6th Grade, A Whole New World and Same ol Stuff…

I want to apologize for the extended wait time. I have started classes with the goal of getting my Bachelor’s at Morgan State University. I am also working on practicing my MIndfulness and easing any anxiety I have with starting classes. As I tend to focus on the future that isn’t here, I know that if I don’t have myself centered, my excitement for school can lead to crippling anxiety and depression. Thankfully, I’ve not only managed to work through various hiccups, my first week has yielded great progress and news. Yay me!

And now, back to the blog…

From what I remember, 1985 was a pretty good year. Hip Hop was coming up as the music of choice. While Star Wars was fading a bit, GI Joes and Transformers were in full effect. Michael Jackson was EVERYWHERE and Prince was my favorite artist. And comic books were inexpensive and you could get one nearly anywhere. Yes, even supermarkets. 

I graduated elementary school in June. It was bittersweet, I was looking forward to moving up to the 6th grade. However I wasn't going with most of my friends to All-Saints middle school. Normally most students moved from Rosa Parks to the All-Saints or they went to the public middle school. My Mom found another Catholic school, St. Charles in Pikesville. Located in Baltimore County, it was a straight shot from my house to school. Maybe my Mom thought a change of scenery would be good. Good intentions…

This would be the first time I’d take the bus this far. The farthest I’ve traveled on the MTA was Reisterstown Road Plaza or closer, my grandparent’s home on Pulaski Street. Thankfully the M2 (I’m old school) would take me directly where I needed to be. Back then, the MTA had “zones.” For each zone there was an additional cost. Zone one was the standard price, I think we’re talking 60 or 75 cents. Then you add ten cents for each additional zone. I thought it felt kinda classist and racist, but I was the young person who didn’t trust a lot of things based on what I read about this country.

My first few days and weeks I couldn’t tell you what it was like. I know I caught the M2 everyday with little issues. A friend from elementary school and the neighborhood Demetrius would sometimes be on the bus. We mostly saw each other in school and the occasional times we’d walk from school to a 7-11 to play videogames or Reisterstown Road Plaza to “pick up” some toys. This would also happen when I was 10 cents short for the “zone two.”

What I do remember is the honeymoon with St. Charles was over quickly. I wasn’t a bad child. I did have imagination, I would get bored easily, and like most folks, I rather read my comics than listen to a long winded lecture. The first major offense was when I pulled out a loose tooth in the middle of class. I was sent to the office, I’m thinking I’ll see the nurse and come back to class. I was told to go into the principal's office instead.

Sitting in a chair that was a bit too big for me, I was told that they were “told about me” and I needed to behave. Something clicked in me. I felt threatened and put in a corner for no reason. It wasn’t like I pulled my tooth out and flung it around the class. I didn’t make any noise or make a scene. What should have happened is the nurse sees me and then I go back to class. At that moment my favorite superhero Wolverine clicked in and I decided to “fight” rather than “flight.”

At Rosa Parks, I had my share of being mischievous. Getting in trouble for “transforming” from the hallway into class, reading comic books (even when my work was done and my reading level was “advanced”), being a Black boy happened often. In the lens of the early 80s and how many young Black boys received punishments for minor things, this wasn’t seen as unusual. Add the “Board of Education,” the paddle we’d get hit with by the principal (or rulers depending on if the Sister did capital punishment), elementary school had its share of “discipline.” Discipline that never worked with me. Just made me mad and when I got mad, I usually made it worse.

I couldn’t imagine THIS would be my introduction to the principal. St. Charles was supposed to be a brand new start. This wouldn’t be the last situation I’d have like this. However it wasn’t all bad. Before everything went to crap, I found one the best places in the world, the Baltimore County Library.

Before 86

Before I go on, I wanted to look at life before ‘86 and the “Four Pillars” who helped make me, well me. Overall, I had a pretty unremarkable and “normal” childhood. Of course everyone has their own idea of what “normal” is and that is fine. For some, what is “normal” is the standard “nuclear family” of two parents, a house, a picket fence. Someone else traveled all over because their family was in the military or living overseas. A few were born into wealth and never had to deal with the day-to-day things many of us had to do and deal with.

I was raised by my Mother in a big house in West Baltimore. From an early age I knew that she had my back, sides, and front. My sister was several years older than me, my first memories of her was graduating high school. I was Blessed to have my grandparents, cousins, some aunts & uncles (by genetics or family friends), and great friends. Never thought I was missing anything or “lacking” when I was little.

