Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anthony Brinkley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Anthony, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
I grew up in an embracing, welcoming environment that, fortunately for me, was all Black. The schools, the businesses, and the neighborhoods were filled with people who looked like me and my color was not a factor in how people who mattered looked at me. Of course, I knew white people looked at me differently, but my environment allowed me to develop a positive sense of self that prepared me for the hostility that awaited outside of my community. So when in the military I was thrust into an environment where I was the only black person on the base in my career field, I was confident in my ability to do the job, but my interactions with white people in Tulsa made me apprehensive about how they would try to treat me. It was like being in an all-eyes-on-me fishbowl. In addition, I grew up speaking North Tulsa-ese and most of my coworkers were perplexed by my southern, final-consonant-deprived, “Ah-on-know, ah-ain-goh-no-mo.” They were mostly from the west and northeast coasts and my southern, Black dialect was foreign to them. (If you wonder why so many educated, southern, Black speakers sometimes almost robotically speak, it is because they are trying to make sure they “e nun ci ate” and don’t slip back into the dialect they grew up and are most comfortable with) I had to learn to code switch and speak a language that I understood well, but which was foreign to my tongue and after Hippy, a coworker from Los Angelos, told me, “Man I…just don’t understand what you’re saying,” I’m sure I sounded a bit robotic those first few months of trying to alter my speech. Having grown up under the tutelage of my grandfather, Robert Ross, who, although he had no more than a middle school education, allowed NO man to treat him like he was less than, I was defiant, physical, and sharp-tongued to anybody who tried to discriminate, which, before I learned to temper my reactions got me into a lot of trouble with supposed authority. I had always excelled academically and outperformed the overwhelming majority of my white coworkers in my electronics classes at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. That didn’t sit well with my Southern white instructor. He tried to crack thinly veiled racial jokes at my expense that I would clap back on in a manner that had the other students laughing at him. Although I got an A on all of his tests, in class, because of his approach I refused to answer any questions he asked of me, which allowed him to vindictively put me in remedial classes. I threw a hamburger at the owner of a place outside the base when he said something derogatory and hurled the N word at me and I stood there waiting for him to come around to confront me when he disappeared into the back, before reflectively, I realized that he was probably going to return with a weapon and got the hell outta there. At 12 years old I watched two policemen beat my grandfather into near unconsciousness because, he refused to call them, sir. so when I got to Osan Air Force Base in Korea, the all-white, no Black people to partner with environment was a shock to my senses and I was prepared for the worse.
But, it was in this environment, which put me on high fight or flight alert, that one of my grandfather’s most common sayings would come to the fore. I was welcomed by and communed well with my mostly non-Southern coworkers and even bonded with Grimaldi, a kindred-spirit soldier from Philadelphia, who was one of the nicest persons I’d ever met. To top it off, when I did something really stupid and walked into my shop commander’s office with a defiant, F it all attitude, this Southern, older white MSgt spoke to me in a manner reminiscent of my grandfather’s lectures, causing my ears to almost superimpose my grandfather’s voice onto Msgt Denny’s and eventually brought tears to my eyes as I hung my head in remorse. His punishment was wayyyy below the crime and altered forever my approach to people of different races. My grandfather always said, “Son, before you judge a book (a person) by its cover, open it up and read before you make a decision.” I now try to let people’s words and actions show me who they are and not make ready decisions based on race or appearance. I’ve learned that I can find common ground even with people whom I consider somewhat racist or have ideas I strongly disagree with.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a spoken word artist and storyteller, who’s performed on stages nationwide. I derive satisfaction mostly from people coming up to me and telling me how much my poems and stories have moved them. I am an officer with the 100 Black Men of Tulsa, a chapter of the 100 Black Men of America. We are dedicated to improving the well-being of Black Americans throughout the country via mentoring, education, and mental and physical health initiatives. As Education Chair, I’ve put together a phonics reading program designed to help students who are behind in reading get nearer to their grade level. I continue to write and perform and hone my craft, but I feel the most important task left to me is that of preparing the next generation to become socially and economically more nimble and able to adjust to changing conditions. As now patriarch of my extended Tulsa family I want to help build a foundation upon which the next generation can stand rather than, as too often, time and again happens in Black families, have to start over at ground zero without a financial leg up. My most popular continuing event is a Valentine’s Extravaganza called Love & Lust, which I present annually at Living Arts of Tulsa.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As a voracious, eclectic reader, I’ve read and absorbed information from so many disparate and divergent sources that I can write knowledgeably about many subjects. Having read so much I have an almost innate sense of when a phrasing is “right” or when it is “off.” I would say that one of my best skills is my ability to tell lyrical, emotional stories. Advice? Don’t get trapped into chasing the “A.” As someone who was praised constantly as “smart,” I developed an aversion to trying things that I was not good at because I didn’t want to appear less than top tier at everything. Learning to let go of my addiction to praise and pushing myself into trying things I was not good at has fueled my growth. As a spoken word artist, I’ve decided to register for a poetry retreat filled with academic artists who are skilled in a form that is differently nuanced, not readily understood, and intimidating to me.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I like to present events featuring different performance disciplines and different genres within those disciplines. I would love to coordinate with a playwright wherein we would tell a story intricately laced with lyrical, poetic soliloquies. abrinkley1@att.net, Anthony C Brinkley on FB, TonyBPoetic on Instagram.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: TonyBPoetic
- Facebook: Anthony C Brinkley
Image Credits
Last pic photographer–Denice Tombs-Dotson
