#ogtoldme

I was interviewing a source over croissants & coffee, you know: doing journalism. That's when this guy walked into the cafe, sat down and started eating... Eating the leftovers from the plates of a duo that had just dined, paid their bill and left. I was already paying for my source's breakfast, so I figured it couldn't hurt to buy this guy a croissant. His name is Charles.

"... After you get a certain age, you know what it's called? it's called WISDOM!"- Cody Red

Outside of the sports bar in downtown Oakland, Cody Red's voice dominated the airwaves as I held an impromptu interview; he was so animated-- I had to ask him.

"It's called what?"

OG Told me: IT'S CALLED WISDOM!

He was referring to the lesson he'd pass on to the younger generation if given the chance. He touched on topics of walking away during conflict, observing your surroundings, and trusting in God.

But, the first words he said when I asked what he would tell young people if given the opportunity...

  “Sometimes we devalue ourselves; we don’t really look at ourselves in the whole picture. Sometimes it’s good to take a minute to look in the mirror and assess yourself-- and really realize how powerful, how talented, and how important you are.”- Masai Minters

...

The images on the walls of Masai Minters' office in Campbell Hall on UCLA’s campus symbolize power.

A stoic Miles Davis, A couple Black Panthers, and this one photo of a young man with an afro holding a gun.

All of that is interspersed with powder blue UCLA logos and photos of students in caps and gowns.

The educated African American men and women who appear in the photos are Minters’ sons and daughters. He has five of them. All of them are college educated.

The UCLA logos are a bi-product of his occupation: Associate Director of the Academic Advancement Program on UCLA’s campus.

He says that the program assists over 5,600 students with academics, job placement, scholarships, and peer mentoring. The program is the new version of a program Minters was once a part of— The High Potential Program.

When Minters was a teenager, he had the opportunity to travel all the way from his residence near Sentinel High School in Compton to participate in the High Potential program, which was housed on the UCLA campus. A lot of students came from the underserved communities of Los Angeles County and joined the High Potential Program as a way to transfer into UCLA.

Bunchy Carter and John Huggins, former leaders of the LA Chapter of the Black Panther Party, were involved with the program as well.

Their photos are now in the back of Minters’ office—on a wall not too far from the photo of the gun and the guy with the afro.

Bunchy Carter and John Huggins were shot and killed on the campus of UCLA in January of 1969.

Minters wasn’t on campus at the time of the incident, but he knows all about it.

Minters not only has their images on his wall, their photos are also in the main corridor of Campbell Hall; which is where the shooting occurred.

Minters says that it was this shooting that eventually caused him to graduate from California State University Northridge instead of UCLA.

While at Northridge, he focused on Psychology and Pan African Studies; he also joined the Black Panther Party For Self Defense and trained in marksmanship. Somehow, he also found time to do some photography: The photo of the gun and the guy in the afro is a self-portrait that he took. 

Years removed from that period in his life, Minters is the head of the counseling department of a program that assists disadvantage students, and he's a proud father.       

Given his life experiences, when asked what he would tell young people if given the opportunity, OG Told Me:

“I would encourage young brothers, like yourself, to really take an honest assessment of yourself-- because you are a talented brother," Minters said as he sat at his desk.

"You know the data, you know the challenges, we are under attack, we’re under siege!" Minters looked me dead in my eyes, and continued:

"I would encourage brothers such as yourself to do a real close self assessment. You have more talent than you imagine. Take a minute and do your own personal resume: Many of us have trained ourselves in so many different areas because we didn’t have the support we needed; we kind of made due.”

He said if he made a resume of the “renaissance” things he could do, it’d be 4 or 5 pages long; And didn't smirk nor leave room for a suspicion of exaggeration.

Editor’s Note: This column is a special entry.

Below is a copy of a column on what it means to be an OG, written by Watani Stiner. The article was published on March 13th, 2013 in San Quentin State Prison’s newspaper. Stiner, a member of the US organization, is currently serving 25-life for the murder of Bunchy Carter, Head of the LA chapter of the Black Panther Party.

