Latest / The Scene Projects / TJ Beattie: Community Leadership, Resilience, and Future Visions

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TJ Beattie: Community Leadership, Resilience, and Future Visions · The Scene Projects

• 0:02
  Hey.
• 0:03
  How's it going?
• 0:03
  It's your boy, Pablo.
• 0:04
  One time, we are back live and involved with another episode.
• 0:08
  I got another special guest in the building.
• 0:10
  This guy has been burning up the streets, getting back to the community.
• 0:14
  And, I mean, he is the definition of what community activist is.
• 0:18
  I got TJ Beattie in the building right now with me.
• 0:22
  Sir, how you doing, man?
• 0:24
  I'm blessed, man.
• 0:25
  I'm I'm excited to be here with you on today, man.
• 0:28
  Been looking forward for this opportunity for a while now, so we're Let's do it.
• 0:32
  Oh, this is crazy, man.
• 0:34
  This is crazy.
• 0:35
  Mister Beatty, at any point during the interview, if you see my screen go green, man,
• 0:39
  please let me know so I can readjust my camera screen for me, man.
• 0:42
  But without further ado, man, let the people know, who about you a little bit, where you
• 0:47
  come from, and who you are.
• 0:49
  Man, I'm I'm TJB.
• 0:51
  Grew up in Hyde Park.
• 0:53
  Man, grew up my grandmother raised me.
• 0:56
  Man, at the time, my dad was in the feds.
• 0:59
  He did about eight years when he got out.
• 1:01
  I was actually 18 years old.
• 1:03
  He went when I was nine.
• 1:04
  So I grew up without that father figure, but I did have men in my life role models like my
• 1:11
  uncle, Sam Beatty, my football coach, coach Peoples.
• 1:16
  Rest in peace.
• 1:17
  He was evergreen chiefs, coach John Lucky, man.
• 1:20
  Those guys stepped up in my life, man, introduced me to football because, you know,
• 1:25
  growing up at nine years old at Hyde Park, you know, only thing to do over there is is see a
• 1:30
  dope, you know, run the streets or or gangbang.
• 1:33
  You know?
• 1:33
  So, you know, that's where, you know, I could've easily, you know, chose that path
• 1:38
  because they you know, to be honest, you know, at nine, I was on their way.
• 1:42
  You know, fourth grade, I got kicked out of school, you know, carrying a knife to school, a
• 1:47
  machete.
• 1:47
  You know?
• 1:48
  You know, I'm trying to be tough, run the street with my partners.
• 1:51
  You know?
• 1:52
  We're doing everything you could think of, you know, taking people by us because we got our
• 1:55
  own game within Hyde Park.
• 1:57
  You know?
• 1:58
  And so even some of those guys that I grew up with, I'm not gonna share their names, but they
• 2:02
  went ended up, you know, being in games, you know, running the streets.
• 2:05
  You know?
• 2:06
  But I chose a path to play football.
• 2:09
  You know?
• 2:09
  And that's what kind of steered me, helped me get my focus, you know, and put me on the right
• 2:15
  path, you know, to being successful.
• 2:18
  Man, man, a big shout out to all the men out there that step up when they don't have to to
• 2:25
  play those father figure roles, to be those father figures, man.
• 2:29
  And know what?
• 2:30
  Just like you, man, I had a big group.
• 2:32
  I had a whole community inside my church home, man, that stepped up and and and and helped me
• 2:37
  become the man I am today, man.
• 2:39
  So, mister Beatty, I mean, what all do you do, man?
• 2:42
  I know I know you you you host events.
• 2:45
  I know I know you got you got some photography stuff going on.
• 2:48
  Man, you the man, dawg.
• 2:50
  You know?
• 2:50
  So tell the people what all do you do, man, and what can we expect from mister Beatty, man?
• 2:55
  You wanna work with him.
• 2:56
  Man, I I wouldn't say I'm the man, man.
• 2:59
  I've just been blessed, to have gifts that I wasn't even aware of.
• 3:04
  You know?
• 3:05
  First, you know, I think it started with football, and that you know, having those
• 3:09
  mentors when I got to, you know, out of college, and I didn't really know how exactly
• 3:15
  what I want to do if I wanna coach football, if I want to to train.
• 3:19
  But I had a coach that said, man, listen.
• 3:21
  You will be good, you know, for this.
• 3:23
  And so that's how I first got into mentoring, just being in young men's lives, you know,
• 3:29
  trying to help them on their path, you know, talking about, you know, the the things that I
• 3:33
  had experienced as a man, as a father, as a husband, you know, to help them.
• 3:38
  That's how that's the first thing I started doing was mentoring.
• 3:42
  And then those guys will tell you now that grown men, but, hey, I'm still mentoring.
• 3:46
  I'm still teaching them life as I learn and go through life.
• 3:50
  I'm still giving it to them.
• 3:52
  I have a ministry, called Beyond the Walls Ministry.
• 3:55
  It's not within the church.
• 3:57
  You know, nothing against being in the church, but god has given me my ministry outside of the
• 4:02
  church, you know, in the streets, in the community, you know, wherever it's needed, just
• 4:07
  not within the church.
• 4:09
  And so I have that beyond the walls ministry every day.
• 4:12
  I do motivation that I send out to maybe 200 people personally that I send this out to, you
• 4:18
  know, every day and then post it on, YouTube, you know, there as well.
• 4:24
  I do have my own photography business.
• 4:27
  I didn't I didn't never never knew I could do photography.
• 4:31
  My son was playing baseball, and, I got my hands on, actually, iPhone.
• 4:37
  Started with iPhone and started taking pictures of him and and editing those pictures.
• 4:41
  And then I had a cousin who moved from, Michigan to Mississippi.
• 4:45
  He said, man, listen.
