{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/v97zk57b23/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Joe Linson Interview"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/571/original/full-color_2x.png?1735841768","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Publisher"]},"value":{"en":["The African American Network TV (TAAN TV)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eJoe Linson, often called “the Senator” because he is all around town, expresses his love of San Antonio by “being in the room” so he can give back to the community.  He discusses how important it is to let people know about the rich African American history in the area, and highlights his work in creating opportunities for Black businesses to win city contracts. He is on numerous boards including the Tricentennial Celebration Commission and the Small, Minority, and Women Owned Business Program.           \u003c/p\u003e (summary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAll materials are for noncommercial educational or research uses only. Please contact SAAACAM for any questions regarding usage rights.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2017-08-08 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Interview"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["MP4"]}},{"label":{"en":["Keyword"]},"value":{"en":["Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce","JEL and Associates","Tony Gradney","Chelsea's Catering and Bar Service","Tony G's Soul Food","Joe (From the Alamo)","Tricentennial Commission","Renee Watson","RK Group"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English (primary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Access Ss"]},"value":{"en":["access_restricted"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eJoe Linson, often called “the Senator” because he is all around town, expresses his love of San Antonio by “being in the room” so he can give back to the community.  He discusses how important it is to let people know about the rich African American history in the area, and highlights his work in creating opportunities for Black businesses to win city contracts. He is on numerous boards including the Tricentennial Celebration Commission and the Small, Minority, and Women Owned Business Program.           \u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAll materials are for noncommercial educational or research uses only. Please contact SAAACAM for any questions regarding usage rights.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/571/original/full-color_2x.png?1735841768","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/245/300/small/300VoicesLTACollectionJoeLinson.mp4_1720630565.jpg?1720630570","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131052/file/245300","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - 300_Voices_LTA_Collection_Joe_Linson.mp4"]},"duration":1124.4233,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/245/300/small/300VoicesLTACollectionJoeLinson.mp4_1720630565.jpg?1720630570","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131052/file/245300/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131052/file/245300/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-saaacam.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/245/300/original/300_Voices_LTA_Collection_Joe_Linson.mp4?1720630554","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":1124.4233,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131052/file/245300","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131052/file/245300/transcript/68565","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Joe Linson - Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131052/file/245300/transcript/68565/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Transcript\r\nFor\r\nJoe Linson\r\n08/08/2017\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  0:04  \r\nHi, my name is Qui and I'm here for 300 Voices in 300 Days in honor of San Antonio's Tricentennial. And I'm here speaking with Mr. Joe Linson, thank you so much for joining us today. How are you doing today?\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  0:18  \r\nI’m delighted. I’m– terrific. Glad to be here. Thank you.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  0:20  \r\nThat's good to hear. So, if you could tell our viewers just a little bit about yourself to start out. Where were you born, where’d you attend school, just so our viewers know at TAAN [The African American Network] TV.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  0:29  \r\nWell, I'm– I'm actually an army brat. So I’ve been around a long time. But I was born in Greenville, Texas, fifty miles northeast of Dallas. And my dad was military, so was born there, moved to Georgia. I actually started high school– I mean, elementary school in Georgia. And from there, we moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, lived there a while, and then Fort Sill, Oklahoma. And then finally back to Texas.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  0:55  \r\nEverybody always ends up in San Antonio. It’s like this is where the stopping point of– they go around everywhere, this is where they end up. So where did you– you mentioned where you attended elementary school. Where did you attend college at? Was it here in San Antonio?