  On Friday March 22nd, 2013 I had the opportunity to meet Stiner and discuss the riff between the US organization and the Black Panther Party, his personal story, and how the OG’s have responsibility.

The next post will be the notes on the conversation between Stiner and I…But first, enjoy this:

…

An “OG’s” Perspective

By Watani Stiner

I first came to prison in 1969. After five years of being incarcerated, I escaped from San Quentin State Prison and fled to South America where I lived in self-imposed exile for 20 years. In 19994, I voluntarily surrendered to U.S. authorities and was brought back to San Quentin to serve the remainder of my “life sentence.” I have now been in prison for 25 years.

Although my life experience has definitely shaped my “OG” perspective, this column is not about my life story . It’s not about my political views, my prison escape or the many years I spent in South America. Rather, this column provides a conversational space and open invitation to the younger generation to consider and engage an “OG’s” perspective.

I have not walked the streets of this country in 45 years. So I won’t pretend to have some kind of “guru-insight” into the minds of young people and their activities outside these prison walls. But I do want to find effective and informative ways to utilize this “OG” column to raise relevant questions about the culture of violence and encourage serious dialogue on a number of critical issues.

Why should you listen to me? First of all, I’m a father, grand-father and great-grandfather, and a man who feels partially responsible for and concerned about the destructive and devastating historical disconnections that have occurred between the generations. I use this “OG” column to explore and address the critical consequences when one generation drops or doesn’t pass on the historical baton. I consider myself an “OG” who has picked up that baton, and I’m charged and challenged with the responsibility of finding creative ways of handing it off to the next generation.

You should listen to me because I have something relevant and important to say. I have life-experiences that I must emphasize and pass on to the younger generation. You should listen because I have some personal and vital information about respect, family, community, and the historical bridges that carried us over. As an “OG”, I believe in human equity, social justice and peace, and I have come to realize that all forms of violence, no matter how it is justified, eventually consumes the very purpose it is intended for.

...

CHANGING DEFINTIONS :

Now I realize that the term “OG” does not have the same meaning today as it used to have. Its meaning has shifted over the years. The original use of “OG” stood for “Original Gangster.” From its inception “OG” had a specific meaning. It first began as a title of respect from former gang members who “paid their dues” and earned the status of “OGs” in their “hoods.”

However, just being an older man “from” the hood wouldn’t automatically qualify one as an “OG”. To earn this title “OG” you would have had to acquire at least three things: reputation, insight, and a distinguished manner in which you conduct yourself.

However, the meaning of the term “OG” has changed over the years. In its current usage, the term “OG” implies a broader category. While retaining its title of respect in popular culture, “OG” is now equivalent to the word “elder” or the courtesy afforded an older personal in the use of “Mister.” This deference today is based largely upon age, not necessarily on reputation, insight or how one conducts himself. An “OG” can be an old fool.

“OG”, as I’m using it in this column, comes from a particular time period and out of a specific set of experiences. It emanates from a certain mindset shaped by the social and political movements of the 1960’s. “OG” (as it’s being used here) stands for “Old Guard.” These “OGs” today (too often silent) are now in their sixties and early seventies. This writer himself is sixty-five years of age, an elder with the determination, responsibility, patience, and courage to engage and not give up on our youth. 

"A Liquor Store Lesson" by Pendarvis Harshaw

...

A  two minute short film which depicts the the driving concept behind the OG Told Me photo essay: There is a SENSE OF INTERGENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY shared between Black men. This why young Black men listen to elder Black men, why elder Black men lend wisdom to younger Black men. And most importantly, this is a natural occurrence.

...

Proof? Although this video was scripted, when Richie Rich showed up on the set, the young men shook his hand. One of the young men used their smartphone to google his name. Seconds later, the young man exclaimed, "Oh! YOU WERE A PART OF 415- MY DAD USED TO LISTEN TO THEM!"