MILWAUKEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT The Reminiscences of Amir Ducksworth
ART START Columbia University 2018
PREFACE The following oral history is the result of a recorded interview with Amir Ducksworth conducted by David Castillo on May 14, 2018. This interview is part of the Milwaukee Oral History Project. The reader is asked to bear in mind that they are reading a verbatim transcript of the spoken word, rather than written prose.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 3
ATC Interviewee: Amir Ducksworth Interviewer: David Castillo
Session #1 Location: Milwaukee, WI Date: May 14, 2018
Q: Good morning, my name is David Emmanuelle Castillo, today's date is Monday, May the 14th off 2018. I currently work for the Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement and I will be interviewing student Amir Ducksworth, who attends Roosevelt Middle School for the Milwaukee Public Schools District. I have his permission to use this material for our portrait— for our project, which consists of the Art Start Portrait Project as well as the oral histories. So, Kevin, we'll get started. Just going to ask you a quick question in regard to your portrait projects. So, your portrait project, from when I remember it, had you dressed up as a professor. You were sitting in what looked like the Huey P. Newton chair and it was real Black Lives Matter focused. What was it that inspired you to want to make your project around that concept or around that idea?
Ducksworth: [00:00:55] Well, it was, like, I grew up in a bad neighborhood. And I live in Milwaukee, so every day I like, look—watch the news and it'd be like somebody's getting killed or stealing cars or killing. And I just want to, like—when I grew up, I wanted to be an inspirational speaker. So, I want to show my community that we don't have to—that we can be more than that.
Q: Okay. Is there—any inspirational speakers that you look up to?
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 4
Ducksworth: [00:01:28] No, not really.
Q: Not really?
Ducksworth: No.
Q: Okay, tell me a little bit more. So, you say your community. Where do you live, more or less? Not, like, address but general neighborhood.
Ducksworth: [00:01:43] I live all around the place from, like, Earline [phonetic] to the—Capitol, all around the place. Right now, I live on 2nd and Keefe. So, like, it's kind of quiet over there, but —and, like, it's just nothing much, really.
Q: What do you mean by that? Tell me a little bit more about that.
Ducksworth: [00:02:09] Well, it's not so much violence and then—like that like it was in my old house. Like, when I used to live in Burline [phonetic] and stuff like that.
Q: So, you used to live on Burline [phonetic]?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 5 Q: Burline [phonetic], I'm guessing, about 21st—
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: —21st and Burline [phonetic]? Tell me a little bit more about that. How long did you live there?
Ducksworth: [00:02:28] For—I lived there for about three years and then I moved to 24th and Capitol. And now I live in Keefe.
Q: Okay. Tell me a little bit about Burline [phonetic]. Then I'm going to ask you, after the Burline [phonetic], tell me a little bit about Capitol.
Ducksworth: [00:02:46] Okay. Well, Burline [phonetic]—I was young, so, like, I didn't really know much about it. But I would hear, like, gunshots and people screaming and police coming around and, like, pick people up and lots of fights and stuff. Like, I couldn't even go to the park. I couldn't even be outside for a certain hour because—is lot of violence. So, I had to be in the house at a certain time. I couldn't go to the parks around there. Couldn't really talk to people. I couldn't go out nowhere by myself. So, yes.
Q: Okay. And how about Capitol?
Ducksworth: [00:03:23] Where I lived, it was—
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 6
Q: You said what and Capitol, again?
Ducksworth: [00:03:27] Well, it was by Capitol. It was actually—
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth: —24th and Vienna or—
Q: Oh, okay.
Ducksworth: —yes.
Q: I know Vienna. I used to live on Vienna.
Ducksworth: [00:03:33] Yes, it—that now, it's actually, like, kind of the peaceful neighborhood. It's just, like, you know, it was a couple fights or stuff by the park and whatever, stuff like that. But it wasn't really no, like, gun violence or nothing like that, really. Yes, it was not bad at all.
Q: So, earlier you were saying that you admire Colin Kaepernick.
Ducksworth: [00:04:01] Yes, I still think—yes.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 7 Q: What's that, if you want to talk about that?
