The following\nare my notes of a conversation between Jo and Martin. I recommend you listen\nfor yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am\nglad I am alive, and I am glad I am of some use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I am\n63 now (so me coming from a culture where age is respected and means wisdom I\nam very pleased). <\/p>\n\n\n\n I am\nthe original black nerd, from a street background. Grew up in a house with a\nlibrary and radio was my theatre (I am jealous). Telling stories at 16. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just\ndon\u2019t tell him he can\u2019t do something. Remember Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The journey <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nperson comes up and tells me he was a producer for Radio 4: have you ever\nwritten a radio play? That\u2019s how I got my first radio commission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then\nsomeone asked me to write for TV, for Casualty. Then he read a book. Offered to\nwrite a script for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then\nhe did an adaptation of Mark Twain. It got accepted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then\ninto criminology in academia, via work in prison. This was after a realisation\nthat the real stories of men (especially Black men) were not making into the\npublic consciousness. It made me angry. Masters (without a first degree) and\nthen a PhD. I was an artist before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\naspired to get into Broadway and West End. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Transformative\nnarrative, from an entertainment narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Race\nis not for the swift but for those who can endure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\nare not going to come into your own until you are in your 50s and 60s. The life\nbefore is an apprenticeship\u201d. Thank you Martin; I am just getting started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\nmakes people to stop offending?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do\nblack men have a voice outside of the criminal justice system and mental\nhealth? To understand black men is to understand me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My\nchildren are the ages as Trayvone Martin and Stephen Lawrence. I am because we are,\nand we are because I am. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Navigating the (white space) of the academy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s\nlike being in a prison. The only difference is the job titles of those in\ncharge. They operate with sensitivity, but you are still on a plantation. You\nlook outside from the university; into the field which is the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nalways wanted to create counter-narratives. I still do. So Critical Race Theory\nand intersectionality were a logical place to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I am\nnot an artist or an academic; I am a storyteller. My doctorate enables me to\ntell my stories; so, they\u2019re not thrown into the bin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Academia;\nit\u2019s just buildings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nI hear someone complain about a photocopier, I want to say to them: you\u2019re\nlucky; you have a photocopier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone\nsaid to me: how come you are an academic; you sound too rough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nrealised I was surrounded by people speaking properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\noppressive nature of white spaces such as the academy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I\ncome to work too early, people may think I am a cleaner. A saying from the\n1960s: I might be a toilet cleaner but at least I am not black. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Decolonisation\nrequires resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Interest\nconvergence. The institution is now interested. The only change is that which\nis wholesale; anything else is just tinkering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nlot of us have forgotten who the enemy is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\ndo I position myself? What resources do I have? What tools do I need? <\/p>\n\n\n\n I am\nnot cut out for university. If 6 Black people are sitting together in the\ncafeteria, people think it\u2019s a new Black Lives Matter movement. But if 6 white\npeople are sitting together: \u201cthey\u2019re having a discussion\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For\nsix or seven hours we think we are equal. But the moment I get out on the\nstreet and I get stopped by the police… <\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nfavourite place in the library is not the classroom but the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God\ndid not put me on earth to go to university, but he put me in spaces to get\nexperience. He put me in university to show people what it\u2019s like outside. University\ncan give you the tools to transform the community. It\u2019s a place to strengthen\nmy brain capacity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Funny stories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How\ndare you talk about Romeo and Juliet to illustrate gang warfare! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Was\nit because I was black! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflections\non the life so far and what next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask\nhim a question. He says, \u201cdo you want me to give you an educated response?\u201d It\u2019s\nbeen very disappointing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My\nmum said: always have something to fall back on. Nothing lasts forever. So, I\ncan do lots of things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Successes and learning<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nbiggest success has been failure; to talk about failure. I\u2019ve failed more often\nthan I\u2019ve succeeded. The students want to know how I overcame failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nalways want to connect with students as humans. So, I share \u2018me\u2019 along with my\ncontent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\ntraditional societies it was the elders and story tellers who passed on the\nwisdom. There is not enough story telling in university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nmy contract it talks about attainment but not about the competencies I have\nbrought to the academy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nmy lessons I say: your experience matters. Let\u2019s talk about it. Let\u2019s weave it\ninto the learning. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The following are my notes of a conversation between Jo and Martin. I recommend you listen for yourself. Introduction I am glad I am alive, and I am glad I am of some use. I am 63 now (so me coming from a culture where age is respected and means wisdom I am very pleased). … <\/p>\n