• 4:46
  Hey.
• 4:46
  What are you doing those pictures on?
• 4:48
  I said, my phone.
• 4:48
  He said, no, man.
• 4:49
  Come see me.
• 4:50
  When when to go see him, he gifted me with two cameras, you know, lenses, everything that you
• 4:56
  could need would need to become a professional photographer.
• 4:59
  And from there, I started learning and studying.
• 5:02
  Man, the gift, you know, it it it's doing what it do now.
• 5:05
  It's it's become an income.
• 5:07
  It help provide for my family.
• 5:09
  You know?
• 5:10
  Even my oldest son, he's now taking on the the gift of of photography and now making money in
• 5:16
  college and, you know, having pictures go viral.
• 5:19
  So, you know, the those are just things that I I've been able to do.
• 5:23
  Man, what else do I do?
• 5:24
  I I I've this is last year was my tenth year hosting, the backpack drive, you know, in Hyde
• 5:30
  Park.
• 5:31
  And I actually started that, man.
• 5:33
  One day, I was, you know, looking on social media, and I was like, you know, there's
• 5:37
  nothing happening in Hyde Park.
• 5:38
  There's a backpack drive in Hollywood.
• 5:40
  There's a backpack drive in Frasier.
• 5:42
  There's a backpack drive in Raleigh, but what about the neighborhood that I grew up in?
• 5:47
  And so at that moment, you know, I said, you know what?
• 5:49
  I've gotta do something, you know, to start giving back to my community.
• 5:53
  And I started to backpack drive, and it's it's always a free event.
• 5:58
  I know a lot of times people say, man, listen.
• 6:00
  I can't come out and do anything free, but god gave me this vision where everybody's gonna be
• 6:05
  able to give back.
• 6:06
  You know, it's all about giving.
• 6:08
  You know, it's not about anybody making any money.
• 6:10
  So we're not we don't have a concession stand where we're selling hot dogs and Right.
• 6:14
  We got hot dogs and burgers free every year.
• 6:17
  We got chips.
• 6:17
  We got cookies.
• 6:18
  You know?
• 6:19
  We got backpacks.
• 6:20
  I I can't even get here a few of them.
• 6:22
  I got you got three of them hot dogs.
• 6:23
  Yeah.
• 6:24
  You know what I'm saying?
• 6:25
  And so every year, we're trying to do more with it.
• 6:28
  We got, you know, hair haircuts.
• 6:30
  You know?
• 6:30
  We do free.
• 6:31
  We we one year, we had snow cones and popcorn.
• 6:34
  You know?
• 6:34
  So we're just trying to make it give more and more and more, you know, to the community.
• 6:39
  We wanna get to a point where we can start doing something around Christmas and giving out
• 6:44
  something on Thanksgiving, you know, you know, back in Hyde Park.
• 6:48
  You know?
• 6:48
  Not we could do this anywhere in Memphis, but I grew up in Hyde Park.
• 6:52
  So it's it's it's it's it's I have to give back where I grew up at because they've even closed
• 6:58
  down the the school, which was Shannon School in Hyde Park, and then it went to Kip, and they
• 7:03
  closed it down.
• 7:04
  And and now it's just a building that's there, you know, boarded up.
• 7:08
  So they've even taken the the necessity of having kids being able to walk to school in
• 7:15
  their own neighborhood.
• 7:16
  Now they've gotta find another means.
• 7:18
  So that puts a strain on parents now because now they've gotta find out, hey.
• 7:22
  I used to walk my kid to school.
• 7:25
  You know, if I don't have transportation, it's right here.
• 7:27
  But now I've gotta figure out how do I get my kid across this busy traffic at at at the
• 7:32
  schools in Hollywood, at at Kip up there or over at the Kip and and that's over in in Hyde
• 7:37
  Park.
• 7:38
  It was a little bit farther off Springdale, you know, or even down Douglas.
• 7:41
  You know?
• 7:42
  All those things have changed.
• 7:43
  And so even with that, you know, man, I've I've heard the the mayor I know we kinda get a lot
• 7:48
  of little scared, but the mayor said he's gonna do all these things for all these different
• 7:52
  neighborhoods.
• 7:52
  And if we go back and if you pull that that presentation up when he won that award that
• 7:58
  night, he'd never announced Hyde Park.
• 8:00
  He said every neighborhood and it's been like that every year.
• 8:04
  Hyde Park is their community that's full of crack cocaine You know what?
• 8:08
  Of drugs.
• 8:08
  You know what, mister Beatty, it's it's so important for us to get out to those town hall
• 8:12
  meetings and those city council meetings, man, because we if we aim in highlighting these
• 8:17
  things, they just don't they they are in their minds, they ain't even I don't even think
• 8:22
  they're tuned in to to do the research on what community needs what.
• 8:27
  That's where we come in at those city town hall meetings when the when the and and and those at
• 8:32
  those open meetings where the mayor's asking what schools needs this and how we can split
• 8:36
  the money up and stuff like this.
• 8:38
  So in your district, come out, people.
• 8:41
  You know?
• 8:41
  High Park need love too, mister mayor.
• 8:44
  And big big shout to Paul Young.
• 8:46
  You're doing your thing, man, but we need help over here in Hyde Park, obviously.
• 8:49
  I got my my boy, TJ Beattie.
• 8:51
  We're screaming for help for Hyde Park.
• 8:52
  How about that?
• 8:53
  Yeah.
• 8:53
  Yeah.
• 8:53
  No doubt.
• 8:54
  No doubt.
• 8:54
  They and they I mean and they do have these meetings.
• 8:57
  I've been to them, and I I've said it on them.
• 9:00
  You You know, some of them, you know, they they're they're strategic on how they do them,
• 9:05
  you know, as if they want to talk about or give back to the community, but it's a whole new
• 9:09
  different agenda.