\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  1:08  \r\nActually, no it wasn’t. I finished Greenville High School in 1968. Went through Greenville High. Went to the military, spent three-four years in the Army, 1st Cavalry Division. And then I went to Mountain View College. It’s a junior college in Dallas, Texas, Dallas County Community College District, k– not unlike St Philip's College down here. \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 1:25\r\n–Oh, yes. The Alamo Colleges around here– \r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 1:26\r\n–There were a bunch of colleges around the city. Uh-huh. And from there, I went over to the University of Texas at Dallas. I have a degree in political science and criminal justice. So I went that route and found myself down here on a relocation. I came down with McGraw Hill. I worked for those guys for a number of years. I was a construction news reporter. I called on architects and engineers. So that's what got me in the construction business on the periphery. And that's what brought me to San Antonio, that location. An offer–  That’s mean, we've got Toledo, Ohio, Jackson, Mississippi, or San Antonio, Texas. So being a native Texan, you know, I didn't want to go too far north. I thought, “Do I want to relive the civil rights, live in Jackson, Mississippi?” I didn't want to do that. And so moved to San Antonio in 1981 and we've been here ever since. In fact, we don't want to go north of Austin, as it’s a really nice town.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  2:19  \r\nYes. San Antonio is– is really nice. So what do you do now? You mentioned this is– you were in the army, and then you kind of got brought back to San Antonio here.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  2:29  \r\nI’ve had a myriad of experiences. I came down here– I ran a construction plan room called the F.W. Dodge Report. What they do, they track construction projects from concept to bid, bid award, and all the details in between. I did that for 19 years. And after that I retired from McGraw Hill, but you don't ever [motions with air quotes] “retire” as long as you’re on the planet. So I got involved as the Chairman– or President of the Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce– it was called the Alamo City Chamber of Commerce then. Did that for two or three years. And outside– after I did that for a while, I formed my own consulting company, JEL and Associates. Government, community outreach, advocacy and all of that. And football was involved in that. And then I got involved in the catering and concessions business with Aramark at the Alamodome. I had a company there, we did concessions and food service and all of that. Then I got involved then– did that two or three years then finally hooked up with another guy, Tony Gradney. He owns a catering company called Chelsea's Catering and Bar Service, and also most recently opened a restaurant called Tony G’s Soul Food in Sunset Station. So we figured out that people will eat everyday one way or the other. And we got lucky enough to find ourselves involved with the largest catering company in town, the RK Group, Rosemary Kowalski’s company. And we became the beverage provider for that firm at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. We do all the beverages in the center for the RK Group. And that's just the business side of it. I've done a many number of things on the civic side. I was involved in the Red Cross, the American Red Cross, and past chairman of the San Antonio Food Bank. Probably the first African American Chairman of the Valero Alamo Bowl. And also was the first Chairman, African American, of the Valero Texas Open Golf Tournament. And I'm real proud of those experiences, because what it– what I found is the more you give, the more you get back. And this is a town– San Antonio’s a town where you can get involved in any number of things. And I’ve always been one to– if I'm going to be in a town, I'm going to be involved in–\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 4:53  \r\n–In the community and outreach. Yeah.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  4:54  \r\n– the community, what’s going on. And I've always met– my work with the Chamber, for example, I was with the group that led the fight to get an ordinance passed which allowed us to break down this term “minority”. I re– I'm old enough to know when “minority” was only Blackfolk. And now women and Hispanics and Asians– \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 5:14\r\nYeah, it’s expanded a great– yeah.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 5:15\r\n– and everybody is a minority now getting the value of that. But at any rate, I was able to get the county to– the city rather, to put together an ordinance, which spelled out– not just the word minority-- that covers everybody. I said, “Look, there's got to be an African American goal in all this contracting that’s going on in this town.” We were able to get that written in through the Chamber of Commerce backing us and the community saying, “Hey, this makes sense.” So that was important. It's all about construction, professional services, and procurement opportunities for people that look like me. And so I think we were– were proud of that. That's one of the– one of the big things that I've been involved in, among many things.