Anthony

My name is Anthony Wilson. I'm a member of the Northeast Side for, I would say 22 years. I grew up on Avenue D in St. Paul. I went to number eight school and I'm happy to be of service to the LEAF program and a fellow contributor of the documentary.

I grew up on the east side, born and raised. It was a good childhood. I grew up fatherless, but it was good. Single mother was strong. We did a lot of things that regular kids did, went to the zoo, things like that. What really did it for me for the east side though, it was like a camaraderie.

Everybody would stay together. It was a lot of families that knew each other. I had a friend that lived up the street and around the corner and we was allowed to go to each other’s house by ourselves. No parents. So that was one of the things that I enjoyed, you know, the peacefulness, the happiness. The rec center was right up the street. So we had plenty of time doing sports and socializing with each other. And it made things strong.

Any questions?

Max-Yamil

Did you, go to school number eight?

Anthony

Yes, I did. I went to school number eight for, Oh, the entirety that it was there from kindergarten to fifth grade. So I seen it come and I seen it go.

Max-Yamil

I did a bus transportation over there one summer when I was doing the summer program.

Anthony

Roberto Clemente is a good school. It's a good school. They have good teachers there. My mother is a paraprofessional there. She's been a paraprofessional for her over 30 years. So all the kids in the neighborhood know her. She's like a staple in the neighborhood. Everybody knows Ms. Wilson.

Max-Yamil

Would you say you had a positive experience growing up on the Northeast side?

Anthony

I did. I had a very positive experience. Like I said, everybody knew each other. The older guys tried to keep us out of trouble. You know, tell us good things and make sure that we stayed in the school and off of the corners and things like that. So everybody played their part in the neighborhood.

Eshmerson

Has your mother told you any stories about her growing up in Rochester?

Anthony

Yes, it was really very vibrant when she was growing up, she says. It was a lot of shopping centers. People really got along and it was a lot of things that we now take for granted, just helping each other out when you needed it. The people watching your kids and even walking down the street, saying hello, being friendly to one another. Nowadays, we're missing that.

Anyone else have any questions?

Charlotte

Did you find that there were a lot of places to eat?

Anthony

Actually, no. No, there weren't a lot of places to eat back then. It was mostly a lot of home cooked meals, which I enjoy. That's one of the reasons I know how to cook for myself. My mother made sure that I was self sufficient. I knew how to wash clothes, cook for myself.

That's another thing that we take for granted now. Your parents really emphasized self-sufficiency and making sure that you really took care of yourself and knew how to navigate the world and the neighborhood—street signs, reading the street signs, learning how to cross the street.

Making sure that everybody had a respect in the city, in the neighborhood. There's no respect nowadays. And you barely can say anything to anybody without them being offended. So that's kind of one of the things I try to keep around about myself, being friendly and making sure that I have a positive impact and attitude all the time. It's hard sometimes, but you know, I make do, I do my best.

Charlotte

Max wants to ask you, how was your school level, interacting in school?

Anthony

Interacting in school, I don't know if you want to get into that. {all laugh} No, I was a decent student, I was a good student. It's just, the environment leaks in you and it just comes out at some point, which you have to get a handle on, and the people in the neighborhood, your family, reel you in. Make sure that you got a good head on your shoulders and you flying straight the way you supposed to and being a productive citizen.

Leka

The values you grew up with, and you're saying are disappearing more in the modern day. How would you say you're teaching your son those values?

Anthony

I'm instilling every one of those values in him with discipline in time, consistency, ease—turning out to be a good young man. And also my other son, I'm instilling that in also.

Almeta

How old are your children?

Anthony

My one son is 15 and I have a 1 year old.

Almeta

How old are you? Don't answer that question.

Anthony

I know I'm young.

Almeta

I didn't expect to see you with a 15 year old. So that's Anthony Junior? Alright. Okay.

Anthony

Yes, I do well to take care of myself, exercise. That was one of the things that was instilled in me, taking care of yourself. Exercise daily, daily routines to keep yourself sane and sharp. Because you need that nowadays as a man especially, but just as a person in general. You need something to look forward to do every day, to keep yourself upbeat and, sane and stress free.

Almeta

And think for yourself instead of following the crowd, which is what everybody's doing now with social media and tik-toking. I don't understand it.

Anthony

This is so true. This is so true. We definitely were taught to think for ourselves and critical think, which is a missing component nowadays too.

Also, I think with critical thinking, you learn to be clever, think on your feet, witty because you're in a lot of different social environments and social situations that you need to be on your toes, so to speak. If you are cognizant on your feet, then you will do well in different arenas. Such as I have {all laugh}

Almeta

May I ask a question? Can you recount one unforgettable moment, experience, as a child growing up that really helped ground you and made you the man you are today? The man, and the father, and the companion that you are today. Something in your childhood, I can think of a lot of them in my head, but I'm kind of old.

Anthony

I would say just the independence that my mother gave me to make sure that I knew who I was and how to move. Like I said, we would go around the corner up the street when there was no cell phones. So your mother had to trust you to come back home when you were supposed to. They gave us responsibility at a young age that really taught us how to be responsible as adults.

And that really took me far in a sense that now I'm responsible for other people. And to be responsible for people, you have to be responsible for yourself first. So I take care of myself. I make sure that everybody in my world is taken care of. Not only financially, you have to take care of them spiritually, emotionally, you have to guide.

Almeta

Ashe, I'm feeling it. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Anthony

Thank you for letting me be a part of this documentary and, be blessed. Thank you.