• 9:10
  That's why we don't know about them.
• 9:11
  That's why we better know about them.
• 9:12
  Right?
• 9:13
  Right.
• 9:13
  If you really want to know what's going on in the hood, it'd be out on the news.
• 9:16
  Right?
• 9:16
  Yeah.
• 9:16
  Right.
• 9:17
  You never see it.
• 9:18
  You never hear the town hall meetings on the news.
• 9:20
  You gotta cut on channel ten news, which you never watch.
• 9:23
  You don't know you don't watch no channel ten.
• 9:24
  No no no no PBS.
• 9:26
  Right.
• 9:27
  Right.
• 9:28
  Right.
• 9:28
  So they had these meetings, and so all the white folks come out from Collierville and
• 9:32
  Germantown representing they they districts and, you know, or or or, you know, out towards
• 9:38
  Whitehaven.
• 9:38
  They'll pull up, but then Little Hyde Park, no.
• 9:42
  We we ain't get the memo.
• 9:43
  Yeah. Get
• 9:44
  Get I
• 9:44
  get you.
• 9:45
  It's important that, you know, people like myself who do have means have an an opportunity
• 9:50
  to pull on people that, you know, that can come out and do things.
• 9:54
  It's important that people like myself connect with other people that's in the neighborhood or
• 9:58
  that wants to that's outside the neighborhood that wants to come in and help out.
• 10:01
  So
• 10:01
  Yep.
• 10:01
  Yep.
• 10:02
  And now and now that we know that you're doing that, mister Beatty, it's it's a good idea to
• 10:04
  hit up the local fire department, hit up the local the the local police station that's in
• 10:10
  the area.
• 10:10
  And now you can make it bigger and get the city involved because now we get the community,
• 10:15
  involvement with the with the police department because it's been a real big disconnect there.
• 10:18
  Yes.
• 10:19
  Definitely.
• 10:19
  But that's how we that's how we grow that.
• 10:21
  And and now Definitely.
• 10:22
  Because every community got a community center.
• 10:24
  And and and and mister Beatty, with way you're doing it, man, you you about ready to go to
• 10:28
  that get that community center under your belt.
• 10:30
  Ma'am, don't see them charging me for it.
• 10:32
  I want the building, and I I want the school.
• 10:36
  You know?
• 10:36
  That's what I want.
• 10:37
  I want the school to turn into a resource center, a life center.
• 10:40
  You know?
• 10:41
  That way we have a gym, that we have a library, that we have GED classes there.
• 10:45
  You know, we have counseling that's for for parents.
• 10:47
  All of that right there.
• 10:49
  What you saying is like you you know my vision.
• 10:51
  Hey.
• 10:52
  So if you if you got a similar vision and you in the Memphis area and you would love to
• 10:56
  collaborate with somebody like mister TJ BD and you may know some things that we don't know or
• 11:00
  he don't know, come on over here and collab with him and get to know him.
• 11:03
  Mister TJ, where can we find you at on social media, man?
• 11:07
  How we find you, brother?
• 11:08
  Man, I'm on everything all the way the same from, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, all TJBD.
• 11:16
  So you just type in TJBD, you're gonna find me all the same on every platform.
• 11:20
  Alright.
• 11:20
  With that being said, he's looking and we're needing, like minded partners and like minded
• 11:26
  doers in the city.
• 11:27
  I ain't say lookers.
• 11:28
  I didn't say I I didn't say leeches.
• 11:30
  I I said doers.
• 11:32
  Okay?
• 11:32
  Yeah.
• 11:33
  That mean if we build bricks on top of brick, we can actually get a a foundation built with a
• 11:38
  team.
• 11:38
  You understand what I'm saying?
• 11:40
  Team work, make the dream work.
• 11:41
  So, mister Beatty mister Beatty, you mentioned football for you, and you mentioned even going
• 11:48
  to college, man.
• 11:49
  So you played you played football in college as well?
• 11:52
  Yes, sir.
• 11:52
  I played at UT Martin.
• 11:55
  Played there from '97 to February.
• 12:00
  During that time, man, I I ended up fourth in the conference in scoring while I was there,
• 12:05
  set a team high for scoring as a freshman.
• 12:08
  I played running back.
• 12:10
  Then I end up, you know, being a young man.
• 12:13
  You know, I had my miscues in in school.
• 12:16
  You said, man, how do a kid, man, got NFL scouts coming to see and, you know, get in
• 12:21
  trouble and get kicked out of school?
• 12:23
  You know?
• 12:24
  Well, I wasn't humble.
• 12:25
  You know?
• 12:27
  I was around campus.
• 12:28
  I pretty much called myself touchdown TJ.
• 12:31
  You know?
• 12:31
  If you didn't call me touchdown TJ, I ain't really wanna talk to you.
• 12:34
  That's how that's how, you know, how I had got, you know, to the point where I didn't I wasn't
• 12:39
  respecting people.
• 12:40
  I wasn't you know, I just felt like I was above people.
• 12:43
  But, you know, I immediately, I was humbled by being kicked out of school and having to go to
• 12:47
  Lane College.
• 12:48
  Ended up going to Lane College, and, man, had a great time there.
• 12:52
  You know?
• 12:53
  Wasn't the same as far as, you know, the dorms or anything, you know, the living arrangements,
• 12:58
  the the financial aspect of it, the money.
• 13:02
  But, man, I I end up connecting, with a lot of great people at Lane College.
• 13:08
  Had a man, the football experience was amazing.
• 13:10
  I thought it was gonna be different as far as football.
• 13:13
  Man, the NFL scouts were even he was more there, you know, at Lane College.
• 13:18
  You know, every day seemed like what scouts were there.
• 13:20
  You know?
