Ronald Anderson

Aaisha Haykal (AH): So we are now on record, can I please have your name and spell it please?

Ronald Anderson (RA): Ronald Anderson, R-O-N-A-L-D A-N-D-E-R-S-O-N

AH: And date of birth?

RA: 2/24/94, February 24, 1994

AH: And your parents’ names?

RA: Carmenlita Anderson

AH: Carmenlita Anderson?

RA: Yes,

AH: And your father?

RA: Ronald Brown, Jr.

AH: And you were born on Johns Island?

RA: Yes

AH: And what kind of community do you live in?

RA: As far as the road or the community?

AH: The demographic of the community.

RA: Mixed with Hispanics and African Americans

AH: Oh, okay. Has it always been that way or has it changed over the years?

RA: It has been that way.

AH: Has there been any conflicts that you can remember between the Hispanics and the African Americans?

RA: There was a robbery one time, it was second hand robbery though, someone told me, so I am not sure.

AH: Is there a feeling of family in the neighborhood or do people stay separate from each other?

RA: Separate.

AH: Okay, and is this a rural community?

RA: Sort of, kind of, it is like 50/50

AH: And did your parents grow up here on Johns Island?

RA: Yes

AH: And their parents? So there has been a legacy here?

RA: No, James Island

AH: No, James Island, okay. Do you know anything about your family history?

RA: Start off in Indiana the Anderson side and the Moultrie side started in James Island.

AH: And the Moultrie….

RA: Start off with Indians then, Blackfeet

AH: So on the Anderson side it is in Indiana and the Moultrie side it is James Island.

RA: Yeah, James Island

AH: Okay. And how did you come to know this, through family stories?

RA: I did a family tree one day for a project and I asked my grandma, grand uncles and grand aunts and they researched and tell me what’s happening.

AH: So your family is pretty close?

RA: Yeah, we are pretty close.

AH: Do you have any family traditions or customs that happen during the holidays?

RA: We have gatherings and cookouts; that is about it, gatherings and cookouts.

AH: Can you remember any lessons or experiences that you can take away from your family?

RA: No

AH: No lessons from your father, your mother?

RA: Lessons from my father, bad influence. Get your education first, college

AH: You said that your dad is a bad influence?
RA: Because Babies, babies, babies. Too much babies

AH: Okay. Gotcha.

AH: So, which elementary school did you go to?

RA: What?

AH: Elementary school?

RA: Angel Oak Elementary and Goodwin Elementary

AH: And for middle school?

RA: Haut Gap

AH: Obviously you are here [St. John’s High School], and have you always been here [St. John’s High School] for high school?

RA: No haven’t always been here for middle school, I was in Charlotte, I moved to Charlotte and I came back.

AH: Okay

RA: But for high school I was here at St. John’s High School

AH: Why did you move to Charlotte?

RA: I don’t know, my mom wanted to move, she wanted to experience life outside of South Carolina, I don’t know

AH: You just left

RA: Yeah

AH: Did you like Charlotte?

RA: Yeah, I did, but there was too much crime

AH: Too much crime

RA: Too much crime

AH: So you felt that it was too urban as compared to James Island or Johns Island?

RA: Yeah
AH: So do you not want to live in an urban environment?

RA: Not really

AH: So you want to stay here?

RA: No, I want to go to somewhere, but not too city like

AH: So do you like school?

RA: Yeah

AH: Well, some people don’t, they just want to get out. So you have had good experiences?

RA: Yeah

AH: What is your favorite subject?

RA: Between Math and Reading

AH: Why?

RA: Because Math is easy and Reading, you just learn more, literature and stuff. I like poetry and stuff.

AH: You like poetry, do you write poetry?

RA: Not all of the time.

AH: Not all of the time

RA: I think about it in my mind, like oh I should write this down, but I just keep it flowing, yeah

AH: Who is your favorite poet?

RA: I don’t have a favorite poet. This guy be on YouTube and look at Def Jam Comedy, not comedy, the Def Jam Poetry Slams and like many, every poet has their own style so I like the different styles they have.

AH: So you like the slam poetry, do you perform?

RA: N

AH: No, why did you say it like that?

RA: Since I go to Upward Bound, sometimes we have perform poetry [unintelligible]
AH: Do you play sports?

RA: Football

AH: Football

RA: Football, track, wrestling, sometimes, soccer only one year

AH: What is your favorite sport?

