that's big. My partner told me, he was like, man, he was like, man, cuz you did all that time. Cuz he was like, man, you need to be focused. And I was like, he was like, cuz work your plane like you just told us. That's big. So I stayed focused, I got done with my barbering, and like, you know, I tell people all the time, like, I ain't never get x'd off the hood, I just stopped dealing with the hood. And like, you know, niggas from my set still respect me, you feel me? Even more, you feel me? And it's like, it's nothing but love. But the frequency I'm on is completely different than what I was, so, you know, I have so i have had to separate myself from that so I can truly stay focused. yeah oh And, you know,
00:38:16
Speaker
doing the barbering and then doing the mentorship. And then I kind of started to fall out of love with music because of, you know, the ups and downs that that comes with music. The the hip hop industry about as real as WWE, for real. It's about as real as WWE, bruh. And politics. Yeah, man. lot of there And for me, that kind of threw me off because the way I grew up on music, it was about being the real you, or so I thought, yeah right? Nobody was never real. Easy, when even easy, he wasn't even doing that. so
00:38:53
Speaker
yeah So I started to, I started to fall out of the trends of the illusion of what hip hop presents okay and started to really tap in into what hip hop really means to me. And what it means to me is not only just the culture, but having the infrastructure that supports
00:39:17
Speaker
that supports all facets of hip hop in a more healthier way, right? And that's what it bests what it became for me. So oh going forward with the B4L, we started to do block parties. And B4L, bang for liberation. You talk about that being a ideology. Speak to the ideology. So B4L is a concept that says, if you gon' bang, don't bang on your African brothers and sisters, bang on
Writing and Historical Influences
00:39:48
Speaker
the system. So when I, and now there are nine codes to this RBG code, okay but the third one is B4L, right? And like I said, as I was transitioning out of the street life into a more awakened me, right that stuck with me.
00:40:07
Speaker
That stuck with me so hard. And I was like, yeah, that's what the streets need. yeah That's what the streets need. The streets need B4L. Because how else can we combat this gangster rap, drug rap, pimp rap, this ah this whole man hip hop scene that is catering to the youth who believe that being a gangster is a real career option. You feel me? And it's like, that's real so with that with their concept and ideology, that is what I started to mold my whole life around now. I now told myself, if I'm going to bang, I'm going to bang for freedom. yes If I'm going to stand on any business, I'm going to stand on the business that's pushing health, wellness, and positivity, bro. But I'm going to do it in my way. I ain't coming out here preaching to the people like a pastor, and I ain't coming out here wanting to rap to you about pyramids, and I'm from out east. Rebecca Street Peabody, you feel me? I'm from dead, you feel me? So it's like it is not gonna be what you been saying before, you feel me? It's gonna be what I know it is, true to I. You stayed authentic to who you are. You are authentic to who you are. That's what I love. Again, going back to how genuine you show up, how much respect you get and how much respect you show, is' it's all through you and it's through all those experiences that made you. And I love what you said about
00:41:42
Speaker
ah the two sides of it, right? You can be the praying man, you can be the peaceful, but you could also be that warrior. You had a dog and that's inside of all of us. And like my favorite in yoga, I love yoga, right? I love yoga. My favorite yoga pose because of what it symbolizes is peaceful warrior, and right? Peaceful warrior is underneath, yeah. Underneath it all, right, I am a warrior, but I choose to be peaceful. but But just know, at any given moment, things could be the other way, but I am making this active choice in my life to choose peace over war because of what I know life to be. Hell yeah, man. So like you spoke directly to that. That's dope. Talk about what we got up here. So we got we got two books. Yes, sir. well we get This is the first book, right? Yes, sir. It is.
00:42:35
Speaker
From Prison to Prayer Through Poetry, Volume One, Black Blood. Tell me about this. So the first book, oh Black Blood, Volume One, From Prison to Prayer Through Poetry is, I didn't know it was gonna to be a book. um I had wrote this, I had wrote poems and I had collected um different quotes and I had collected different pictures. And oh these pictures that you see in here, man, some of these pictures, I know, everybody know when you in prison, you gonna have a little burn on you. I took some prison pictures and I sent them to my partners and I was like, man, hold these pictures for me because when I touch down, I'm about to go platinum.
