Columbia INCITE | Oral History_Justice-Antonio Ponce De Leon-3-6-19 Q:
OK, today is--
WOMEN:
[INAUDIBLE] please report to the main--
Q:
Let's start. OK, today is March 6, 2019. This is Justice interviewing Antonio at the Art Start office. Antonio, do I have your permission to record this interview for 2019 Portrait Project?
DE LEON:
Yes.
Q:
Here we go. OK, this year we're focusing on young men of color in Milwaukee. And through these images, participants can illustrate how they see themselves and how they wish to be seen. The purpose of this interview isn't to pry. Let us know if there's anything you'd like for us to include or not include. OK, so tell me a little bit about-- not a little bit, as much as you want, your most memorable childhood experience that you can recall.
DE LEON:
Let me see. I have to think about this one. It has been a while. I think going back to Florida to see my dad again. I think I was around eight or nine. My dad finally came back, because I haven't seen him since I was seven. So then he had came. And I guess he came back and he asked my mom permission to go to Florida with him and meet my family, because I haven't seen them since I was a little kid.
Q:
Like the other half of your family?
DE LEON:
Yeah, on my dad's side.
Q:
OK.
DE LEON:
And so then she had said, yeah. And we went to the airport. And as soon as we got on the airplane, it just felt like a whole new experience in life, because I think it was like my first time going on an airplane.
Q:
And meeting dad and all of that, right?
DE LEON:
Yeah.
Q:
Everything one time. How did that make you feel.
DE LEON:
I felt really excited. But at the same time I was kind of scared, because like meeting new
people. Me growing up and they know me since I was a baby. But I never knew them. Q:
[INAUDIBLE]. That's right.
DE LEON:
So it was just like-- but I really liked it. I felt loved by everybody. Everybody loves me. I was the first born from the family.
Q:
Oh, yeah, of course then, right? So you were born in Florida.
DE LEON:
No, I was born in Milwaukee. But I was raised in Florida.
Q:
OK. So tell me something, I guess, about your life being raised in Florida, born in Milwaukee. What was that like?
DE LEON:
It was like amazing there. The community over there it was just positive. And then here is just like-- I don't even know my neighbors like that. They're bad neighbors. I have really one good neighbor, like my manager. And I work with him, whatever.
Q:
What are some of the things you remember about the community in Florida that made it--
DE LEON:
It was just like--
Q:
--so good for you?
DE LEON:
--the connection, it was just like-- I remember one of my neighbors from my aunt, they sold ice cream. They were happy. The whole neighborhood went down to--
Q:
Oh, that's nice.
DE LEON:
--go to get ice cream--
Q:
Yeah, that would be nice.
DE LEON:
--their house and stuff like that. It's a really big house. And they were just like, the whole front long was just filled with kids. Everybody knew each other and stuff like that. It was amazing.
Q:
Oh, man, that sounds-- I want to go there. So here again, you don't have that. I don't think there's that-- I don't get that feeling from here.
DE LEON:
Yeah, it just feels like dark. Not really dark, but just like, you don't really talk to people like that. You have to-- it's like, in order for you like, I should like go, within your community, you have to
go up to a person and say, hi. People are scared to do that. They're too scared to meet new people. You have to go to either a school or a job setting type of place in order for you to meet somebody you we're forced to meet, instead of just going up to somebody randomly on the street to say, hey, how are you? Q:
So to you, what do you-- we don't have to go in order.
DE LEON:
OK, sorry.
Q:
But since community is here, I'm kind of thinking, when you say community, what comes to mind for you?
DE LEON:
It's just the group of people that you're in. It makes up a community.
Q:
Do you see it as small, big? Can it be thousands of people? Or do you think it has--
DE LEON:
It's just a whole bunch of groups made up in one, makes a community.
Q:
And how do you see yourself in that community?