Ducksworth: [00:04:06] Well, I don't stand up for the flag, so he, like, kind of—inspiring me, because he doesn't—because—how he took his knee and does—or how he threw his fist up and whatever.
Q: So, that inspired you to do the same?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: How does that feel? And I'm going to give you a little bit of background just to share a little bit of why I asked that. I don't stand for the flag, either. I've always felt uncomfortable standing for it. So, there was a point in time where I used to stand for the flag and I don't feel personally comfortable, just given the history I know of—United States and me being a brown person who has indigenous roots and knowing a lot that I know about the history of this country. But I always stood and it wasn't until Kaepernick did that that I finally—even a good year after he was doing that, I didn't stand. I mean, I was still standing, knowing that I shouldn't be, and I finally did and I could feel the, like, I don't know, tension—
Ducksworth: [00:05:10] Yes, that's how—yes, that’s—
Q: Yes.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 8 Ducksworth: —how I feel, like—
Q: Yes.
Ducksworth: —I just feel, like, free, like I could just do whatever I want. Like, other kids stand and I just don't. So, I was just, like—feel like—I don't know how to explain it, but I just feel, like, free, you know?
Q: Free.
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: All right, but—I know what you mean. I know the feeling. But do you also feel like there's tension? Like, there's people looking at you, like—
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: —he should be standing?
Ducksworth: [00:05:37] Yes, but I really don't care, because I—
Q: [unclear] okay. I guess my question is, like, what would you say to those people, like, if you had a chance to talk to them and just—like, if you were ever at a Bucks game or a Brewers game
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 9 and you don't stand and just people, like, give you those looks, if you had an opportunity to talk to them and educate them, what would you tell them?
Ducksworth: [00:06:02] I don't know, really, be—but maybe, like—well, I'm black, so if it's, like, other black people, like, standing and they're, like, "Why you not standing?" I'm, like, "Because I was—well, my ancestors are not from America, so we shouldn't have to stand for—American flag," just basically.
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth: [00:06:31] We're African, so we should stand for our own religion and stuff like that.
Q: Okay, so—because I know this type of stuff isn't taught in the schools, like, what you're speaking to right now. Where did you—like, where did you kind of learn this stuff or, like—
Ducksworth: [00:06:50] From—actually, from our social studies teacher.
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth: [00:06:53] Yes, he—like, he taught us all about it and stuff like that. And he even, like—he taught us all about our history and, like, stuff like we should do and stuff, that we really shouldn't do stuff like—that, like, he basically was—he, like, another father to me.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 10
Q: Okay. Is the teacher here at Roosevelt?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: Okay. And how did that—like, how do you think that impacted you?
Ducksworth: Because—
Q: Or, like—or change your thinking about things?
Ducksworth: [00:07:25] Because, like, at first, I really didn't, like, really—to me, I guess—I wouldn't say, like, my history doesn’t matter, but I really didn't focus on it like that. Like, I just focused on my future not my history until—like, here in Roosevelt [unclear] teaches about our history and he'll show how it—help our future. So, that's why I just, like, started going with it.
Q: Okay. And do you think it's important for other black children to know that history?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: Yes? Why is that?
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 11 Ducksworth: [00:07:55] I think everybody should know their history and, like, their story so, like, they can—they won't be—like, they won't just have a blank—like, blank—what I'm trying to say is, like, if I don't know my history, like, how—I'm going to know my future, basically? Like, not how—basically, how—I don't know how to explain it, but if it wasn't for our history, then we wouldn't really have anything. So, we couldn't have a future, basically, is what I'm trying to say.
Q: Okay, okay. I'm going to ask you something that you may not, like—and I want you to be— just whatever you're thinking. Don't feel like you have to censor yourself. You know, this is just your thoughts and isn't—nothing wrong with your thoughts. You know, once again, this is your story. So, why do you think that stuff isn't taught, for the most part? And I'll say that—and saying that I'm making a big assumption that, like, you've gone your whole educational career, no one's taught you that. And you finally have one teacher that did. And in asking that—I'm really asking that—and not to say that it really—I want to say it's not the teachers' fault.