00:43:17
Speaker
And all of them that you see in that picture, I'm still cool with them. Shout out Biggles to my guy Deron. Real, real, real, real right. Step up Biggles to Skrill, Skrill free, he did 18 years. Man from the east side. um But, and I also got some pictures of like I said, my mentors and I got a picture of my my lady in there. but like And with this book, man, I just really put these together because I felt like it would be a great testament of, you know, not only what I've been through, but hopefully as a tool of inspiration. ah I don't never want to just put a hyper focus on. And in a lot of interviews, I really don't speak about prison. yeah right I speak about it here with you because we're being vulnerable. And I got a lot of respect for you in this platform. And we're talking about the book, but like I don't want my story to be, you know I went to prison and I did, who cares? right I did so much other than that. It's like, I can give you me without even touching on that. But at the same time, I wanted to write that book because like I said, that is still a part of where I come from. right And so,
00:44:24
Speaker
I wrote the book. I mean, I wrote the notes that led up to a book. And it was just like I said, I wanted to take my story and put it in a poetic approach. Yeah, man. So that's what the first one is just like about poems. And like I said, different notes that I collected. And I grew up, you know, certain heroes that I had or have like Michael Meeks, Stokely Carmichael. um Man, Hazel Johnson, MLK. Like we can go on and on. That's what they did. You know, they documented their story. And in that book, I got a poem called Bang for Liberation that really, you know, in that book, I got poems called The G-Code, you know, because I wanted to write poetry from like a true perspective, bro. You know what I'm saying? Like, and I ain't never read too many poems about being a gangster, you know, but being a gangster in a sense of a liberator, ah a liberation gangster. You know what I'm saying? ah An environmental justice G. You know what I'm saying like taking that narrative and like, turning to what we needed to be. that's the Real talk, bro. And that's what's all in the first book. That's dope. And then this brand new book that just dropped, Men Inspiring Men. Yes, sir. It's a big book. Tell me what this is. That is Man Big Us to James Bush. Yes. Brother Brought Me In. And that is a book for men 365 days. We got a page a day.
00:45:53
Speaker
for you to stay positive, be intentional about your life, and also have a community where you can tap in and be a better man. Because I feel like, you know, man, 2024, man, I feel like I'm at the point where I'm so sick of weak ass men. Real talk, bro, I'm so sick of weak ass men, bro. And when I say weak ass men, I'm talking about men not willing to be their true self. I'm talking about men not willing to, oh honor some type of cold. You get what I'm saying? I'm sick of seeing men who don't want to embrace confidence, but just want to embrace ego. This shit is weird to me, bro. And I feel like you know that's why that's why I really joined in with them brothers because he was like, look, you know I want to write a book that we can inspire men and we can have real conversations about how to hold ourselves accountable. You feel what I'm saying? Because like,
00:46:48
Speaker
If we keep on allowing the conversation to go on that men don't need women, women don't need men, that's bullshit. If we keep on allowing you know these conversations about a real man, always got to have something on the side when he hustling. them when Man, that is bullshit. You feel what I'm saying? like Manhood looks different for everybody and we need to have real conversations about, you know, if you're growing up in a home or and i no, no, no, not growing up, but if you have, if you're in a relationship.
00:47:25
Speaker
And let's say that your woman is making more money than you. That don't make you less than a man. But you'll feel me like a man goes beyond material and monetary gain, bro. It starts with your values and your principles and who you know yourself is. You know what I'm saying? So that's why we did that book because we taught a weak ass man, bro. It's time to like be real fucking men. And it's time to, you know, bring more unity into these spaces, right? oh I think, you know, we live in a time when, you know, just because I might not see things, how you see things, you know, oh we can't get along. And that's weird as fuck. I do business with all type of people. we but And we all agree on this one negotiation deal or whatever.
00:48:16
Speaker
we should have be able to come to those agreements, bro. You know what I'm saying? We should be able to like, and if not, man, what can we even say is God's side and other side don't even matter. It's is' solid mean and the other side don't even matter, bro, because some men just ain't gonna get it. yeah And some men are not even willing to. even ah be vulnerable. yeah yeah cause Back to the vulnerable muscle, man. Yes, man. Vulnerability muscle, baby.
Community and Environmental Advocacy
00:48:43
Speaker
oh last and That's my not least, yeah lot of mean i not only mean nero you but a lot of men are not even willing to big up the next brother. oh that's That's really important to me, bro. That's huge. Because this shit is hard. Yeah, it is. This shit is hard, bro. You feel me? but it's like
00:49:00
Speaker
got to stand for something. You fall for anything. Facts. Facts. That's big bro. Like I, and that's why I wanted to open it up with that. Just like the respect that I have for you. It is, it's tremendous. and And we got a brother that that just walked into, into the building, Quest Cantrell, uh, with the nine yards. Go check out that episode with Quest Cantrell. Uh, but, uh, another guy that I have tremendous respect for and I and i try to make it, known with the people that I love and I cherish. like I communicate with you. As soon as that book dropped, right? Took a picture and was like, it's on the way. Man. And like you didn't have to ask me to do that. You didn't have to do anything. And I didn't have to publicize it just to be like, I'm doing this for for clout. i just I just wanted to support you because I believe in you and I respect the movement that you own, bro.