RA: Football, I love football

AH: What position do you play?

RA: Running back

AH: Do you follow college or pro, or both?

RA: I prefer both.

AH: Any particular team?

RA: [Carolina] Panthers

AH: Got to ask, you never know, people have regional differences.

AH: Do you want to use football as a way to get to college or are you trying to go on academics?

RA: It is kind of like both.

AH: Do you know what you want to go to college for?

RA: Business

AH: Have you looked at colleges or?

RA: Yes

AH: Have you been accepted to a college?

RA: Not at this moment, but I am going to the military first, so, then college,

AH: Oh, okay, are you in [J]ROTC [Reserve Officers' Training Corps]?

RA: No

AH: Well, I heard someone else here was involved in [J]ROTC, so I thought that was how you become involved with the military. Why the Army?

RA: To help pay for college basically.

AH: What attracted you to business?

RA: I like promoting stuff and selling stuff to people and basically making money.

AH: Oh, okay. Are you involved in any other club activities or does sports keep you pretty busy?

RA: Sports keep me pretty busy, but I am involved in a lot of programs.

AH: Oh, okay, like what?

RA: First, Upward Bound, second, Teen Lead Program, and Wise Guys and also Communities in Schools

AH: Oh, okay, what is Wise Guys?

RA: It is like, it like, sex, it prevents sex for young men, young teen men.

AH: Oh, okay. Is that a local high school thing, or is it regional?

RA: It is pretty local.

AH: So you have meetings and programs?

RA: Yes,

AH: Great, did you start that program or was it here?

RA: It was here.

AH: It was here, okay.

AH: For those that don’t know what Upward Bound is, can you explain it?

RA: Upward Bound is a program that prepares you for college and your future.

AH: Is that a College of Charleston program?

RA: Yes

AH: And who runs that?

RA: Mr. [Larry] Lewis

AH: And is there a local contact at, here at St. John’s [High School]

RA: Yes

AH: What is her name?

RA: You can contact Ms. Smith I guess, if you cannot contact him, you can contact her I guess

AH: Okay, how did you get involved in Upward Bound?

RA: You have to be, not referred, what is the word? I am going to use referred. You have to be referred to, by a person who sees potential, who sees potential in the student in the future.

AH: Okay, so what kinds of activities do you guys do?

RA: We have tutoring; we have volunteer work around downtown, around the College of Charleston. We also stay on campus, one whole month to have the college experience, for free, it is free. And we also travel to places such as New York, Florida, DC, Georgia, and we also have international visits like going to France, Italy, and Japan, sometimes and also we went on a five day cruise to the Bahamas. That was fun and to Newport [Rhode Island], that was awesome and that’s it.

AH: Well, that is exciting. Do you think that that program has really inspired you to go to college?

RA: Yes,

AH: And are there other students from other high schools in that program or is it just St. John’s?

RA: There are other schools too.

AH: Okay, so you met people you didn’t know before?

RA: Yes

AH: Do you think that it has helped you personality wise?

RA: Yes, it did.

AH: In what way?

RA: Be more people person, talk more, explore more, and get more people personality, I guess.

AH: Oh, okay. And has Mr. Lewis become like a mentor for you?
RA: Yes

AH: And is everyone in that program planning on going to college?

RA: Yes

AH: I know that some decide not to

RA: They are all planning to go.

AH: Oh, okay.

AH: So when you see [negative] images of African Americans in the media, how do you feel? Do you feel that you should be out there, counteracting them? Or just do you say that is not me and I am just going to do my own thing?

RA: Yeah, that is not me; I am going to do my own thing.

AH: Oh, okay. Do you think that the images that are out there, that everyone can see is going to hurt you in your career?

RA: No

AH: Do you think that the media has influenced youth as a whole? I know that you say that you stay away, that you are going your own path, but what do you think as whole the impact that the media, the music, the film has impacted Black youth?

RA: Music, film. Not so much the film, but the music because, certain music make, I don’t want to say that everybody listens to the same type of music, but it depends on how you take the music or what you feel about the music or, I don’t know, music makes people go [sound effect] something-something, brainwashing music, but it is a conspiracy so you never know.

AH: Conspiracy, okay.

AH: If there was something that you could change about St. John’s High School, what would you change?

RA: The lunch, the education is very well, the sports is very well and basically the food is, I don’t like it, I don’t say, don’t eat the food.