Ducksworth: [00:09:10] Yes, that's all—like, it's not the teachers' fault. Like, they—well, my teachers, they all taught out of the textbooks. Like, they didn't take time to research or, like, take their time to really find out. They all taught out of textbooks and textbooks, they don't tell the whole story. They tell, like, half a story or part of the story. That's why I didn't really get the whole image, because all my life, I was taught out of a textbook until now.
Q: And how's the teaching different in that class from—
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 12 Ducksworth: [00:09:43] Because, like, my teacher, my social studies teacher, Mr. Suggs [phonetic], he basically dedicated his life to history. So, like, he knows almost—I won't say everything, but a lot. So, like, he went to college in history and all that stuff. So, he already know that stuff, so he doesn't have to teach out of—textbook. What he would do, he'd show us videos on the SMART board [unclear] show the videos and show us proof that—he'll show us proof that, like, what he's saying is true.
Q: Yes. And let me ask you—so, I'm kind of—seems like I'm going a little bit off track. Are you from Milwaukee?
Ducksworth: Yes, but—
Q: Born and raised?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: Okay, going to talk a little bit—
Ducksworth: Yes, my—
Q: My bad. Sounds like you were going to say some stuff.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 13 Ducksworth: [00:10:35] My family—no, one—I'm the only one in my family that was from Milwaukee. My momma actually got pregnant in Chicago and then we came to Milwaukee and that's where I was born at. So, yes, no one else in my family's from Milwaukee but me and then my little sister's [unclear]
Q: Are you the oldest in your family?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: Okay, how does that—how does it feel, knowing you're the oldest sibling?
Ducksworth: [00:10:58] It's just that I'm the only boy and the oldest sibling, so [unclear]—
Q: Out of how many? Sorry.
Ducksworth: [00:11:04] It's just—I've got two sisters—
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth: —and just me. I'm the—right, so I know I have a lot of responsibilities to always protect my sisters and, like, tell them—like, show them what I know and, like, tell them what is right and what's wrong when my mom's not, like, at—not around.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 14 Q: Okay. So, I know you say, like, you've got a lot of responsibility. What's the one thing you want your sisters to really, like, pick up from you?
Ducksworth: That—
Q: If there's, like, just one thing—I mean, I'm sure there's many things, but—
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: —if there was, like, the one thing that you hold really important, what would that be?
Ducksworth: [00:11:50] That they can do whatever they want. I want them to know just because they're women they can't do certain stuff. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want to do it.
Q: Why do you say that? Just because they're—the woman—
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: —part. Why are you bringing that up?
Ducksworth: [00:12:04] Because, like, some people discriminate—them because they like—my sisters, they like sports. So, we—they like football. So, we play football, we play basketball, and
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 15 they like tackle football because they grew up around me and stuff. [laughter] Like, we always— we play fight and stuff and then, like, they—like, [unclear] and me [phonetic] we go out to the field, they're, like, "Oh, don't bring them girls over here. They're going to get—they're going to be soft and stuff." I'm, like—and I'll look at them, like, just because they're girls doesn't mean they can't hit. [laughter] And then, [unclear] then my sisters just go hit them. And he'll be, like, "Oh, she's on my team" and stuff like that. So, like, I want [phonetic]—just because they're females, I don't want people to think they can't do certain stuff.
Q: Oh, okay.
Ducksworth: [00:12:48] And they can do whatever they want.
Q: So, okay, that's perfect. Thank you for that. I'm going to ask you something: how do you think your sisters have changed you in not being that way?
Ducksworth: [00:12:59] Well, I really always—been, like—I grew up around all girls, so, like—
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth: —I know not to disrespect them. I know, like, how to treat them and stuff like that, because I have sisters and I know their responsibility [phonetic], I know what they're going through and stuff like that. So, it just—I just respect them.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 16 Q: Do you feel [unclear] young men nowadays?
Ducksworth: [00:13:30] Yes. Like, they don't—be treating their females right. Like, they'll have a baby with them and they'll leave them or they, like, beat on them and stuff. Like, yell at them, talk to them crazy, stuff like that. And I don't want my sisters to have to go through that.