00:49:48
Speaker
And that, but I also want to say though, sharing that though, you know what I'm saying? We work hard for what we do. Oh, for sure. You feel me? And sharing that means a lot to me. For sure. You feel me? Because I don't know who's going to support. True. But I don't, we don't do what we do. Excuse me. We don't do what we do. for external validation. You feel me? But when we do receive it from people that also inspire us and that we look up to, it means something, bro. For real. So, man. And, you know, I tell my guy Jerome that, you know, big us to Jerome Moore. You know, man, I big up, you know, having real, like, you know, the way that I grew up, bro, I always said if I had one person that was solid in my life, I feel like I would have turned out so much better.
00:50:35
Speaker
If I had one solid person, bro, one person can do so much influence. Can I drop some science? Yes, sir. Yeah. The Harvard Research on a Developing Child says that the single most common factor in helping a child develop resilience and persevere and thrive in life through adversity is at least one caring adult. Damn. That's scientific. And so you being able to identify that, absolutely. Absolutely. And I i feel so blessed because I had so many ones. So many ones. Because I had a whole bunch of shit, but I had so many individuals who wrapped their arms around me so that... Mentors matter.
00:51:26
Speaker
Man, good, real friends matter. You know what I'm saying? And I can totally relate to that now, you know what I'm saying? Like I do have, like my sister Marquita Bradshaw, she just hit my line like, hey, I'm in town big bro, you feel me? Like I got, and I got a mentor for you that y'all want you to. ah you know I'm always open and open to receive direction from the proper people. yes Right? From the proper people. Now everybody needs to give you direction and influence. You feel me? Because a lot of people be speaking from ego, but youll you'll as you continue to stay on your journey to stay in alignment with your purpose and not your your pleasures, you'll see who's true. You know what I'm saying? For real, for real. I got a question around
00:52:11
Speaker
The connection between waste and crime. Let's get it. What is the connection there on what are you doing around that conversation? Heard. So the connection between waste and crime is 85% of people that live in Nashville have a high risk in living in overexposed polluted areas and lack of access to healthy food options. That is intentional. This is a result of redlining. This is a result of paid pollutants. A lot of people don't know that you can buy carbon credits to pollute the air. And a lot of this you know comes from um intentionally
00:52:56
Speaker
over policing in the community. oh bees this This issue is not new. It has been researched, studied, and proven by Robert Bullard, who is considered the father of environmental justice, as well as Hazel Johnson, who was considered the mother of environmental justice. And also I assessed the Martin Luther King with the sanitation worker rights they did back in the 1960s. So if you take a look at those three people and those three movements, you will see that they have ah presented the evidence that these places that are being polluted in the city, they're being intentionally polluted
00:53:46
Speaker
by the government, the the way that the infrastructure is set up, and you know they create this environment that also oh contributes to the lack of accountability that we hold in our self-worth. All of that is connected, bro, and that that all of all of that, you know from the lack of access to healthy food, um interstates being built in communities, to the the community divestment and the lack of jobs and the poor access to transportation, that leads to crime, bruh. What else we gon' do besides fight amongst each other? For crimes. For crimes. I can't eat right. I can't think right.
00:54:33
Speaker
if you're born you know with asthma or respiratory issues and you living in ah and a home that was built back in the 60s and you drinking lead pipe water, you feel me? male You're not gonna have the fair chance to develop. yeah You get what I'm saying? You're not gonna have the fair chance to think properly. And all of these silent killers that are around us, they're really not being, oh properly approach with majority of the white led sustainability or environmental groups, because majority of them focus on global disasters, rivers and creeks, oh you know, which is important, don't get it twisted. That is important, but that does not, those issues do not
00:55:22
Speaker
reflect in low-income areas. And because I'm a low-income baby, and I come from this, i have taken on the um I have taken on this work with honor, you know, the MLK started, and i and I'm saying that, you know, we gonna bang for liberation, environmental liberation, right? And what we're doing is, we believe the way to close the gap between trash and crime is education and job opportunities. okay So what we are doing is we're doing town hall meetings. We're doing art based educational programming to focus on how can we put on a sustainable lens and reach the goal of environmental justice. um We're also hiring youth. This year we're starting our first
00:56:09
Speaker
um youth job opportunity with the soil soldiers. The soil soldiers is a workforce development program that focus on hiring ninth through 12th graders to get that job training and planting trees. Why do we want to focus on planting trees? Well, a lot of people, a lot of black and brown communities are experiencing extreme climate conditions. which is the climate change conversation. um And their utility bills are higher than other people in the city. Now, what makes their bill higher? The reason people in North Nashville can pay $400 to NES and people in South Nashville can pay $150, a lot of that has to do with the landscape.