Ma was big on keeping me away from the streets. Seeing how it impacted her brothers and sisters and the changing climate, years from the “Crack Era” and the much-failed (on purpose) “War on Drugs,” I was the poster child of a “stoop kid.” It wasn’t in my Spirit to run outside, Ma made sure I was involved with various things. I attended a Catholic school, for all the positives and negatives, that might be one of the best things that happened to me. St. Ambrose Outreach Center was where I attended an after-school program and also my summer camp. That summer camp was where I had my first job, volunteering after I aged out and was too young to get a summer job.

One of the biggest ways I stayed in house was my interest in comic books, action figures, and cartoons. I may not be able to tell you what I had for dinner the first Monday in October of this year. I can tell you exactly when I got my first Transformer. Who my first GI Joe was, the day I got Optimus Prime on my birthday. In elementary school, I would read comics and my vocabulary grew to where they put me in the advanced reading class. Comic books had so many “big words” and my Mom refused to tell me what words meant. “Go get the dictionary” was her battlecry.

Unlike Ma, my father was not in the picture growing up. I knew I HAD a father, someone who helped make me, however I never met the man. It didn’t bother me early on, to be honest, my Mom was more than enough for me. She shouldn’t have been that, but life dealt that hand. We played it as well as we could. 

I spent a lot of time at my Grandparents house, they lived not too far away from me on Pulaski and Edmonson. It was my second home, where I was able to get “the good cereal” as my Mom was NOT a fan of the sugary stuff. My Grandparent’s house was full of good times for me. When not playing with my action figures, hanging out with my cousins, and going to the corner store, I would sit silently and watch whatever was on TV. 

Grandma had the Price is Right and her stories. Gilding Light, As the World Turns, etc were watched every weekday. I can’t remember much of the meals I ate, I do know I never left hungry and I loved the green beans. There was never a problem with me staying over and I made sure to not give my Grandparents a hard time. Grandma was gentle, very nice, and understanding. She would ask about my little “space men” and often remind me in my more self-centered moments to include my cousins in play. I felt protected and Grandma made sure I was comfortable whenever I was visiting; which was often. It wasn't until I was older that Grandma played a buffer between my adolescence and other elements that she or my Mother didn’t want me to be near. And for that, I’m so thankful.

My Grandfather was a giant of a man. Grandpa was the first man I saw as a “father figure” and the ideal of what a man, husband, and father should be. I believe he is where I have my “stern face” from. A man of few words, Grandpa did not tolerate any foolishness. True story, when he came home from work, a master carpenter, he would come home, wash his hands, and sit to watch the news. I knew to not have any toys in the path from the front door to the living room. The one time I did, he crushed my GI Joe without so much as a stutter step. I saw Chuckles’ broken body and knew I failed him. 

Rounding out my “Four Pillars” is my Uncle Gary. Uncle Gary, THE Jedi Master. He would teach lessons on Mindfulness, Reflection, Universal Truth way before these words meant anything to me. Uncle Gary was a master of “reaching you where you are;” he would use all the things I was interested in to speak with me. Not “to me,” he’d speak “with me.” Two very different things. For example, Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back (my favorite movie) was ripe with moments Uncle Gary took and spoke on.

Who's Who and the Marvel Universe Deluxe

The deep dive into being a comic book/sci-fi/toy enthusiast came way before 1986. “Enthusiast” as I’ve given the title of “nerd or geek” back to the world; those words limit and at times demean the user & I shall not have that. I was the child that memorized file cards of GI Joes, could tell you in detail what I read in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and was visibly upset when Roy Fokker was killed in action.

I began getting comic books at local supermarkets and from a friend of the family who’d drop off comic books while driving his delivery routes. You’d think that early on my favorite comic books would just be superheroes. I was a HUGE fan of the Harvey Comics of Richie Rich, Casper, and Wendy fame. They were fun to read and a joy to look at. For my Mom, this kept me in the “child wonder” place she worked hard for. And I’m forever thankful.

As I grew older and with various toy and pop culture pushes, Marvel and DC Comics were my main jam. Spider-Man was a favorite of mine. I related to the “guy next door” Peter Parker and wished I had Spider-Man’s powers and webbing. Another comic I loved was The Uncanny X-Men. A group of “misfit heroes” who want to save the world despite how humanity treated them would play into my perceptions of myself and how I saw myself in the world.