• 13:20
  At UC Martin, we have them here and there, but it was like, you know, scouts were there.
• 13:24
  My first day there, I wasn't even on the team.
• 13:27
  I was just at the view, and the Dallas Cowboy scouts was there.
• 13:30
  So, you know, I was super excited.
• 13:32
  I had a great time.
• 13:33
  We ended up working out for Dan Rooney junior, who is the owner's son for the Pittsburgh
• 13:38
  Steelers my senior year.
• 13:40
  Had a great workout for him and end up getting going on their draft board.
• 13:46
  Going got graduated and went home probably a month just working out, man.
• 13:51
  I remember, like, it was yesterday.
• 13:52
  I get a call on my phone.
• 13:54
  I'm looking at the phone.
• 13:56
  You know, 15 numbers come across your phone.
• 13:58
  You're like, man, you you think not not to answer the phone.
• 14:01
  But for some reason, I answered it.
• 14:03
  It was the scout for the Canadian Football League, the Calgary St.
• 14:06
  Peters.
• 14:07
  I mean, I get a workout, a private workout at Memphis Job Corps.
• 14:11
  I run a four four over there.
• 14:12
  They end up inviting me to a camp in, Irving, Texas, go down there, do amazing, end up
• 14:20
  getting an invite to the mini camp in, Canada.
• 14:25
  End up, you know, getting cut, you know, didn't get a chance to make it, but, man, play semi
• 14:29
  pro football.
• 14:31
  I end up getting inducted to the Memphis Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• 14:35
  So I had a great run and started coaching high school from there.
• 14:38
  I coached a little arena football as well.
• 14:40
  So I've had my opportunities.
• 14:42
  You know, now it's just about giving back to the youth.
• 14:45
  Man, man, what an what an amazing, amazing story, man.
• 14:50
  I'm over here.
• 14:50
  I could've been ate some popcorn.
• 14:53
  I could've got I said, oh, lord, man.
• 14:56
  This is amazing testimony, man.
• 14:58
  This is right here in the heart of Memphis.
• 15:00
  It is so much love and so much here to give.
• 15:03
  And I I'm watching the news, and, oh my god, my heart screams out.
• 15:07
  Because I say, you know what?
• 15:08
  Why do y'all highlight all this bad?
• 15:10
  Because it ain't that much bad going on compared to all the good I know that's going on
• 15:13
  in the city.
• 15:14
  Right.
• 15:14
  You know, right now, we got the podcast, convention going on right now.
• 15:18
  No one's talking about that.
• 15:20
  No one's talking about BB King's birthday, how he brought all these tourists to the city, not
• 15:24
  wanting to stop ringing down.
• 15:26
  Yeah.
• 15:26
  Yeah.
• 15:26
  We don't talk about that.
• 15:27
  How we it was the Southern Harris class that just passed by, and not one gunshot on Beale
• 15:32
  Street ringed out because I live here on Beale Street, and I'm praying for Beale Street every
• 15:36
  day.
• 15:37
  And and and I've seen a big change in the community just since I've been here.
• 15:41
  And and I said, you know what?
• 15:42
  We ain't highlighting those things, but we wanna talk about a little John John over here.
• 15:46
  Got him going viral on the news.
• 15:48
  Is he
• 15:49
  is just like the man right now.
• 15:51
  Yeah.
• 15:51
  It
• 15:51
  it it seems like, you know, negativity is is is one thing that people draw to.
• 15:56
  People are always looking who got the fighting and who was shooting in.
• 16:00
  But, you know, we like I said, you talk about, man, know, if Pablo got this podcast show
• 16:06
  that's hosting that's that's that's going viral, that's talking positive, you know,
• 16:11
  bringing the lights to people that's doing good, people don't wanna hear that.
• 16:14
  They don't wanna they'll they wanna wait till you already on BET and MTV
• 16:18
  and Right.
• 16:18
  Right.
• 16:19
  And
• 16:19
  all that.
• 16:20
  He's like, man, man, he was shooting this in his in his house, man, for the past I don't
• 16:23
  know how long.
• 16:24
  So, you know, we gotta support each other in that aspect as well.
• 16:28
  You know?
• 16:28
  So, like, when you when I seen it, you said, like, man, listen.
• 16:31
  Let me jump on here.
• 16:33
  You know?
• 16:33
  I even want to come, you know, when you invited me, you know, a while back when you were doing
• 16:36
  the the show.
• 16:37
  I was like, but I got I just got busy then.
• 16:40
  But I I, like, I gotta make sure that I do something to show them, hey.
• 16:44
  Look.
• 16:44
  I'm supporting you.
• 16:45
  I'm here for you.
• 16:46
  I wanna be there, you know, when you're doing these things.
• 16:48
  You know?
• 16:49
  And and a lot of it, man, a lot of people don't know, you know, with my stroke, you know, and
• 16:54
  coming back from the stroke, man, I I I became isolated for so long just recovering.
• 17:00
  So once, you know, when I started trying to get back into normal living, isolation was just a
• 17:06
  norm for me.
• 17:07
  Going home, being at home.
• 17:09
  Hey.
• 17:10
  I may say, man, I'm a get out and hang out with the guys and watch the game at Buffalo Wild
• 17:13
  Wings.
• 17:14
  Right.
• 17:14
  But I don't go because, you know, it was just a journey just trying to get back to myself.
• 17:19
  And so, you know, now getting back to myself, I need guys like you to say, man, come on out
• 17:24
  with me, man.
• 17:24
  Come hang out with me.
• 17:25
  You know?
• 17:25
  Hey.
• 17:26
  I'm doing this.
• 17:26
  Come get with me because I I wanna be in those environments.
• 17:30
  I wanna get back out and you know?
• 17:32
  But like I said, things have become such a norm just being at home.