00:56:59
Speaker
If you go down in North Nashville, South Nashville, you don't see as many trees as you see in the Green Hills area, in the Bellevue area. you know And you also statistically and proven there aren't as many asthma attacks happening from youth in these areas. We see a lot of people dealing with cancer, respiratory issues, asthma, mental health issues. We see that happening more often or playing out in a worse conditions and low income areas. true And that's why i Recycling Reinvest is focused on
00:57:38
Speaker
um you know, you know, getting a better understanding of why do we have so much trash here? What is going on? that's big You know, why do we have, you know, three HBCUs and a big interstate in the middle of every, it's like, yeah you know, that's so weird. me like It's almost like it was strategic. Come on. You feel me? And and and i don't another reason that we're focusing on is because we don't want black and brown people and poor whites to believe that they are separate from events like Earp Day. We don't want them to feel like you know they are separate from environmental conservation and sustainability. You not know, indigenous people have been sustainable since the beginning of time. You get what I'm saying? yeah So it's the important that
00:58:30
Speaker
You know, organizations like Recycle and Reinvest exist because we don't have enough people adequately focusing on this conversation that represent us. But we do see it play out in
Connect and Subscribe
00:58:47
Speaker
the ER. We do see it play out in the doctors. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, how do and we do see it play out in the jails? yeah We do see it play out in the juvenile detention center.
00:58:58
Speaker
You know, our belief at Recyclerie Invades. If you see trash on the ground, that's a job. yeah if you If you see low tree canopy areas, that's a job. i like that if you know We have to reassess how we approach um youth who have behavior issues. you know We have to re-approach how we assess disrespect in communities, you know i'm saying as as black and brown people. We have to reassess
00:59:29
Speaker
how we you know go about finding and figuring out how to get this money, you feel me? As we love to say, right? And if if we don't, you don't have the cycle of violence, the cycle of pollution, the cycle of injustice. We want to we want to stop that. Yes. we we You know what I'm saying? So we don't only want to stop the violence, but we also want to stop the cycle. Yes, yes. How can people get in touch with you, Recycle Reinvest, or anything that you got moving? Man, you can go to recyclereinvest.org and donate. You can also follow us on all social media, recyclereinvest. You can also tap in with me at roshoffeejuda.com. That's my personal website. um And tap in with us there. um We also doing a prison reform newsletter. So if if you got people that's locked up,
01:00:18
Speaker
And, you know, they need some extra love and mail call tapping with Black Blood Voices for the newsletter. And, the man, follow us on all social media at Black Blood Voices. Black Blood Voices Recycling Invents. That's how people can get with me. And don't forget to donate, donate, donate, because, you know, y'all are assisting us and helping us to execute our mission with collective action and responsibility. You feel me? In real time, bro. Yes. Yes, man. You, this has been a fantastic opportunity to have, but all the things you've been doing, out so could be I appreciate you being here with me and bracing vulnerability. Man, I give thanks for you, inviting me and giving me the opportunity, bro. Real talk, man. Salute. Yes, sir. we are Peace. Thank you for joining us for another powerful episode of Vulnerability Muscle. I hope you found inspiration and valuable insights that resonate with you. If you're enjoying this journey of self discovery and empowerment,
01:01:15
Speaker
There are a few ways you can support the podcast. First, make sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode. If you've been moved by our conversations and the mission of redefining vulnerability, please consider leaving a review. Your feedback not only motivates us, but also helps others discover the podcast. Share your thoughts on YouTube, Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you tune in. And don't forget to spread the word. Follow us on Instagram at Vulnerability Muscle for updates, and you can connect me personally at Reggie D Ford on all platforms. Visit VulnerabilityMuscle.com for additional resources and upcoming episodes. And remember, embracing vulnerability is strength. Thanks for being a part of the journey. Until next time, stay empowered, stay vulnerable, and keep flexing that Vulnerability Muscle.