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Martin Transcript  [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127832/file/239693/transcript/66600/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Transcript\r\nFor \r\nJohn F. Martin, Jr.\r\n01/25/2018\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  0:00  \r\nHello, I'm Christopher Herring with TAAN TV: 300 Voices in 300 Days. Today I have the great opportunity to talk to the Director of Student Conduct at St. Philip's College, Mr. John F. Martin Jr. And today we're going to talk about what he's been doing, because he's- he's done so much. John, welcome to TAAN TV. \r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  0:25\r\nThank you. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  0:26\r\nSo first of all, we were just joking before we got started about your name, you know, John F. Martin, Jr. And I said, to our parents, how they named us really was important. So tell us about your name, and then tell us about where you grew up in- in this world.\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  0:44  \r\nOkay. Well, the interesting story about my name is– is that my father was born in Louisiana. And my grandmother wanted to name him Frederick. And so when she goes in to have him his- the doctor that was delivering him, it was his first child that he had delivered. And so he asked my grandmother if he could have his name as part of my dad's name. And she was like, “Okay.” She was excited. She said, “Sure.” And so he ends up putting his name first on the birth certificate. And so my name is John Frederick versus Frederick John, which is what I think my grandmother intended.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  1:21  \r\nAnd that was because during those times, they wrote the information in for us.\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  1:26  \r\nRight. Like, now we fill out the- the birth record ourselves. Back then someone else recorded the birth information. And so he had the opportunity to put his name first. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  1:36  \r\nYeah, and when you go back to census data, and so forth, there's a lot of–what I would call–mistakes. That does happen because of the way and process in which Black people were processed in our births and so forth. Sometimes even the dates of birth were off. But that's just some history. So you grew up in–?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  1:57  \r\nI grew up in Houston.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  1:58\r\nHouston, okay.\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  1:58\r\nMy parents moved to Houston for job opportunities. So I was born in, um, in Houston, and I grew up there, I went to school there. And then when I graduated from high school, I moved to San Antonio, back in 1988– [pauses] \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  2:10\r\nOkay, very good.\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  2:11\r\n–to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  2:13  \r\nOh, okay. So you went to UTSA. And tell us more about your parents, so- because with- behind every great person, parents: the influence, the push, the drive. And since you're in charge of the thing called “Student Conduct,” then I'm sure that you- your basis for conduct came based off of how you were raised.\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  2:32  \r\nWell, absolutely, my- my parents- I had the fortune of having my parents in the same household and growing up in a two-parent household. And then all- all that that means, you know, seeing the difficulties of- of being married, as well as raising kids and dealing with society during the ‘70s through- through the ‘80s. And so I had- I had a good role model in my dad, with regard to sacrificing for your family. I- I reflect back on my childhood a- and the role that my- my dad played in my life. And- and I really appreciate all the things that he did. Things that I didn't understand the magnitude of it at the time, but I've learned to appreciate–especially since I have children now. And then on top of that, him having a partner like my mother, because she made a lot of sacrifices. They were both young parents, my mother was pregnant in high school. And they graduated high school, moved to Houston, and he took on the responsibility of raising a family at 18. And- and I just admire what they were able to do with what they call a “high school education.” But I think they had a PhD in life and the things that they did for me and my sister. And so growing up with my dad, my dad was a disciplinarian. He was- he was one of those people, though, that it was- it was- his priority was to provide for his family, be a father, and maintain that order. And then if friendship happened along the way, then you were lucky. And so it's interesting that I developed a relationship–a friendly relationship with my father–long after I left home. And then I think I was more mature and able to appreciate that relationship better, especially after I became a dad.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  4:19  \r\nWow. And so you're at St. Philip's College. So how do you look at yourself as a man when you're on that campus and knowing that the volume of- of children that, you know, actually attend there? How do they- how do you see yourself? How do they see you?