AH: Do you bring your own lunch?

RA: No, I just pick what I want to eat.

AH: You said that the education here is very good, so are there teachers here who have inspired you?
RA: Not so much teachers, but coaches.

AH: The football and?

RA: Yeah, football coaches.

AH: Does he teach here too?

RA: Yeah he teaches Physical PE [Education] and Health.

AH: The population here is pretty diverse, with African Americans, Caucasians, and Hispanics, has there been racial conflicts or conflicts in general or is it a family atmosphere?

RA: Family

AH: Do you think that it is because it is a rural setting and people have to get along or?

RA: Everyone gets along, but there still be a lot of drama, for some particular reason, I don’t understand why.

AH: Personality type of drama?

RA: Something like that, close to it.

AH: I know that in the Black community, always, there seem to be tension between skin color…

AH: Not here

RA: No

AH: I know that there is Joseph Field’s farms, on Johns Island, have you visited there?

RA: No

AH: I was wondering if they did any outreach to the students

AH: What kind of social justice issues are you thinking about as you are going out into the world and being a Black male and just thinking about, future generations and what issues do you want to fight or think should be challenging now?

RA: How long can you take on one question?

AH: So, social problems, do you think that you can name a few you think? Like racial profiling or health concerns

RA: Health Concerns

AH: You see the obesity rate and diabetes that sort of thing.

RA: Yeah

AH: You said that you wanted to pursue business as a career, do you want to have your own business?

RA: I do. I want to start of promoting other people’s business first and then I have mines, so I don’t know what it is called, sales promotion, not sales promotion, but stage promotion, when you walk across stage and present a project and advertise it to people who is out there in the audience. So that is what I want to do.

AH: Oh, okay. How did you become aware of that as a career?

RA: Me and my friend had a cooking business in middle school and we sold cookies and I was making a lot of money, and I was like this is some good stuff and we started rising and started selling candy in school and I started making more money and more money and making $400 a week.

AH: So you were making the cookies?

RA: They were coming to me, I was in 7th grade now, it was coming to me and then we were selling it at a profit the money.

AH: Oh, okay. Very entrepreneur of you.

AH: Have you, has any of your family been involved in the Civil Rights Movement here in Charleston? Or on a national level?

RA: No

AH: Do you think that learning about the Civil Rights Movement is important?

RA: No

AH: You don’t think that the Civil Rights Movement is important?

RA: Oh, wait, yeah it is important, yes.

AH: Are you aware of anything that happened in Charleston relating to Civil Rights?

RA: Recently?

AH: Well, either recently or in the past?

RA: No

AH: In the film Woke Up Black, the students are from the urban, Chicago area can you see any similarities between their experiences and your life and friends down here?

RA: No

AH: So you think that it is pretty dissimilar, do you think…

RA: Except for that guy [Sheldon] with the sports stuff, that relates to me

AH: The sports

AH: Have any racial profiling or stereotyping happened to you or your family?

RA: No

AH: Do you most of the time stay on St. Johns, I mean Johns Island or do you sometimes go to Charleston or do you mostly stay here?

RA: I stay here. I like to travel, I am a traveling person, I like to go out.

AH: Do you have any kind of perspective on Black community in other geographic areas?

RA: No

AH: Like in the North or the South, I mean the North or the West, or the Midwest?

RA: You mean like the differences between the two?

AH: Yes

RA: Northern people are just mean and South people are just nice, that is what I think. West people are just smooth, and East people everyone is in just one mix. That is about it.

AH: Your family life, is it pretty calm or do you have issues, conflicts between your family?

RA: It is pretty calm, [unintelligible] and then pretty calm again

AH: Do you have any siblings?

RA: Yes

AH: Older or younger

RA: Both
AH: And the older ones are they still living at home or are they…?

RA: I have one older brother he is still living at home.

AH: Oh, okay.

AH: Is, are your family worried about the economic situation?

RA: Not really

AH: So their jobs are pretty stable, where they work at?

RA: Yes

AH: Are they in the business, are they self-employed or?

RA: They are in a business

AH: Does religion or spirituality play a role in your life?

RA: Somewhat, yeah

AH: Any religious affiliation, you claim?

RA: Christian

AH: Christian, do you go to church?

RA: Not much, [unintelligible] I pray in the morning and I pray at night, yeah

AH: So you have a personal relationship God versus an institutional [one], so you are not involved with any church organizations?