DE LEON:
Let me see I mean I do wrestling. I wrestle. I'm on the debate team and on the forensics team. I guess me being part of this school makes a community, because a community is basically made up of a whole bunch of people all in one, sophomores, juniors, seniors, freshmen, different parts of the communities. And then what they do in those communities, in the little, small groups or whatever.
Q:
Yeah, again, because I always wondered-- you know, I read the questions and I'm like, how do I think about community? And I guess I thought about community as something a little bigger. But now I'm rethinking it. I think it is kind of a smaller type group of people. What do you think makes your community unique?
DE LEON:
I really don't have one now, but I can give school an example. So basically just like how hard we work in order for us to achieve at something, because I guess, we made third place at state for wrestling.
Q:
That's big.
DE LEON:
And when we had worked hard for it, we actually got that spot.
Q:
Wow. So when you say, you don't have one now, you mean you don't have a community that you relate to I guess.
DE LEON:
Yeah, like in my neighborhood.
Q:
Oh, OK. You still think it's in Florida?
DE LEON:
Yeah, it has to be. [LAUGHTER]
Q:
Really?
DE LEON:
Yeah, it's still now. To this very day, I still keep in contact with some family and friends over there in Florida. And they still have that same energy, that positive energy. Even when I'm texting, it's just like, wow, they're really happy. It's just like--
Q:
Do you think you would ever have that feeling here, like that community feeling here?
DE LEON:
I feel if everybody was like-- I know how we're just people and people make mistakes and stuff like that. But if people were on track, I feel like it would be good here too, because during the summer, yeah, there's some community, because community is not a place, it's a group of people. I live in Wisconsin Dells. And we have a camp. It's like a summer camp type thing. We have a RV and whatever. And the whole winter is like-- and it's crazy, because the whole winter, white people and they're kids and stuff, we hang out with them. And they all get together. They don't have nobody telling them to do it. They just all get together. We all get together and we just have fun. But when I come here, it's just like, oh, you want to hang out? No, I'm busy. I don't want to do that anyway. Or I'm too lazy. I'm just like, wow, you're really going to be like that. It's just crazy. People, either they want to go out there and smoke. Or they want to do something bad. And I'm just like, no, I'm not going to do that just because you want to do it. Can't we just do something else like go out, watch a movie, or go out to eat, or hang out at my place. We can play video games or something, do something cool.
Q:
Who have been the most important people in your life? If you could think about that.
DE LEON:
A few, right now I have three really close people, three close friends that I can talk to them about anything. And they'll be cool with it, whatever. It's my group that I go--
Q:
Here?
DE LEON:
--to lunch with. It's my group that I go to class with, take them to class, talk to them that they have to go to class, because I want them to have their education. And they're all older than me. But I guess I'm like the most wiser one, because everybody--
Q:
You're responsible?
DE LEON:
Yeah, they're just like-- I'm not saying they're dumb. They just don't think. It's your last year, you might as well work hard o it.
Q:
Well, you know there's so many ways you can go your last year, right? So you got to stay on track. And that's good to have someone just telling them.
DE LEON:
Yeah, I don't even do that to only them. I do it to a whole bunch of friends like, listen here, bro, I want you to succeed, because he wanted to skip school yesterday. And I was just like, don't do that, because 15 minutes can ruin your life forever. And I learned that, because I went to Colorado for this trip. And it was four people from each city. We were suppose to go on a trip. And one city only came with only three kids. And they asked, what happened? And he said, his friend died. He had got a phone call saying that his friend died. And they were going to go to the trip. And he got shot before he went to the airport. And that was to say, 15 minutes can ruin your life.
Q:
And when was that?
DE LEON:
Last summer.
Q:
And do you feel that experience changed the way you view, I guess, life or the way--
DE LEON:
Yeah, it changed me forever. As soon as I heard that, it just hurt my heart, like, wow, it doesn't take that long in order for you to ruin your life.