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  5:55  \r\nThat is something to be proud of, especially with, you know, your– saying if you– the more you give, the more you receive back and giving out to your community. We need– definitely need more leaders that have that same mentality or thought process.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  6:10  \r\nExactly. And it’s happening. We've got a lot of support–\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinely 6:11\r\nWe’re growing, yes. It’s growing.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 6:12\r\n–It’s taking a while, but you do what you have to do.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  6:15  \r\nSo all the things that you're doing now, you mentioned the Tony G’s, the restaurant and all of those amazing things are happening. What do you feel your biggest inspiration was for that? What was your inspiration to kind of take that path?\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  6:29  \r\nI think the main thing that inspired me was there was a need for this. We're only 7% of San Antonio, the African American community. But we play a very pivotal role in this town. I don't know if people realize it or not just the story of the Alamo, or the Cradle of Texas Liberty and all of that. There a black man named Joe, who’d actually told that story. He came to the Alamo as a slave of William Barret Travis. And, of course, you know what happened in the story. They all– all the guys got wiped out and everything. Well, Joe was the one who actually reported what actually happened there. And that's not well known. I think that that needs to be put out there.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  7:05  \r\nNo It’s not. It’s important. it's an important part of history that needs to be implemented and that story needs to be told.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  7:12  \r\nAnd so that's just a small piece of that. The Buffalo Soldiers who actually cleared the West, were a big part of that. They were right here in San Antonio, Texas. I think we need– our story is an important story. And I think the mistake we've made, we've been letting other people tell it for– that's why I'm so excited about this program that you're doing– \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 7:33 \r\nThat’s funny that you say that–\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 7:34\r\n–Because we can tell our own story. Who best can tell the story than us? And so I'm proud of being part of that aspect of it. And I'm always thinking, “What can I do? Why am I here?” \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley   7:48\r\n–Purpose–\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson   7:49\r\n–More of us need to do that. \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley    7:49\r\n–Purpose, yeah–\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson   7:50\r\n–We have a tendency to look at life just in a box. I try to see everything in context. I wasn’t the first person that got here, I’m not gonna be the last person, but while I'm here, how do I connect to those who came before us? How do we build on what they did, so that when we're off the scene, someone else can take up the mantle, and keep the ball rolling? And we're standing on the shoulders of– I mean– Reverend Claude Black, there are so many African Americans here that we don't have enough time. But I think it's important for us, we the living, to tell the story, and do what we can while we're here breathing. We’re not gonna be here long. \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  8:28  \r\nThat– and I think that’s also very important to pass on to our youth. Something for them to be proud of, and to understand their heritage and their history and where they came from. \r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 8:40\r\nIt’s a gray area.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 8:41\r\nSo I think that that's also really important, ‘cause that's something that's been missed, you know, here and there throughout the past, and we need to kind of implement that. \r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  8:50  \r\nYou’re hitting right on it. They're our future. And I keep going back to it, I keep pointing out. I talk to a lot of young people all the time about– you know, trying to figure out– what– what can I do? You know, you didn't– a lot of young people, let's be honest about it– I’ve got kids that think the world started when they were born. [transition] Part of the Tricentennial gives us that chance. With this program you’re doing right here. You can put these 300 voices on the air and let people know in San Antonio man, there's a rich African American history in Bexar County. Not just the city of San Antonio, the whole county\r\n\r\n\r\nUnknown Speaker  9:22  \r\nAnd then this is making more history for future youth to see and look, it’s like, “Wow, this is–”\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  9:24  \r\nExactly. They'll look at that and say, “My God, I didn’t realize we were– how great we are!” \r\n\r\n\r\n[mutual laughter]\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  9:30  \r\nThat’s something that's very powerful. I certainly agree. So you've– I know you've done a lot for the community and– have you served on any boards, are you actually doing anything with the 300 Tricentennial?