Q: Okay, okay. And—I'm sorry. [laughs] I really like everything you just said. Not that I didn't like everyone else [unclear] your interview's unique. But, yes, I totally feel what you're saying. I kind of share a lot with you. I was born and raised around—I've got an older brother, but a lot of people that held it down for me were the women in their life, so there was my mom, my grandma —both my grandmas, actually, and cousins. And they were—you know, there was a woman in my life to hold it down. What do you want to be when you grow up? I know you said an inspirational speaker. But, like, I'm more interested in knowing, like, in your head, what do you think the journey's going to be to become that?
Ducksworth: [00:14:37] Well, I don't [phonetic] want to say just an inspirational speaker.
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth: [00:14:40] I like music, I like to write music, so I want—because—and I know that most, like, black people—like, I want to spread the message to all the black people to know, like, we believe more than just what people say we are. So, like, I want to spread that message
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 17 through music. So, like, through hip-hop, like—and stuff like that. So, I want to spread it through music and put it, like, in messages and stuff. And that's mainly what I want to do, like—yes.
Q: Okay, give me a quick sec. You want a water?
Ducksworth: [00:15:14] Yes [unclear]
Q: Okay, here's your water. I need a water.
F: Okay.
Q: So, let me come back over here, because it might not pick up my voice. So, what are the messages—I mean, I [phonetic] [unclear] it got muffled. What are the messages that you see being told? So—because right now, I heard you say something of, you know, there's messages about, you know, being black and what it is you can be or can't be. What are the messages that you see right now surrounding, like—
Ducksworth: [00:15:50] Basically, like, I want—or, like, I'm not just going to say white people. I want people to know that us black people, we can be more than just murderers, killers, thieves and, like, just—and rappers. We do—we could be whatever we want. And I want to, like, spread that message somehow.
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 18
Ducksworth: [00:16:11] Like, [unclear]
Q: Okay. Where do you see those messages being sent?
Ducksworth: [00:16:18] Like, social media and stuff like that.
Q: Okay, you're good.
Ducksworth: [00:16:24] Like, social media and stuff like that, like, all around. And just, like, every time I look, it's, like, discrimination and something [phonetic] on social media or something like that. Racism and stuff. And I want to spread my message through, like, social media and music.
Q: Okay, okay. You brought up hip-hop.
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: I'm going to take it you like hip-hop.
Ducksworth: Yes.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 19 Q: Is there any artist that you listen to that you feel are spreading a different message? And if so, who are those artists and what message are they spreading?
Ducksworth: [00:17:04] I wouldn't say, like, spreading a message. They're just like—I just, like —most of the artists I listen to, they just talk about how they live their life or whatever, how their story—like, that's why I, like, kind of want to [phonetic] be the first artist to spread a message to our community. But, like, the artists I listen to are, like, Kendrick Lamar and stuff like that. You know, he talks about his life and stuff like—mostly the [phonetic] stuff like that. So, like, he's not really spreading messages to the community or nothing like that.
Q: Okay. So, you really want something where, like, everyone hears and it's something that, like, they respond to, like, as a community.
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: Okay. Tell me a little bit about, like, what—so, you say you'd be—you want to make music. Is there anything that you're working on right now? Like, DJing, writing?
Ducksworth: [00:17:59] Not—I write songs here and there. But, like, I don't really do none of that yet. I'm not—I can't really find no program or [phonetic]—to do it. But, yes, I'm—I mean, literally [phonetic], my friend—we're looking for something like that, like, to—studio or something that, you know, can give me a—no [phonetic], I just, like, write a lot and that's it.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 20 Q: And what do you write about and what you may make when you're on [phonetic]—your creative side kicks in?
Ducksworth: [00:18:26] It just—like, pop up to me and stuff. Like, I write about, like, how we've been treated in the past and stuff and, like, how we've been treated now. And, like, that—it kind of changed but it really didn't change. And how we can—like I said, how we could be more than they make it seem like we are.
Q: Okay. Are there any issues that you particularly write about? So, like, that you see in your community? Would it be, like, the violence or it'd be the relations with police—
Ducksworth: [00:19:12] Like—yes, like the violence and, like, how black men leave their families and stuff like that. And, well [phonetic], stealing cars, police killed [phonetic]—we're killing each other. Like, black on black crimes and stuff like that. I don't like seeing we kill—I don't like seeing killing at all, but definitely don't like seeing people kill their own kind.