Q:
No time, right,
DE LEON:
Yeah, it's just like it can come like the snap of a finger. It's just crazy. And I told them the same story. And they were just like in shock. And they're like, you know what? I'm going to class. I'm just like, finally he listened to me. It takes that in order for them to understand.
Q:
It's good that you were able to bring it. You know, you get experience and then it was good that you were able to--
DE LEON:
You share it.
Q:
--share it and use it, you know. How do you think your family, your friends, community describe you?
DE LEON:
It was weird.
Q:
Weird?
DE LEON:
Yeah, like I mean, I remember I use to name myself on video games. I was called weirdo. And that's because, I don't know, it just seem like fun, it's funny, fun. I guess when people call me weird, I just be like, thank you. I guess that's what I do. I just do weird stuff. I'm just made up like that.
Q:
I wonder if it's like a level of uniqueness or you know--
DE LEON:
Yeah, like sometimes I dress weird. And it's just like, oh, yeah, he's weird. I'm like, all right. I really don't care. And it's like I guess I got used to it.
Q:
Do you think that shows confidence? Or do you think that shows-- or is it just weird?
DE LEON:
No, it's just like-- I guess it's confidence, because I didn't just make that up myself. I learned it from this one YouTuber who's a rapper. His name's like The Little Weirdo.
Q:
That was his name?
DE LEON:
Yeah, but his real name is Devvon Terrell. He's The Little Weirdo. He has [INAUDIBLE] and stuff like that. And I looked up to him. He's cool. People don't know him like that.
Q:
Yeah, I don't know him.
DE LEON:
Some people know him. But he's just not known like that. And that's why I just want to bring it
out there, just like, yeah, I'm weirdo. Q:
How do you think people perceive the youth of color in Milwaukee?
DE LEON:
We have a lot of people who cheer us on. But us, we don't take it as that. We take it as, oh, yeah, you know, and that we can do better. But we need some help. I don't know how to explain it. It's just like when we have our mentor luncheons or whatever, and they'll be like, oh, well, yeah, our teachers tell us that we can do better. But they never give us help to do so.
Q:
Oh, like the tools, I guess, right, to do it.
DE LEON:
Yeah.
Q:
Like, you could build this house. You could build this bookshelf.
DE LEON:
And then like never tell us--
Q:
Where's the help?
DE LEON:
--how could we do it. Where do we start?
Q:
Where are the screws? Where are the nails? Where, you know. That's interesting. And is that a program in school?
DE LEON:
Yeah, it's part of BMLA. All of us were part of the BMLA program, like David, Sergio, Don.
Q:
Do you feel that you can say that. I don't have the tools?
DE LEON:
Yeah.
Q:
And do you feel like that's something that you can say? Because I'm wondering if when people say these things, if it could make them feel like more of a member of the community, if they could kind of say what is not working for me.
DE LEON:
Yeah, because I guess they saw he was just scared to talk. It's not that hard. You do it every day. All you have to do is just talk out and somebody might hear you. And it doesn't even have to be that person. You can go to somebody who you trust and be like-- just a higher authority or something, just like go up to them and say, yeah, I need help. Can you help me out?
Q:
Do you find that easy, to ask for help?
DE LEON:
Sometimes it's not that had. Sometimes it is. It just depends on the person you ask, because I'll ask my mom and she'll be like, go do it yourself. I just be like, oh, OK. And I'm just like, dang, she doesn't want to help me out.
Q:
Thanks.
DE LEON:
And I'm just like, oh, I need help with learning how to drive a car. And she's like, oh, just go learn. I'm just like, how?
Q:
How, right, yeah.
DE LEON:
But like sometimes I'll ask Don for help. And he'll explain everything to me. He'll go down to the basics--
Q:
Oh that's cool.
DE LEON:
--on how to help. And that's why I just I think--
Q:
That's a good--
DE LEON:
--of him as like a mentor, a father figure to me.
Q:
That's a good foundation. That's great. So what has stood out to you about yourself throughout life? Pretty much, what makes you you?