\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  9:41  \r\nYeah, I’ve– Well, first of all, I am a commissioner on the Tricentennial Commission [San Antonio Tricentennial Celebration Commission], for example. That was– I was appointed by the past councilman, Alan Warrick. And part of my role– what I said when I first– the first meeting was, “Look. I want to tell the African American story.” And everybody around that table looked around like, “This is a Hispanic town. What’s he talking about?” Then I started talking, I say, “Hey, look, there's a lot that you don't know about the Black community in Bexar County.” And we want to– I feel that’s my role. When did we first get here? Does anybody know when the Black– first Black person got in this– got in this town? Was it in 1700? 1800? We need to know all these things. And what have we done since we've been here? So part of what–\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 10:20\r\n–Churches or anything, yes.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 10:21\r\n–Oh, the religious– that's huge, those institutions. We need to tell their story. And so that's part of that. I've been on that committee. I've been on the– I’m on the– the Bond committee for the city, sidewalks and facilities and all of that. My goal there is to make sure we get some of the contracts, hire some people, make money, and then spread the wealth. So I've been on that committee, I've been on the Chamber's state legislative commission, all of that. I'm a political scientist by nature but, as I say, I have an entrepreneur background. So I’ve been in many civic boards and commissions for the city and the county. I'm on the Small, Minority, Women owned business Committee for Bexar County with Renee Watson, another giant in this community. Sam Houston High School graduate. One of the smartest people I know is Renee Watson. Dude, she does her due diligence, does her homework and she's advocating for– not just small, minority, women owned– but for everybody to get a fair shake. So it's been a number of committees like that I've been involved in. I've told you already, my goal is to do that.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  11:26  \r\nWell thank you for all your– all your contributions, and– you know, being that voice. [transition] You say we need to do this, and we should do this, and this is why this is important. So what do you feel is your greatest contribution out of the boards and a– all the– you know, giving back to the community?\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  11:41  \r\nI just think my biggest contribution is being able to serve, to know that when I'm there, I'm looking out for, “Where is the opportunity for our people?” I think if– if you're in the room, you– you can be involved. You can raise all the cane you want outside the boardroom. But if you're not in that room where decisions are being made you don’t get a piece of the pie. So my biggest contribution is being in the room. And when I'm in the room, I'm always listening for the opportunities for our people, make sure we're portrayed in the right image. You know, there’s been a stigma of the East Side and all that. But now, this is the rebirth of the East Side. We’re in a renaissance, if you will, right now in this community. And that's because we're waking up and understanding we're a part of this. I don't even like to use the term minority. I'm a minority of one. [inaudible] So we can do things. And I think my biggest contribution is to be in the room, see where the opportunity is, and tell others about it. Tell– tell people where the opportunity is. Then it's up to them to take it and run with it.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  12:48  \r\nSo that's just helping, you know, our community and helping us [inaudible] as well. So I guess that kind of ties in why you feel it's important to give back to our community, kinda ties into it. \r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  13:01  \r\nOf course, I’ve had so much help. People have helped me, have given back to me and I said, “You know what, I need to do the same thing.” And I'm– I'm living proof. I was– as a person, so I was dead on arrival when I was born. So I'm a miracle. I'm not supposed to be here talking to you. But somehow the guy spanked me on the rear, blood started flowing, and here I am, I’m here doing something, so– so there it is.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  13:23  \r\nYou got purpose. Your purpose is for you to be here talking to me! [laughs] Part of your purpose, yes, for you to be here. So I know we talked earlier about how important it was for us to tell our own stories. What could you tell our viewers, I guess to kind of sum it up, you know, maybe some key facts of why that is such an important aspect? As far as the Tricentennial and African American history.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  13:49  \r\nI would tell our viewers to plug into this. Understand that you play a huge role in the 300 years. This didn't just happen. People sacrificed. We voted, we bled, we fought the wars. We've been engaged in everything that has happened in this community. And there's more to come. You’re only going to be on this planet a short period of time. I know it doesn't seem like it– but you are. We here a moment and the next minute, we gone. I never want to go back and say “God, I regret I didn't do that.”