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  4:36  \r\nYeah. Well, I think I managed my- my, I guess my existence on the campus similarly to the way I think my dad did in our neighborhood, right? He was a- he was steadfast, consistent, and dependable. And, um, and he–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  4:51\r\nSteadfast, consistent, and dependable. \r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  4:53\r\nYes, absolutely. And he, um, and what he did- what I saw him do, he was always charitable, always [pauses] helpful to neighbors–he had a good relationship with the- with the other men in the neighborhood. And so a lot of my friends were the children of those men. And so just seeing that community that- that they created for us, and- and I try to model that in the environment that I'm in, no matter where it is: be it in my neighborhood, be it at work. And I have the fortune of being at St. Philip's and doing it with students who are trying to pursue their college education. I was a first generation college student. And so I didn't have a lot of information about how to be successful in college. And so what I do is use my access and my- my experiences to help those students navigate through the college system. Now for the last year I've been in charge of conduct, and conduct is making sure that students–while they're on that journey–are respectful of the environment and the other people in the community. And so if there's any disruptions and anything like that, I have to address those things in concert with- with the leadership of the college to make sure that folks aren't distracted, and that they- can they can achieve their goals while they're there. So I- you know, it's- it's a-uh blended, so having that experience of having a disciplinary parent, helps me- helps me do that in my job.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  6:17  \r\nNow, outside of your job, I know that you- you have a tremendous passion working with African Americans–the males, particularly–and you've also done “Embody,” a type of event in San Antonio. So let's talk about that: you know, your passion working with African American young men stems because of how you see society today. What are the challenges for African American men, young men, as they're trying to become men?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  6:48  \r\nWell, the greatest influences in my life were my dad, my uncles and my neighbors. And- and I tell people all the time, my dad was responsible for modeling the appropriate behavior, right? He had to teach me and instill in me the discipline, focus, and the right things to do. Even if he were- he was not always doing it perfectly–because he used to always say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” That was one of his things. When he- when I guess he thought I was trying to figure out, you know, “Well, why are you telling me this and- but you're doing that” kind of deal. But I think that having that network of men in my life gave me a lot of examples of how to become a man. And I think that my- my goal with mentoring is– is to create an environment where young men have multiple examples of what manhood is, so they can pick and choose. I had the pleasure of having uncles that would come along- so my dad is married to my mom, so he couldn't teach me how to talk to women, you know? And because, you know, he wasn't gonna disrespect my mom that way. Whereas my uncles didn't have a problem telling me how to talk to women, even though they were married to my aunts, right? They- it was a different level of responsibility, but it was a safe space, it was- they gave me opportunities to develop and grow in my own way. Same thing- same thing with the neighbors that we had. You know, I remember Mr. Williams, Mr. Jones, Mr. Guillory, Mr. Godsey, those were the men on my street. All of those men had influence on who I became as a man. And so when- the way I approach mentoring is– is that it's no one person's responsibility, it's a communal responsibility to provide guidance to young men. And so I try to do that. I work with different organizations, I try to give them enough models so that they can pick and choose the things that they really connect with, and then grow into being responsible men.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  8:44  \r\nBut don't we have a shortage of mentors? I mean, we've- have a- we've been working through this… [pauses] trying to get the right type of- of responsible men in front of African American young men who are coming up. Is that still a challenge, or–?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  9:02  \r\nI- I think we have to change- we have to change our idea of what a mentor is. I think that- first, I think, just if you- if you mentor in your span of influence, if you mentor the boys that you come in- into contact with regularly, if you focus on just them, you can have a tremendous impact. You don't have to be, um, out building programs and that kind of thing. There are people who are doing that. But if you just focus on the young men in your span of influence, you can make an incredible impact on the lives of not just those children, but on the lives of all children, because you send them prepared and equipped into the world. And so I think that's the first thing. The second thing is– is that making mistakes does not mean that you're not qualified to help guide someone beyond their mistakes. I tell folks, I had a youth mentor–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  9:58\r\nThat’s real good right there.\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  10:00\r\nYeah. Well, I had a- I had a youth mentor program a few years back called Saving Our Sons. And it was a- it was an eclectic group of men who were mentoring young men. And I remember there was one of the mentors, who- he was 30 years old, no children, no STDs, and he was sexually active. That's the guy I want talking to my sons about safe sex. That guy. And it doesn't matter the other things that- he was a good guy, he worked. But of all of the guys that could have talked to them, I wanted them to talk to him specifically because apparently, he was doing something that was keeping him from being irresponsibly bringing kids into the world and keeping him safe. So whatever he's doing, I want him to tell my sons about it. And I had my sons in that program. And so it's those types of things. It's not that- no one has to be perfect to be a role model. Because I think that kids know the difference between right and wrong. And they can- they can separate those two things.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  11:05  \r\nAnd so what you've also done is you've taken this, uh, notion that everyone has something within their own life that they can contribute. So whether it's, maybe- maybe there's a person who has more knowledge about financial money matters, or business matters, or in this case, relationships. And so you try to look and glean the best of what each individual can contribute- to put in front of young people.