DE LEON:
I guess like every since I did debate my freshman year, I feel like--
Q:
Debate?
DE LEON:
--I became more of a spokesperson.
Q:
Yeah?
DE LEON:
I mean I--
Q:
I get that feeling, yeah.
DE LEON:
I spoke for BMLA. I spoke for Wisconsin.
Q:
Really?
DE LEON:
Yeah, from that Colorado trip, it was four people from each state. And I was chosen out of--
Q:
To speak for Wisconsin state.
DE LEON:
Like thousands of people are in Wisconsin and I was--
Q:
Congrats.
DE LEON:
--one of them to be chose.
Q:
That's great.
DE LEON:
Thank you.
Q:
Do you see yourself as like that responsibility on in community?
DE LEON:
Yeah, that's why I started going around and talking to people who don't think that they'll succeed. Or I just go around. And I just want to help. That's what I feel like I'm born to be now. I was just made to help people.
Q:
You found your niche. That's your thing.
DE LEON:
And it's like it's always going to be in me. I mean, I might do something else in life. Like if I want to do soccer or I wanted to be a lawyer, but I'm still always going to be around helping people, because I told somebody the other day-- he was just like, I couldn't get in class. I was like, why not? Because I didn't have my ID, so I couldn't get a pass. And you need to pay $1. I was like, you could have came to me. I said, I been said, if you need anything, I'm always going to be here if you need something. If you need a resource, I'll help you out, sometimes not. And I'll ask somebody else to help you out too. And people just don't use those resources like that. And this is sad. There's so many people in this school that are willing to help. And you just don't take it.
Q:
What do you think is the difference? What made you find these resources and use them?
DE LEON:
I guess I've taken every opportunity I've been offered, like going to the Bucks, meeting the Bucks players. I had a dinner with Malcolm Brogdon and Sterling Brown.
Q:
Really?
DE LEON:
We went to a dinner with them.
Q:
That's pretty cool.
DE LEON:
And I was just like, I met them. It's like normal people. And that was one experience, and then getting two scholarships my freshman year for debate, and becoming the captain of the debate team for three years. And this is like, I'm getting all these opportunities. I used to work at a CLC close to my house, where I live right now.
Q:
What's a CLC?
DE LEON:
It's like an after-school program or like a summer program. So I'll go there. And then this man, his name is Mr. Prince, and so he'll give me opportunities. He's like, yeah, you want to go see this college with me this weekend? I be like, sure. He'll be like, all right. And right now he just set me up for a summer program at Marquette for this summer for a lawyer thing. And I said, I'll take it. And he'll say, OK.
Q:
I--
DE LEON:
And I'm just like--
Q:
--love that attitude.
DE LEON:
--take every opportunity. You never know what you're going to get.
Q:
And you work a ton, right?
DE LEON:
Yeah.
Q:
So that's amazing. What are some of your dreams for the future?
DE LEON:
I want to just travel the world. It's just like--
Q:
Oh, yeah?
DE LEON:
--seeing-- yeah. It's something I really wanted to do. That's why soccer came to my head, because I watched this movie name PelĂŠ. This man is a legend. And he was thinking. And he was like, I always wanted to win a World Cup for my country. And it just came in my head. I'm just like, you know what? I want to do that too.
Q:
On Netflix?
DE LEON:
Yeah--
Q:
PelĂŠ on Netflix?
DE LEON:
--it's one Netflix now.
Q:
That's great, yeah. My son loves that movie.
DE LEON:
Yeah, it's really inspiring.
Q:
It is very inspiring. Do you practice with mangoes? [LAUGHTER]
DE LEON:
No, but I tried. I really--
Q:
Did you try it?
DE LEON:
--tried.
Q:
Oh, my god.
DE LEON:
Yeah, it was crazy. I was like, I'm going to try what he did. But I wanted to be creative and be myself. And that's when I started doing the chairs instead of the cones, because I didn't have any cones. So I did chairs and stuff like that.