\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 14:25\r\nYou want to make an impact.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 14:26\r\nYou bet. And I think every human being, as long as you're living and breathing, you can make an impact. Don't sit on the sidelines. Get involved in the Tricentennial, go down to City Hall, \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 14:37\r\nGet involved the community and outreach programs.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 14:38\r\nYou bet. Do ev– do all the positive things because. Tell me– tell you something: people are watching. You never know who you may influence. That's [inaudible] \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 14:48\r\nOr you may inspire, empower–\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 14:49\r\nExactly. You never know– our young people, they need it. \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 14:54\r\nThey need mentoring.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson 14:55\r\nParticularly the Black male. He’s– he’s beat up upon. There’s a stigma out there. Black stay back. That's– that's a bunch of you know what. We're beautiful people. Believe it. Act like it. And ‘fore you know what you'll– you’ll rise. So I tell everybody, “Look, strive for excellence, be the best you can be in everything you do.” Perfection is never attained, but reaching for it is. As long as you continue to reach for perfection, you'll always be up here. That's what I've told everybody. Get Involved.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  15:29  \r\nI definitely 100% agree with that. So what would you say that you like most about San Antonio?\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  15:35  \r\nI like the people. I think this is a– and I’ve been in– I’ve been in a lot of towns in my time. This is the friendliest town. They’re naturally friendly here. I like where we– where we’re positioned in Texas, we're part of the cradle of Texas history in San Antonio, the Alamo and all of that. I think San Antonio is a town that you can aspire to any level you want. You can– you can reach any goal. It's easier here. And I think part of that’s because we're not such a large group of Black people. We’re 7% of the town. I don't think we feel threatened, nobody feel threatened by us. We’re not a hundred thousand, not a Houston, or Dallas, big Black populations. But here, you're small enough that you can connect. It’s easy to connect with black people here. And it's also easy to connect with the larger community because this– this is a– San Antonio is still a small town. It's a big city, seventh in the country and all that but it still has a small town flavor. You can raise a family here. You can go to the top. You can engage, you can be successful in this town.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley 16:46  \r\nWe have some great universities here, and so– education, so–\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  16:50  \r\nBankers, I know some Black bankers. My eye doctor’s African American. I mean, podiatrist– you mentioned Dr. Morris Stribling has been interviewed over here. Great guy. Play golf with him a lot. Great golf courses here. You golfers, come on down here. Let’s put together a tournament. It’s just a great town. San Antonio’s a really interesting town. We've had 300 great years, and I think that 300 more are coming. But it's gonna take everybody being involved in this thing.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  17:18  \r\nWorking together. Mhm. Working together.\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  17:20  \r\nThere's enough negative out there. We don’t need any more of that. But we can overcome all that. And I think San Antonio’s a town where you can do that. I’m a living exam– I’m an example. I came here not knowing a soul in this town.\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  17:32  \r\nThat's right. So what would you say you are most known for in San Antonio? Is it– would you say the Tricentennial? What would you say?\r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  17:43  \r\nI– I really don’t know. I mean, I’ve had people– I’ve had good vibes from everybody. I've heard some folks say that this guy's everywhere. I’ve been called “the Senator”. You know, this guy is all over town. He's “ubiquious” [ubiquitous], that I'm everywhere. I think that what people will say that– about me– I hope– that the guy gave a damn–more than anything. Okay? And that he was always willing to help out with a positive mental attitude about things. I would hope that's what they say. If they don’t, it’s their loss, not mine. [laughs]\r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  18:12  \r\nWell, I want to thank you for all your contributions and speaking with us today and giving back and getting that message out there to our youth, you know, about our history. And so thank you for speaking with us today. \r\n\r\n\r\nJoe Linson  18:26  \r\n I'm delighted to be here and keep up the good work and on with it. \r\n\r\n\r\nQui McKinley  18:31  \r\nThank you. Well, this has been Qui with 300 voices in 300 Days at TAAN TV. Stay tuned for more influential leaders that we will be speaking with.\r\n\r\n\r\nTranscribed by https://otter.ai","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131052/file/245300#t=0.0,1124.4233"}]}]}]}