\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  11:33  \r\nWell- yeah. Well, and- but- and recognizing that our kids are whole people. And so there's- there's a lot of things. We tend to focus on individual traits, as opposed to helping them develop completely. And so if we can get enough people around, to model successful strategies in different ways, ‘cause not everything any of us do is perfect or always successful. And so if you get- if you get role models in front of kids, where they can glean positive impacts, positive information, also watch people fail and then get back up. I do- I do have some- some challenges, though, ‘cause sometimes we like to focus too heavily on the redemption story. And I- and I caution us on doing that, but I think it's important for children to see that you're- you're not defined by the obstacles and hurdles that you succumb to, it's whether or not you can get up and overcome. And so- but I like to also make sure that kids understand that there is a pathway to success, that sometimes is narrow, and you have to make tough decisions. And so getting people in front of them who can help them with that, too, I think is important.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  12:47  \r\nSo when you look at your life, at this point in time, what are some of the- the key elements that help to define you and keeping you balanced and healthy, and able to function in a way in which is, you know, being able to give as much as you do?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  13:05  \r\nWell, I've- I've never wanted to be a disappointment to my parents. And so I've always been driven by making sure that I'm being a good representative of my parents and their sacrifices, and- and being a good steward of the things that they've invested in me. And so I didn't want to be a disappointment to them. So that helped me make good choices, in my mind. It helped me stray away from those things that were- that would bring embarrassment to my family. So that's- that's where my foundation is– is making sure that I honor them. And then I take responsibility for being a cultural ambassador, right? I think that we have too many negative images of- of what it is to be a Black man, be a Black person. So I try to make sure that I conduct myself in a way that young people and anyone watching will say, “Okay, that is the norm.” ‘Cause I don't think that I'm an exception, I think that really much of the behaviors that are- that are generally promoted and are popularized are really the exceptions. Those are the outliers, because I've had plenty of examples of- of Black people, particularly Black men, who are being responsible– not flawless, not perfect, but they're responsible and doing their best to provide for themselves, their families and their community. And so I think I want to- to amplify that message, and to bring a collective of those people together so that our young people can see that there's a different reality.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  14:34  \r\nSo- so there's- there's a challenge that I think that, you know, that we have, which is when we look at protest–whether we're protesting about, you know, Black Lives Matter in terms of how we've been treated under the justice system, police killings or- or brutality, what have you, that the images that the world sees may be different than the image of the normal Black man or woman who's carrying themselves decently every day. How do you rectify the gap that might be there by those who see one type of image of Blacks based off of protests when they never have really appreciated the people who've been around them through the peaceful time?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  15:25  \r\nWell, and we have to be careful because our- some of those images are based in our emotion. Right? Those are times when we feel overwhelmed, we feel distressed, we feel unheard. And so those outcries in emotional capacities, we have to frame that conversation. I think we allow other groups, other people to frame our conversations. You know, it's just- it's like this interview, right? It's us telling our experience directly versus having someone else interpreting it, filtering it, and then projecting whatever their out-view or their view of it is. And so I think we have to start defining those- those images, we have to start defining those experiences a little bit better. And- and being comfortable with that outcry. I think that when we have those types of outcries, when we have people organizing to- to bring- to shine light on injustices, we also have to have an equally as powerful force behind them saying, “Okay, what do we do about it? We see the outcry.” Because one of the things that we've lost in the- in the post-Civil Rights Era, we didn't see- we saw the March on Washington, we saw the great speeches, but we never saw the work that Dr. King and the leaders of SNCC were doing behind the scenes to push for the Voters Rights Act, to push for whatever leverage that they could get legally, to change the condition of their people. We don't talk about that a lot and we don't promote that part. So you have a generation of folks who are coming along, not understanding that piece, and so their- their voices are muted because they don't have that powerful backing–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  17:13  \r\nAnd- and I–\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  17:13\r\n–to change things.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  17:14\r\n–And I think that when we talk about 300 Voices in 300 Days, and just having the ability to tap into so many different people who have different perspectives, I recognize, too, that some of the- the work that has been done to build people to where they are has been lost. And I also believe as you work with young people, they have a different way that they look at social media, and the recorded history. And- and some of them believe that they know everything, because they watch the YouTubes, you know, of various things that have happened. So at that point, they know it all, and you can't tell them too much more. But how do- you know, when- when you look at these role models that really have created an impression in your life, who are those people who you- you study, who you- you look up to, because they've been consistent with the messaging that you believe in?