Q:
That's pretty cool.
DE LEON:
Sometimes I'll even do it with the oranges that they give downstairs and I'll just do it. I do it with oranges.
Q:
What are they like, the soft oranges?
DE LEON:
Yeah.
Q:
How do you want others to see you? Or what do you want them to see when they see you?
DE LEON:
A leader. I want them to see me as a resource. They can see me like, oh, I need help. I'm like, all right, I'll help you out.
Q:
We can go to Antonio.
DE LEON:
Yeah, you just go to him. He'll help us out. Or if they're going through a bad or a rough moment in their life, I'm just like, I'm there to help them out, because I used to help people with relationships.
Q:
Really?
DE LEON:
Yeah, there's actually somebody here that I got them a girlfriend. And now they've been together for eight months.
Q:
Like a matchmaker, you mean?
DE LEON:
And they went through--
Q:
Is it like 1-800-ANTONIO?
DE LEON:
They went through so many problems. And I just helped out. And now they're like-- they've met each others parents. They've met-- they're like gone, yeah, whatever.
Q:
Wow. That's a good feeling, right?
DE LEON:
Yeah, they went that far, just from me helping them out.
Q:
That's pretty cool. So it sounds like you could be the leader, like start your own communities.
DE LEON:
Yeah, that's what I want to do.
Q:
Even though you don't feel like there's a community here, how do you feel about-- what do you think is stopping you from making it the same feeling as it is in Florida? What do you think?
DE LEON:
I don't know. It's just like when I'm around groups, I feel like-- I'm like-- they'll be a group of eight people, I feel like I'm the eighth one that just went in. And I feel like I'm just the lowest person in that category, because like when I go in to wrestling they'll be like, oh, yeah, he's the weakest one on the team. And I just be like, oh, OK, and whatever. And then I go onto the soccer team when I was in the seventh grade. And they're like, oh, yeah, he's the lowest one, might as well pick him. I feel bad. Or I go to the table and they just be like, yeah, we don't really want you here, but we'll just let
you be here. And I'm just like, oh, all right. And I feel like I wasn't just like-- I feel like if I made my own category, it just wouldn't be-- people wouldn't go up to it. People wouldn't be that interested into it. Q:
But you never know.
DE LEON:
Yeah, I know some people who would look up to me. And it's like I feel honor, like I could do more.
Q:
So thinking back on the black and white portraits that were taken last time, does your portrait reflect you? Why is it so meaningful to you?
DE LEON:
I really didn't think of it like that. I just know I met a couple of new people that were in the picture. I mean, I knew them, but I didn't know them as a human, their inside, the inside of them. And it's just like, I feel like we got closer since that's happened.
Q:
You and the people in the--
DE LEON:
Yeah, people in the--
Q:
--portrait?
DE LEON:
--picture, because we had a group picture of everybody that was in this group. I finally got to know them as a person. And I just feel like if we did that more often with new people, this school would probably get along, instead of everybody being in their little groups. We're fighting, because somebody takes somebody else's girl, because some dude got a female, whatever, stuff like that. Just sometimes it's dumb, they fight over the littlest things.
Q:
Yeah, I would imagine.
DE LEON:
It don't make sense.
Q:
How does that look to you? Do you think-- how does that look to get everyone together? What do you think you should do? Or how you think you can make that happen?
DE LEON:
I don't think-- I believe in the impossible, but this is just like-- I feel like people are going to have different perspectives on me. So if I were to speak or if I did a little group session with different people every time, I feel I can impact them. But they're going to go out the room and act the same way that they did before. And it's not going to be the same.
But some people would probably take it and actually use it. But then people will make fun of them. And then that's when they stop using it. It's just like people make them positive. And then there's negative people that just bring them back down. So it's just going to keep down. Q:
Throwing salt in the game.
DE LEON:
Yeah, it's just sad.
Q:
Have you thought about your final portrait and what that might look like?