• 17:35
  You know?
• 17:35
  I I got another quick question for you.
• 17:37
  And I and I mean, I hope you're okay with me asking you this.
• 17:40
  Yes.
• 17:40
  I'm an army veteran, man.
• 17:41
  I'm an army veteran.
• 17:43
  And when I got out the military, I felt a sense of isolation.
• 17:46
  I felt like, man, I don't belong.
• 17:48
  Like, this this is like something something's off.
• 17:50
  And then I went through a traumatizing accident.
• 17:52
  I I mean, I had to get my arm put back on.
• 17:55
  Right?
• 17:55
  I mean, literally, I was holding this arm in this hand.
• 17:58
  Like like and when I met the doctor, he was like, mister Trotter, you know, I can't promise
• 18:06
  you nothing, but if there's one thing you want, what is it?
• 18:10
  I said, man, I I said, I ain't got one thing, sir, but I'm an entertainer, man.
• 18:15
  I gotta be on stage.
• 18:16
  I gotta be able to play my instruments.
• 18:18
  Yeah.
• 18:18
  I
• 18:18
  said I can't I can't do this with my fingers, man.
• 18:21
  Look at god.
• 18:21
  Look at god.
• 18:22
  Can you please just get my fingers back working?
• 18:24
  And I said, man, I never thought I was gonna do this again.
• 18:27
  Man.
• 18:27
  And now my my arm my arm don't go all the way straight.
• 18:30
  It's the seat.
• 18:31
  No.
• 18:31
  It's Yeah.
• 18:31
  Got plates and stuff and bolts and plates, but I'm able to I can't throw a football like I
• 18:38
  used to it, but Yeah.
• 18:40
  And I'm able to still play my instruments.
• 18:42
  I'm able to Yeah.
• 18:43
  But mentally, it did something to me, man.
• 18:46
  Mentally, I just man.
• 18:50
  Man.
• 18:50
  I I just can't grip the same.
• 18:53
  I I mean, ain't ain't nothing the same, man.
• 18:55
  And mentally Exactly.
• 18:56
  Deal with those those thoughts.
• 18:59
  Now you can't tell because I wear a white shirt with long sleeve shirt when I'm on stage so you
• 19:02
  can't see.
• 19:03
  But in my mind, I'm I'm still trying to I'm changing the microphone hands a lot because I
• 19:08
  don't wanna drop the microphone.
• 19:10
  You don't even know you don't even know that.
• 19:12
  But I know I know exactly what you're talking about.
• 19:14
  I'm pointing I'm pointing, and it looks good to you.
• 19:16
  I'm pointing because I can't feel my damn arm.
• 19:21
  But it's like, man, how how do you how have you processed even the emotional?
• 19:27
  Because men don't we don't have an outlet, man.
• 19:29
  We we don't wanna go home and tell our wives, hey.
• 19:33
  They like, hey.
• 19:34
  I'm mentally and it's like now her day is bad, and she she's all worried and trying to
• 19:39
  encourage us all day.
• 19:40
  It's like, man, some battles as a man, we we kinda gotta take the guy and just fight it all
• 19:45
  getting all in.
• 19:46
  It's in here, man.
• 19:47
  It's all in here.
• 19:48
  It's all in here.
• 19:49
  But, man, how how did that how was that journey for you, brother?
• 19:52
  Man, to be honest with you, you know, I've I've always been that tough guy that can handle
• 19:58
  everything and do everything.
• 20:00
  Right.
• 20:01
  You know?
• 20:01
  So even in the recovery phase, I heard people say when a doctor initially said, hey.
• 20:07
  Well, he's gonna be okay.
• 20:08
  He just gotta recover.
• 20:09
  And I heard people say, oh, he's straight.
• 20:10
  He's straight.
• 20:11
  He's gonna start working out.
• 20:12
  He's get strong.
• 20:13
  I'm like, well, they're not even realizing.
• 20:15
  And guess what?
• 20:15
  Like you just said, I can't feel the fingers in his hand.
• 20:19
  I could touch something, but I don't I may drop it.
• 20:22
  You know?
• 20:23
  Right.
• 20:23
  You know?
• 20:24
  So I just you know, a lot of times, I still just continue to, hey.
• 20:28
  Be this guy.
• 20:28
  Hey.
• 20:28
  Because I know everybody needs me.
• 20:30
  Right.
• 20:30
  Everybody needs my everybody depends on my strength.
• 20:34
  Right.
• 20:34
  You know?
• 20:34
  So if I'm weak, then how can others be strong?
• 20:38
  Right.
• 20:38
  So I have to sow my strength.
• 20:39
  The strength that God has given me, I just allow that to flow through me, keep pushing,
• 20:44
  keep going, you know, handle things mentally, you know, like I need to.
• 20:49
  You know?
• 20:50
  But now I think the difference is now, you know, I have my wife that I can talk to, you
• 20:55
  know Right.
• 20:56
  And communicate with her and just have conversation about, hey.
• 20:59
  You know?
• 20:59
  Because she asked all the time, hey.
• 21:01
  How are doing?
• 21:01
  You on the go all the time?
• 21:03
  You busy?
• 21:04
  You move like you ain't never had a stroke.
• 21:06
  You know what I'm saying?
• 21:06
  And I just you know?
• 21:08
  Hey.
• 21:09
  Hey.
• 21:09
  Hey.
• 21:09
  The guy moves fast.
• 21:11
  The soccer team.
• 21:11
  Yeah.
• 21:12
  Yeah.
• 21:12
  You know, I don't I don't know any other way to do things, you know, other than the way I was
• 21:16
  already doing them.
• 21:17
  You know?
• 21:17
  I don't think God gave me a second chance for me to fall back.
• 21:21
  You know?