Batman made me a fan with his rogue’s gallery, gadgets, being a “normal guy” (before I discovered being incredibly rich IS a superpower), and having a sidekick. I wanted to be a superhero so bad that I thought being a hero’s sidekick/partner would be great. Then I looked at Robin’s color scheme and figured I’d be a walking decoy. Not keen on that nor Robin’s underwear and elf shoes. Thankfully, they moved beyond that over the decades.

In 1985, Marvel Comics released The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition. I caught on to the previous OHOTMU late, was able to get the first issue of the Deluxe Edition and was floored. I loved learning the “how and why” of the characters and took to learning about all my favorites. This also gave me new heroes and villains to look up and get interested in. I studied the books like I should have studied my schoolwork. Ha! DC Comics had its own series similar to Handbook of the Marvel Universe, “Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe.” Not as detailed as Marvel's series, I did enjoy learning the origins of lesser known characters and discovering characters I’d later be fans of, such as The New Gods. By the time ‘86 came around, I was a fully invested comic book fan; sealed by these two series.

Music and Me

I was told that our musical tastes really begin in middle school. That is when we discover music outside of what is normally played around us. We seek out the music that connects and moves us. I would catch all the music on the radio and in the neighborhood. My Mom listened to the music she liked, and I was fond of them as well, but it wasn’t hitting me like UTFO or Prince. My tastes ranged from Pop/Top 40 through R&B, classical music (thank cartoons), classic rock, Motown, and “the music that wouldn’t last a few more years,” Hip Hop. 

With my introduction of music videos before 1986 with “Friday Night Videos on NBC and cable TV (Super TV before Comcast), I was exposed to a whole new world and also being able to see what the artists imagined in their music. For Young Kofi, cable and Friday Night Videos changed everything when it came to music. Being able to see the visuals to the music you heard on the radio was amazing. Giving credit where it’s due, Michael Jackson MADE music videos an art form. It feels like there was before MJ and after MJ when it came to videos. You saw how people would begin to take it seriously and beyond just making a static production. Everyone had a good to great video for their music, all the boats raised the water.

1986 is the year I fell in love with Hip Hop. I was a casual fan and was still a “casual fan” up until ‘88-89 with Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, NWA, and others. People ask, “Where were you when you first heard Criminal Minded?” For me, it was “When I first heard Peter Piper?” They both came out in 86, but I clearly remember hearing Peter Piper first and how sonically it blew me away. The opening, with Rev Run and DMC rhyming and the beat dropping… Listen, that might as well be me seeing the Ark of the Hip Hop Covenant. Of course the same year that LL Cool J, Salt “N Pepa, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. and Rakim, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Beastie Boys, Stetsasonic, among others dropping would make anyone become a fan. “Raising Hell” was the first Hip Hop I remember asking to borrow, I didn’t get it, but it was in rotation constantly with friends.

86' Was the Genesis

At 49 years young (and a little bit of change) and on the cusp of a “New Year,” I’ve reached a point where I walk a fine line between youthful nostalgia and stark reality. The childhood I’ve had was pretty great. Despite various growing pains and some issues I’ve had to process and work through, and still working through to be honest, being surrounded by comic books, toys, cartoons, and all sorts of fun things makes for good memories.

When I think of my youth, I believed that 1988 was that year that “everything clicked.” That was the year when everything started to come together, the building blocks, my foundational year. In reality, I’ve discovered that 1986 is truly “The Genesis” of who Kofi Jamal would become. Not to dismiss the years before, they meant something and I can make the case that 1984, when I was 9 and 10 years young, was more important. It’s just that in my mind, 1986 is when the cement dried and I began to build, for better or worse, into who I am today.

I’m going to look back at 1986 through 1988, seeing how those years came to make the Kofi Jamal that was, is now, and hopefully will come to the future. This is the “middle school era” and when I developed into me. As fun and sometimes awkward as it was. At first I will speak on what moves me that day. But I will begin to talk about key moments and situations. Often bouncing back and forth through the years.

Disclaimer, there was a time I didn’t believe I’d make it this far. I couldn’t see a future that far and at times, I didn’t know if I would make it. This is to say there will be moments of reflection that will not be particularly fun and happy. Never lying to myself, I’ll expose my life for what it was. So if you are expecting some “always joyful romp,” it’s ok if you move elsewhere. I will, however, enjoy any company that decides to stick around. And now, let’s begin.