Q: Why is that? If you could talk a little bit more about it—
Ducksworth: Because—
Q: And I hope that doesn't sound like a dumb question.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 21 Ducksworth: [00:19:41] No, because, like, I think—like, we're supposed to stick together—like, we all supposed to—like, the whole—like, we're all supposed to stick together. But we're just saying, right, we just basically [phonetic] come from the same place. So, like, we're supposed to stick together and supposed to communicate and supposed to, like—and, like, be one, basically, with each other.
Q: Now, this is just—I want your opinion. I don't need you to, like, think that this has to be something—in fact, what do you think prevents that from happening?
Ducksworth: [00:20:14] That gang violence and, like, drugs and stuff like that. And, yes, and just illegal weapon holding [phonetic] and stuff, whatever you call it. And it's, like—and it's just it's —most of the killings that go around—like gang violence or—and stuff like—if you want to be a gang, we can all be together. Like, we can—and we can just be a community. [tone]
Q: That wasn't you. That was the bell. That's why it turned red. Okay. So, I—kind of what I'm hearing from that is—and tell me if I'm wrong, but you don't necessarily think gangs are a bad thing. It's just that the way they're used?
Ducksworth: [00:21:01] Yes. No, I'm not saying that—I'm not—I don't think—what I was trying to say was, like—
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 22 Ducksworth: —that we should all be together—
Q: Okay.
Ducksworth: —as one gang. Like, as a community, not—I don't want to say gang, like, as a—as one. We should help each other out, we should look out for each other, we should have each other's back and stuff like that. I'm not saying, like, gangs are good or bad, just—
Q: Yes, yes, yes, okay.
Ducksworth: [00:21:23] Just saying that, like, we should be together.
Q: So, you're saying we all should come together and not, like—as a community, not [unclear] like, coming together because I'm this set or you're that set.
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: Okay, okay. So, you said that you're the only one in your family that's from Milwaukee?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: Where's your—
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 23 Ducksworth: [00:21:42] Well, me and my sister.
Q: You and your sister. Where's your family originally from?
Ducksworth: [00:21:47] Chicago.
Q: Chicago, okay. That's, who, your mom?
Ducksworth: Yes.
Q: And dad?
Ducksworth: [00:21:53] Mom—yes—no, my dad, he's from Milwaukee.
Q: Oh, your dad's from Milwaukee, okay.
Ducksworth: [00:21:57] Yes, but he was living in Chicago at the time, just a—
Q: Okay. Tell me a little bit—just about your family, whatever you want.
Ducksworth: [00:22:09] Well, my family, they grew up—they were in Chicago. They grew up in the projects and stuff. Well, my grandma, we—they really didn't have anything like that. They
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 24 struggled and stuff. And, like—so, like, they moved here to have a better life and they all got jobs and stuff. Now they're successful and they're doing what they love.
Q: Okay. I want you [phonetic] to talk about Milwaukee a bit, whatever comes to your mind, like, about the city. I don't know if you know, I'm not from Milwaukee. So, I'm always—I've got my own, like, opinions and, you know, beliefs about the city. I'm always interested to know from people who actually lived in the city, especially our youth, what's it—like, what's your take on Milwaukee?
Ducksworth: [00:23:11] Well, Milwaukee, it can be good and it can be bad. The good thing—I think that the [phonetic] good thing about it, really, is—like, I want to say, like, the times that we do come together, it'd be better that way. That's why I just think we should just stay together, like even though [phonetic]—I keep on saying, like, we come together for, like, parades and, like, summer fests and state fairs and stuff like that and that—and it just be good. But I think we all should just stay together [tone] so it could always be that good, and [phonetic]—
Q: So, that last part, if you could say that last part again. The—
Ducksworth: [00:23:47] I'll say it, like, they—we come together on, like, state fairs, summer fests, and the parade and stuff. So, we all just stay together, then we wouldn't have to worry about all the violence and we could just all be good. And, like, the bad things, like, we kill each other and stuff like that, they steal cars, leave our families and stuff like that, basically. And Milwaukee, I guess, like—it's not like—it's not really a big city. So, like, at nighttime, it's kind of
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 25 —it's—I won't say it's peaceful, but it's—they—Milwaukee is, like—it's not, like—I don't—well, I'm not from New York. But in my opinion, like, New York is always up. Like, it doesn't sleep at all. Like, it's always everybody moving around and stuff like that, even in the nighttime and Milwaukee's really not like that. Like, if you go out, three in the morning, you wouldn't see no cars nowhere.