• 21:21
  He he want me to push harder and keep going to show people, hey.
• 21:25
  Listen.
• 21:25
  If if you can recover from this, you know what I'm saying, you can recover from anything.
• 21:30
  You know?
• 21:30
  It like, your your testimony, man, I had no idea.
• 21:34
  You know?
• 21:34
  And I'm looking at you, man.
• 21:36
  I'm just saying, man, look at god.
• 21:37
  Like, that's motivation for me to even just you hear you talk about some of the same things
• 21:42
  that I deal with, and you are handling them.
• 21:44
  You're doing them.
• 21:45
  So why would I complain?
• 21:46
  Why should I complain?
• 21:47
  Man.
• 21:48
  I'm looking at another brother that God is using
• 21:50
  right in front of me.
• 21:51
  Guess what?
• 21:52
  So so why not?
• 21:53
  That's what God is saying, hey.
• 21:55
  Listen.
• 21:55
  That's more motivation.
• 21:56
  God is saying, listen.
• 21:57
  Keep going.
• 21:59
  Keep pushing.
• 21:59
  Keep pushing.
• 22:00
  Somebody else is doing it just like you're doing it.
• 22:02
  You just say, hey.
• 22:03
  Listen.
• 22:04
  You couldn't do the motor skills.
• 22:05
  Guess what?
• 22:06
  I'm still working on getting those motor skills.
• 22:08
  You know what I'm saying?
• 22:09
  Yeah.
• 22:09
  So guess what?
• 22:10
  But that means, guess what?
• 22:11
  Keep pushing.
• 22:12
  You know what I'm saying?
• 22:13
  You showing your testimony right now.
• 22:15
  Hey.
• 22:16
  I know that I can keep going.
• 22:18
  Let's go, man.
• 22:19
  You know what?
• 22:20
  I was just talking yesterday on my on my on my on my podcast, and I was saying, you know what?
• 22:26
  Don't live this life not showing your gifts.
• 22:30
  Man, I refuse to live this Man.
• 22:32
  In the world not new what god gave me and I know I'm capable of doing.
• 22:35
  Yeah.
• 22:36
  I ain't worried about no money, man.
• 22:37
  At this point in my life, I'm chasing assignments.
• 22:40
  And I know that god is gonna take care of the rest.
• 22:42
  When when you when you are in alignment and on assignment, god take care of the
• 22:47
  rest, man.
• 22:47
  Yeah.
• 22:48
  They
• 22:48
  like I ain't worry about no food, man.
• 22:50
  You worry about no money.
• 22:51
  Ain't worry about no clothes.
• 22:52
  I ain't worry about nothing, man.
• 22:54
  I'm telling you, bro.
• 22:55
  When you are in alignment and on assignment, you've been chasing money for too long.
• 23:00
  And that's why you're so mad.
• 23:01
  You're so upset.
• 23:02
  Because when you get it, it'd be gone.
• 23:04
  So when you're chasing it when you're in alignment and on assignment, ain't even about
• 23:08
  the money no more, man.
• 23:09
  You're like, oh my god.
• 23:11
  I don't even know how the ring got paid, but for me, it feel good because you know you're
• 23:16
  doing something you're supposed to be doing.
• 23:17
  Exactly.
• 23:18
  And it it don't even when you when you on the assignment, bro, it don't even feel like work,
• 23:22
  man.
• 23:22
  Yeah.
• 23:23
  It's something you just love to do, man.
• 23:25
  And and
• 23:25
  God is opening doors for me by just doing what I love to do, man.
• 23:28
  Using my voice to help motivate and inspire the people, man.
• 23:31
  Yeah.
• 23:31
  If I can if I can bring the inspiration and and continue to because this right here is gonna
• 23:34
  help me continue to build my platform.
• 23:36
  Yes, sir.
• 23:36
  So it it will be on what's crazy is, well, I I I ain't I ain't been popping my stuff like
• 23:41
  that, but we just got the radio.
• 23:43
  We just got the radio placements, and and we just got Apple TV.
• 23:47
  We got Roku TV now.
• 23:49
  We headed to Tubi, and we headed to trying to get Amazon.
• 23:52
  We're growing to where our platform now, we're doing these interviews to be on a bigger a
• 23:57
  bigger a bigger spectrum.
• 23:58
  Now you're gonna be seeing stuff on cable TV coming up.
• 24:01
  Yes, But
• 24:01
  God is moving, and it's not my job to go on go out here and throw everything God is doing for
• 24:05
  me out in the out in the forefront like I'm the one doing it.
• 24:08
  I ain't doing nothing, man.
• 24:09
  I don't know nothing.
• 24:11
  I ain't I lost control, man.
• 24:13
  God is in full control.
• 24:14
  And I'm letting him lead me, and I'm just I'm just being guided for real.
• 24:18
  Yeah.
• 24:18
  No doubt.
• 24:19
  That's it.
• 24:19
  I don't know nothing.
• 24:20
  Know what I I know for right now because I'm gonna forget something, but I remember later on
• 24:24
  when he want me to know it.
• 24:25
  No doubt.
• 24:26
  No doubt, man.
• 24:27
  No doubt.
• 24:28
  Yep.
• 24:29
  So what's new I mean, what's next for you, mister TJ?
• 24:31
  What's what's next on your agenda, man?
• 24:33
  What's the what's the next thing you got popping, man?
• 24:36
  Man, when when is this released?
• 24:40
  This probably gonna be releasing if we don't do it next Monday, we won't we won't go through
• 24:44
  and hype it up a little bit, get all the people kinda tap into them and do a fire, put a fire
• 24:48
  out for a week, then we'll probably drop it on Monday.
• 24:50
  Yep.
• 24:50
  Well, they say when you do shows, like, this one this one, you list on going as exclusive.