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  18:11  \r\nWell, you know, I have a lot of… [pauses] a lot of role models, a lot of role models. And beyond- besides my dad, I think my dad's presence in my life allowed me to have a relationship with authority and with my elders that prepared me to… to accept guidance from others. And you don't have to be older than me to be an elder. You know, I have the humility and the respect to understand that I can learn something from anyone. One of the things that mentoring has taught me is– is that if you spend as much time listening as you spend talking, you will grow too. And then that can be powerful for a young man that you're engaging with, because everything that's ever changed in our lives has changed through the work of young people. The old people just got it. And so what I've learned to do is to accept that guidance and use that experience to- to influence how I interact with young people because I always wanted to be heard. Y- I-I talk to my mom frequently and I tell her all the time, “Thank you for listening.” She- she allowed me to speak my thoughts. No matter how outlandish they were, she listened. And from- from my relationship with her I learned to listen. And so with young people, I learned to listen. So when you- I have a- I have a good friend named Lasana Hotep, who gave me probably the best parenting advice and he has no children. You know, as far as helping my son pick up reading: I want him to read more, so I used to punish him from TV. And my friend was like, “Why would you take something that he enjoys, and then replace it with something he has difficulty enjoying and expect for him to like it?” He says you might want to try something else, and- and he gave me some tips. And what I did was, I started telling my son- we set a goal, I said, “Son, just read seven pages in a- in a week.” I said, “Just seven pages.” He says “Seven pages?” I said, “Yes.” I said, “Yeah.” He was reading them in a day because he was task-oriented. He says, “All I have to do is seven? I'm gonna do them today so I don’t have to worry about any more the week. And then I started challenging him. And before long within a school year, he read 29 books. You know, and I- and I credit my friend for that information. And I have people who I work with, I have, you know- there's always those- those signature leaders that we are aware of through history, you have Nelson Mandela, and Dr. King, Malcolm X, Minister Farrakhan, all those guys who- who are inspirational leaders on a grand scale, but I have everyday people who have spoken change into my life and given me guidance–as peers, and as elders–that I use to impact my family and the kids that I interact with.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  20:57  \r\nI like your story. I love your story because it's- this is really about everyday people, and the journey in which we take as everyday people. The 300 Voices in 300 Days is really to bring out the essence of “How do we navigate in life better?” I hope that our audience today will be very encouraged by the words of John F. Martin Jr., because again, this is about- I know that TAAN was created on- under the- the vision of Laura Thompson–who serves as a general manager to TAAN–to enable our voices collectively to be heard. And for regular people, right, to be able to have their stories, because if we don't take the time to listen, we can never advance and move our people forward. So I really want to thank you. I'll leave you with the last comment in terms of- is there anything that we haven't asked you that you would like to tell our- our viewing audience?\r\n\r\n\r\nJohn F. Martin Jr.  21:59  \r\nI wouldn't say that there's nothing that you've not asked. But I will say this, I- I was very deliberate about using my name John F. Martin Jr. because it is to pay tribute to my father. Because I think that we carry this stigma of being fatherless people, and so I like to always when I ha- I did it when I graduated from college, I wanted to make sure that I had my full name … [pauses and gestures] when they called it out–he was in the audience–for- for him to be recognized that way. The other thing, though, is I will pay tribute to Miss Thompson, for her work. She's been steadfast, and I was sharing this with her prior to us coming on air was- you know, she used to- she used to do reading with children. So it's interesting to see her arc, and I'm looking forward to hearing her story in- in, hopefully, a longer span. I would love to just see her tell her story in- in an hour or two–, or whatever length of time that she needed, because to see where she's been, and- and the things that she's supported, the things that she's breathed life into because of her steadfast support, and to see it come to fruition in the form of giving other peoples voice. You know, her work gives other people voice. And it started with her helping children read. You know, and that passion for empowering people I think is really resonating. I really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this program and look forward to seeing all the things that she's going to accomplish and do with this platform.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  23:27  \r\nWell, I agree 1,000% with you. And to see her– even as a former state legislature, you know, who came out with a vision of what's next, and then it became TAANTV: 300 Voices in 300 Days as a segment. I've been very fortunate to be able- to be able to- to listen, learn, and then actually be able to do, with her. And so John, again, I want to thank you for your time, and may God continue to bless what you're doing, impacting our community. And again, thank you TAAN TV for tuning in. This was a great interview and, again, something very practical, something that I believe that you should share. TAAN TV is on Roku, we’re on the internet. And again, these 300 Voices in 300 Days will also be a part of the 300 Year Commission of the city of San Antonio. So again, thank you for tuning in and we look forward to more interviews with people like John F. Martin Jr. And again, tune in to TAAN TV. We're thankful for you.\r\n\r\n\r\nTranscribed by https://otter.ai","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127832/file/239693#t=0.0,1470.05867"}]}]}]}