Q: Why you bring up New York? I'm just curious about that.
Ducksworth: [00:24:43] Because, like, you're from New York—so, like—
Q: I'm not from New York. I'm from L.A.
Ducksworth: [00:24:47] Oh. [laughter] Oh. We were [phonetic]—oh, I thought you were from New York, my bad.
Q: No, no, it's all good. But you're saying New York, that it's a—where'd you hear that, that it's a place where people just—be up?
Ducksworth: [00:24:58] Well, it's just, like, from my opinion, from what I know about New York, it's big and place always—people always up and, like—and it's got lots of skyscrapers or stuff like that.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 26 Q: Okay. For you, right, because I know you're talking about, like, Milwaukee has its good and its bad. What do you think's needed to make Milwaukee a better place, aside from what you just said about, like, people coming together?
Ducksworth: [00:25:33] Really, I think we should all should just—like, for Milwaukee to be a better place, like, I—well, the first [phonetic] [unclear] violence and, like stop dropping out of school and stuff like that. Like, you can—to join gangs and stuff. And, like, we all—our teachers and stuff, they—we can, like—they could actually, like, do research. It's, like, try to, like, teach us more but what's—that's what's in a textbook, whatever.
Q: Okay. So, you kind of—I mean, you didn't really bring this up, too. You kind of alluded to it: research. So, what I'm hearing from you is you feel that teachers aren't doing enough research?
Ducksworth: Yes, like—
Q: I could be wrong.
Ducksworth: [00:26:21] Something like that. But I was trying to say, like, they—like, most teachers, they—I don't want to say all teachers but, like, most teachers, they—like, they just decided that they just teach out of the textbook. Whatever is there for them, they use it to give us the little knowledge that—their little bit of knowledge is in a textbook. So, they—and the textbook's only be, like, this fat. So, it's a lot of stuff—just pound in [phonetic] together. These
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 27 teachers, they just teach us that chapter by chapter and they're really giving us nothing [phonetic].
Q: What makes you say that, that they—or what makes you feel that way, that they're really— that, like, what's coming out of the textbook really ain't nothing?
Ducksworth: [00:26:58] Because at first, I really didn't know until my teacher, he didn't teach out of textbook and I was, like, wait, this is telling me the whole story. And then, when I—when we used to—learn out of [phonetic] textbook, it wasn't telling me that part. So, this story has a lot more to it than I thought it had. That's what I'm trying to say.
Q: And so—and you don't—I want you to kind of really think on this. Why do you think the textbooks that are being used—and I don't want to say in all schools, but from your educational experience, they're not telling the whole story?
Ducksworth: [00:27:34] I don't know really. I guess, like, they just try to, like, put a lot of stories in there together so it don't really [phonetic]—so, they—I guess they just, like, want to keep it organized or something—like, they just put—try to combine all the stories in there together at once so that all the stories will be really told all the way you be told [phonetic] part by part—it'd be told part and the middle part and they go to a different story and just tell that part, another part [unclear] different and—to tell that part and another part, basically.
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 28 Q: Okay. Do you ever see yourself becoming a teacher or a college professor? The reason I ask that—because that's what I thought when I saw your concept. I thought it was you being a teacher.
Ducksworth: [00:28:22] No. The reason that I dressed like that—because I wanted my costume like that—because that's how we used to dress back in the day instead of, like, [unclear] and stuff, like—and it's up—pants all baggy and stuff like that. So, it's how we used to [phonetic] dress back in the day. So, like, I used that to, like, [unclear] my costume or whatever. But I already told you, like, what I really wanted [phonetic] to be, whatever, so, like, I don't know. I don't know about a professor nothing. But I know I'm going to go to college and stuff.