RA: I get up every morning and start early

AH: Do you think that it is important to have a relationship with God?

RA: Yes

AH: Any reason why?

RA: Because he will do good things for you and he will do things that you want to happen to you, happen I guess.

AH: Are your parents religious or spiritual?

RA: Yes

AH: So they go to church?

RA: Yeah

AH: Is there any, Do they try to get you to go or is it more like let you be, decide for yourself?

RA: Now, but like when I was little I have go and get up and go. So it was like that.

AH: So, when you were younger you would get up and go basically every Sunday?

RA: Yeah

AH: Okay, so when you were younger, were you involved in any kind of youth organizations at church or Sunday school?

RA: Sunday school

AH: Were your parents’ involved in any church organizations or ministries?

RA: The choir

AH: Your mom or?

RA: My mom

AH: Okay, mom. So your dad was not much a church goer?

RA: No

AH: For male leadership, or male role models who do you look to?

RA: My coaches

AH: So they have taken on that fatherly role?

RA: Yes

AH: Do you guys do stuff outside of coaching?

RA: Not really, just lift weights.

AH: Lift weights, okay so through the team and lifting weights with the coaches you have seen how it is to be a male? How to conduct yourself?

RA: Yes

AH: Have a male given you the talk about how to act or perform in society?

RA: Yes

AH: What kinds of guidelines did they give you?

RA: Always be respectful, always be yourself, and always strive for your own goals, make your own choices.

AH: Okay, sounds reasonable.

AH: So for the woman role model in your life you look toward your mom?

RA: Yes

AH: What kinds of qualities does she have that you think a woman should embody?

RA: Strong minded, that is about it.

AH: So after school or on the weekends, what do you normally do?

RA: Hang with my friends, I do a lot of things, events keep popping up, I go to events like, not like concerts or anything, but today, we have a senior dinner cruise today, for the seniors at Upward Bound, so I am going to that today and I don’t know, do fun stuff, movies, whatever, just fun stuff.

AH: Oh, okay.

AH: So the cruise is downtown?

RA: Yeah, at Patriots Point

AH: So like what type of TV shows do you watch?

RA: TV shows?

AH: Yeah

RA: I like Martin and I also watch ESPN all the time, and I could watch NFL all today and I don’t too much care for reality shows, that doesn’t make any sense and movies.

AH: You mentioned that you like to read, do you like read, fiction or non-fiction?

RA: Fiction stuff
AH: Do you have a favorite author?

RA: Not really

AH: So you think that the major influences on your life are your mom and your coaches?

RA: Yes

AH: Okay, and what do you think about your parents’ generation do you think that they have done a lot for your generation today or do you kind of think that they are old school and need to get up with the times?

RA: They are old school, my mom still listens to that hole in the wall music stuff and I like no that is too much. That music is nasty, so yeah.

AH: So technology, you like using technology?

RA: Yeah

AH: Like the iPad, you enjoy using iPad or do you think that [students] should put them down and interact more with each other?

RA: The iPad, both, I don’t know. I am a people person so it don’t really matter.

AH: Did you participate in any of the Trayvon Martin rallies that happened in Charleston?

RA: No

AH: Just because you couldn’t get there or didn’t really engage with that?

RA: Yeah

AH: You didn’t engage with that?

RA: Yes

AH: Okay, just confirming.

AH: Do you have any? wait. One last question. Why did you agree to participate in this project?

RA: Ms. Pinckney forced me to, but I am glad I did.

AH: Do you think that it is important for Black youth to tell their own story in their own words?

RA: Yes

AH: Why do you think that is?

RA: Because everyone has their own differences and my words are running together, it is the morning time. Yeah, that is about it, I’m sorry.

AH: It is okay.

AH: Kind of a follow up to that is, do you think, what kinds of images in the media are Black, are being portrayed about Black youth?

RA: That we are not into much of politics and that we are wild, not that we are wild, but, they do not make it seem like we are wild to me. That not enough of us are going to go to college and that is about it. Yeah.

AH: You mentioned politics, are you interested in politics?

RA: Not really, no, [unintelligible] never mind [unintelligible]

AH: So you are not paying attention to the election right now?

RA: Not really.

AH: Is there anything else that you want to share about your life?

RA: No

AH: Okay, well, thank you so much for participating.