• 24:55
  Yeah.
• 24:55
  Yeah.
• 24:56
  Yeah.
• 24:56
  Yeah.
• 24:57
  I can't just release it like that.
• 24:58
  It's we don't go through it.
• 24:59
  Edit it.
• 24:59
  It's exclusive right here, man.
• 25:01
  Is crazy.
• 25:01
  So I'm a I'm a go ahead and and drop it with you, man.
• 25:04
  So I can't wait when when this post and I reshare, everybody's gonna be like, what?
• 25:09
  Yeah.
• 25:09
  It's crazy.
• 25:10
  Crazy.
• 25:10
  Man,
• 25:12
  me and my team, man, we actually putting together our youth organization.
• 25:16
  We're gonna start our own organization.
• 25:18
  I ain't gonna drop the name or anything yet, but we're gonna have football, basketball,
• 25:22
  baseball, track, soccer.
• 25:24
  You know?
• 25:25
  So we're we're putting together an organization.
• 25:26
  We've been working on it.
• 25:28
  And so we're putting it together, man.
• 25:30
  So I know there's a lot of organizations out here, and I'm doing it a little different.
• 25:34
  A lot of people say, man, you know, why am I doing it the way I'm doing it?
• 25:39
  You know?
• 25:40
  It's because I want to be in order.
• 25:41
  I wanted everything to, you know, flow the right way, man.
• 25:44
  We wanna try to create diversity, you know, even if we do it in the hood.
• 25:49
  Not saying it's gonna be in the hood, but we wanna be creative where we can have not just
• 25:53
  black kids on the team, but white kids.
• 25:55
  We can have Hispanic kids.
• 25:56
  We can have Asian kids.
• 25:58
  We wanna create that diversity.
• 26:00
  Right.
• 26:00
  You know, a lot of times, our kids, you know, all they know is is being around their own
• 26:04
  kids.
• 26:04
  And so when they even go into do to new environments, they don't know how to even
• 26:09
  operate or deal with kids, you know, that are a different color.
• 26:13
  And so, yeah, I think if we can start the younger, you know, have kids, you know, five
• 26:17
  and six playing football, they're playing with kids of different races and and parents of in
• 26:23
  different races.
• 26:24
  No.
• 26:24
  It changes our culture.
• 26:26
  It changes our mindset, and then expose our kids early to being in in those different
• 26:30
  environments so they know how to re even react.
• 26:33
  They won't have that mindset that every person that's outside of my race is against me.
• 26:37
  They'll be now they'll know, hey.
• 26:39
  Listen.
• 26:39
  I can, you know, get along with kids or be friends or even if they wanna date, you know,
• 26:46
  outside of that race.
• 26:47
  Those things, we'll we'll be able to teach and and and provide that, you know, in our in our
• 26:53
  in our areas.
• 26:54
  Know?
• 26:54
  Beautiful, man.
• 26:55
  How beautiful.
• 26:55
  Yeah.
• 26:56
  How beautiful.
• 26:56
  I was raised in Milwaukee, so I I know all about diversity.
• 26:59
  When I came to Memphis, man, my heart broke.
• 27:01
  I said, man, what in the world is this?
• 27:02
  Yeah.
• 27:03
  Yeah.
• 27:03
  But but another thing, man, it really really got me, man, and I I I gotta I gotta I wish I
• 27:09
  had some sound effects.
• 27:10
  I ain't inside my streamyard right now, but I'll be bopping the church on top of the head
• 27:14
  right now.
• 27:15
  Yeah.
• 27:15
  So the stuff I'm seeing because I need more outreach from the church.
• 27:20
  I'm talking about the church.
• 27:22
  I'm seeing more masons outside than the church, man.
• 27:24
  I'm seeing more more fraternities outside.
• 27:27
  I'm seeing more boys and girls clubs outside.
• 27:30
  I'm seeing football coaches outside.
• 27:31
  I need to see more of these ministries actually breaking in these these these chains and
• 27:36
  opening these doors up.
• 27:38
  We need help.
• 27:39
  We are hurting out here, people, and I'm sorry.
• 27:42
  I don't want this is just me, man.
• 27:45
  Your church should be open more than on Sunday, brother.
• 27:48
  No doubt.
• 27:49
  I am put I don't care about who don't like what I'm saying.
• 27:53
  I wish I had some sound effects right now.
• 27:55
  I'm gonna go through and add them in here.
• 27:57
  But right now, if your church is only open on Sunday, you are part of my donkey of my day.
• 28:02
  How about that?
• 28:03
  Open that church up.
• 28:05
  At least have it to where people can call that open number, man.
• 28:07
  Have a open line of communication.
• 28:08
  We need your help out here.
• 28:09
  Yeah.
• 28:10
  No doubt.
• 28:11
  No doubt, man.
• 28:11
  We do get a
• 28:12
  I love your outreach, man.
• 28:13
  I love
• 28:13
  it too.
• 28:13
  Better.
• 28:14
  Yeah.
• 28:15
  The church is definitely you know, I I don't know.
• 28:17
  There are churches that have done that need to do better as far as with outreach and being in
• 28:22
  their communities and, you know, have been being accessible.
• 28:27
  But I think if if it's sometimes you have you have these old pastors that have been there for
• 28:33
  so long, and they they grew they have traditions, you know, versus, hey.
• 28:38
  What can we do collectively as team of the church?
• 28:43
  I love you said that traditions has ran us, our young generation, from the church.
• 28:48
  So right now, it's it's time for us to get really, really creative.
• 28:51
  Definitely.
• 28:52
  Really creative because we don't serve a, we don't serve a traditional god.
• 28:55
  You know what I'm saying?
• 28:56
  So that that's why you you seen you seen us black men and women, we becoming more
• 29:01
  spiritually involved now to a we'll go to a park, man.