Q: Okay. You said—so, you brought up back in the day about you [phonetic] dressing like that. Well, where'd you see that at?
Ducksworth: [00:29:02] Like, in movies and, like, videos that my teachers that—my teacher—to show us. Like, we all had suits on and stuff. Like, we had—like, we care about how we look, like —and, like, instead of, like, walking around, hair all nappy, too short pants hanging off your butt and stuff like that [unclear] like, we dress to impress. Like, now we really just really don't care. Or if we do dress to impress, that we dress—it's just not right.
Q: Okay, and why is that important to you?
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 29 Ducksworth: [00:29:37] Because back in the day, we were all organized and stuff and we looked good. And now that we—like, this—the people—like, us, like our own kind, it's, like, it's not being what they really can be, like, not looking how they really can look. They're just throwing on whatever or doing whatever when they really could be doing—and good stuff, great stuff for the world and for the community or, like, dressing good and stuff like that.
Q: Okay. If you had a chance to do your own event to show, like, the goodness of—not the—I don't know what [phonetic]—the goodness—the greatness of Milwaukee and—for people that come from the community or block you come from, like, what would that event look like?
Ducksworth: [00:30:36] I probably will have, like, a big block party, a parade and, like, with my [phonetic] music and, like, I'll teach—and, like, a lot of, like—teaching, like, [unclear] which is, like [phonetic] inspirational speakers come in and, like, tell us—send a—tell them a [phonetic]— messages and stuff and, like, speaking to them, to the community, and tell them they could be, like, what they want to be. Like, we'd do that, like, maybe once a year and stuff like that. And, like, feeding the community, giving them clothes, be a—play, yes [phonetic], do the music. We would talk to them and, like—and stuff like that. We would teach them, all—and like that, especially.
Q: Okay, okay. So, let me see—we get [phonetic] a little close to wrapping this up. We got some really good stuff from you. So, Milwaukee, I'm sure you know this. Milwaukee's the most segregated city in, I think, of all of the United States. If not, it's number two, I think right behind Chicago. How do you feel knowing that?
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 30
Ducksworth: Well—
Q: Or, like, what does that make you think, like, knowing—
Ducksworth: [00:31:52] It's just, like—it's—I don't know. Like, it's segregated, be—like, I guess, like, people, like, they—Milwaukee, I guess, I don't want to say they don't like the white people or nothing like that, but they segregate themselves into, like, groups and gangs and stuff and they kill each other and white—and just let, like, the white people that live in the suburbs just watch it all happen. And [unclear] living good and they just live [unclear] and not give nothing in scrap [phonetic] and half of them are homeless and stuff like that. Like, I—what I was trying to say, like, they can be better. They can live how they want to live. They can live in mansions and drive cars and stuff like that. They don't have to be out there doing stuff, doing that stuff.
Q: Okay. So, now, we're getting—this'll be the last question. We can wrap this up. If you had— going to have to speak a little lower, because I see it's turning red. If you had, like, a magic wand to make Milwaukee the dopest city, how would you—well, like, if you had this magic wand, right, that could make Milwaukee this dope, dope city, like, how would you use that magic wand to make Milwaukee that? Like, what would be the first area you would start? I can tell you're giving this some thought. [laughs]
Ducksworth: [00:33:14] Probably, like—we're—like, in the 'hood and stuff, like, I would, like, make all of our—all of the people who's—like, all the homeless people and all the people that's,
Ducksworth – Session #1 – 31 like, not doing so well, like, I would, like, give them all houses and stuff. I'd give them—like, give them their education. Like, I'd make, like, we won't kill each other and we all have a good life, have wives, have kids and, like, just living their life, basically, I think [phonetic]. And that goes for everybody in Milwaukee. Like, do the—and give them the right message and just [unclear]
Q: So, for you, it'd be about giving everyone the opportunity—
Ducksworth: [00:33:48] Yes, give everybody an opportunity to be what they wanted to be.
Q: Okay, perfect. Well, that concludes our interview. Thank you, Amir.
Ducksworth: [00:33:56] You're welcome, thank you.
[END OF INTERVIEW]