• 29:04
  Yeah.
• 29:04
  But we'll go have church at a park and say, you know what?
• 29:06
  That's what we're gonna do over here.
• 29:08
  I'm a take my family over here and have bible study with god in the park over here.
• 29:12
  And and it's like we need we need more.
• 29:14
  I'm I'm just wanting to see a little more.
• 29:15
  I wanna see more.
• 29:16
  More collaborations, more collaborations, more revivals.
• 29:20
  Just make them bigger.
• 29:20
  They can get bigger, man.
• 29:21
  Make them big.
• 29:22
  We gotta collaborate.
• 29:24
  And, let's not forget about the church, man.
• 29:26
  The church is where I come from.
• 29:27
  That's my background.
• 29:28
  That's when I'm on stage, you you ain't you ain't hearing god come through me and not
• 29:33
  seeing god on stage.
• 29:34
  I ain't doing my job.
• 29:35
  That's just what I'm a say on that one.
• 29:37
  But, yeah, man.
• 29:38
  I love what you're doing.
• 29:39
  Just add on to that.
• 29:40
  Anytime you find when when the government has to bring in the national guard to make a
• 29:46
  change, there's a problem.
• 29:47
  When we should churches should been able to have you know, if we're doing a great a bet a
• 29:52
  great job at teaching our kids and raising our kids in the word, understanding the word, being
• 29:59
  what Ephesians five one saying, being imitators of Christ, then guess what?
• 30:02
  We wouldn't have all these issues.
• 30:04
  We wouldn't have all these problems.
• 30:05
  But people only run to the church for a few things, for money when their rent, you know, is
• 30:10
  due, when it's
• 30:11
  a funeral
• 30:12
  and they need to have a funeral, you know, or if they wanna have these, you know, cookouts
• 30:17
  and car washes.
• 30:18
  You know?
• 30:18
  That's one that's the only time you see them running to the church.
• 30:21
  You know?
• 30:21
  But I me or you, we can make a I can make a thousand posts this week on things that we can
• 30:26
  do on how to, you know, equip young men and women in high school and middle school today to
• 30:31
  share the gospel with their friends, and nobody won't bring their kids to that to that event.
• 30:36
  They won't even probably share my post, but I can post, you know, 50 photos or 50 things
• 30:42
  about, you know, football, and they're gonna share that.
• 30:46
  But if every time I post, you know, about, hey.
• 30:49
  This Friday or this Saturday night, we're having a free event, and then we're gonna be
• 30:54
  teaching your sons and daughters how to share the gospel with their friends at school so the
• 30:59
  word can go and spread out throughout the school.
• 31:02
  Or we're gonna teach them how to make prayer circles circles early in the morning before the
• 31:06
  bell bring rings or after school when school gets out, they're not gonna share that.
• 31:11
  They're not gonna share that.
• 31:12
  But we can post it.
• 31:13
  I'm having a block party next week.
• 31:15
  Your screen just went out.
• 31:17
  It went green.
• 31:24
  Yeah.
• 31:24
  We bet.
• 31:25
  But, yeah, we're supposed to be having a block party.
• 31:27
  Everybody's gonna be there.
• 31:28
  You know?
• 31:29
  So I don't understand.
• 31:30
  They they we want change.
• 31:31
  You know?
• 31:32
  You know?
• 31:33
  We we gotta start, I got within our home, within our families, and teaching them about
• 31:37
  the word of god.
• 31:43
  Yeah, man.
• 31:43
  Yeah, man.
• 31:44
  And and it it's just I I I love what you're doing with your with your outreach with your
• 31:51
  outreach ministry, man.
• 31:52
  And I and I say we we need that.
• 31:55
  We need that, and I'm willing to support any way I can
• 31:59
  Yes, sir.
• 31:59
  Any way I possibly can.
• 32:01
  But, yeah, mister Beatty, we we almost out of time here.
• 32:03
  We got ten minutes left on this on this Zoom.
• 32:06
  I really, really, really appreciate you for tapping in with me.
• 32:10
  Hey.
• 32:10
  I am El Pablo one time, the owner of Black Sea Kid Music, the owner of this whole black seed
• 32:18
  kid movement.
• 32:19
  If if you if you suffer from, depression, don't be afraid to reach out.
• 32:26
  Don't be afraid to get some help.
• 32:28
  If you if you suffer from from thoughts of suicide, I'm here to pray for you.
• 32:32
  I'm here to pray with you.
• 32:33
  I stand with you.
• 32:34
  Okay?
• 32:35
  If you're army veteran out there I'm a I'm a army veteran myself.
• 32:38
  Do not be afraid to reach out to me.
• 32:40
  I am your advocate.
• 32:41
  Okay?
• 32:41
  I can help you find your resources.
• 32:44
  I'm not paying rent.
• 32:45
  I don't pay for nothing.
• 32:46
  I I don't pay for none of this stuff over around me.
• 32:48
  Okay?
• 32:49
  The military will take care of you.
• 32:50
  You've already served.
• 32:51
  You already did your due diligence.
• 32:52
  Okay?
• 32:52
  We owe you.
• 32:53
  I love you.
• 32:54
  Okay?
• 32:54
  Tap in with me.
• 32:56
  I got TJ Beattie with me once again, man.
• 32:58
  Let me know where to find you at, brother.
• 32:59
  Again, it's just TJ Beatty on all platforms.
• 33:02
  That's t j b e a t t I e.
• 33:06
  Yes, sir.
• 33:06
  You heard it for yourself.
• 33:09
  I love y'all.
• 33:10
  K?
• 33:10
  The motto was love, peace, and unity.
• 33:12
  Y'all be great.
• 33:13
  Peace.
• 33:14
  Love you, bro.