DE LEON:
Oh, well, I was having an idea of taking a picture of that movie PelĂŠ, when he had kick the ball and he was upside down in the cover photo.
Q:
Oh, like the scissor kick?
DE LEON:
Yeah, when he was doing that. But then, I don't know, I was thinking longer. And I wanted to just put a group of people and just me talking. But I don't want it to be people. I want it to just be things that I think that are real, because I believe in--
Q:
People.
DE LEON:
--ghosts.
Q:
Oh--
DE LEON:
I think that they're real.
Q:
Me too.
DE LEON:
Yeah, I was going to say it. But then I felt everybody else needed a chance to talk. So yeah, I believe in ghosts. I believe in things that people have talked about and people don't believe them. Like mermaids, I feel like they're real. They just don't want to show. Aliens-- what else was there? Gnomes, gnomes actually walk. And I've seen it with my own eye. But people don't believe me. It scares me.
Q:
Where is this, here or Florida?
DE LEON:
This was in Florida. We were driving and there was a gnome. And it was the same gnome, like I know. It had a red hat. And it had some green shoes.
And we drive down, I guess, two blocks and then we hit a stop sign. The same gnome comes right by the pole where the stop sign is. I'm just like, I know it didn't just move like that. But I guess they're real. I feel like when we sleep, things see us. We just can't see them. I feel like things are real. Like same thing with the Headless Horseman, I think it's real. Everything that people have thought of mythical creatures, I feel like they're-Q:
They could be.
DE LEON:
They could actually be a thing, because why would they just make it up? It can't just be like, oh, yeah, I just made up a Headless Horseman.
Q:
Like out the blue.
DE LEON:
Well, yeah and it's like--
Q:
Well, you know, I think a lot of what we see is perception. And I think it could be right in front of us. But if everyone in this room says, yeah, no, it's not.
DE LEON:
[INAUDIBLE]
Q:
That's fake. Even though you believe in it and you saw it, you're going to go, yeah it's fake. But you know when you walk out that room and you're by yourself, you're going to go, that was real.
DE LEON:
Yeah, I feel if you were able to see, you'd probably believe more. I mean, I've been a religious person, because I was born in the religion, Catholic religion.
Q:
Catholic, OK.
DE LEON:
Yeah, so they tell me about God and stuff. But sometimes I'll just be like, I'm still debating if He's real or not. I talked to pastors, priests, and all of them. And it's like how they talk about it, it's just I feel it can be real, but at the same time, it could be fake. And I'm not sure. I try not to offend people. I just want to ask if He's real or not. I guess--
Q:
And there's nothing wrong with asking. I mean, that's what it's about. But you know my take on it is, if you believe everything-- you can't cherry pick what you believe.
DE LEON:
You got to take everything.
Q:
You got to take everything.
DE LEON:
Yeah, same thing with the Santa Claus thing. Santa Klaus is real. And I was just like, you know what? I'm going to stay up one night and I'm going to see. I was the quietest person in that house. And I see my mom put the presents under the tree. And I was like, dang, he's not real.
Q:
I caught you.
DE LEON:
And I didn't even say nothing. I went back downstairs to go sleep, because I knew. And it was the same presents when I walked upstairs the next morning. They were all sleeping.
Q:
Oh, my god. You disproved that one. So you want like a community-based final project, but not people?
DE LEON:
Yeah, I just want like--
Q:
That's pretty tight.
DE LEON:
--a fake thing, kind of like I'm playing as Martin Luther King, but talking to the creatures.
Q:
Yeah, you could be-- I can't wait to see that. It's going to be tight. What were some of the stories you heard from your family or community that helped you understand what you wanted to do when you grew up?
DE LEON:
I've always wanted to figure out if things are real or not. I watched Fact or Faked.
Q:
[INAUDIBLE]
DE LEON:
I watched Paranormal Activity, all that stuff. I can tell some stuff are fake. But reading news, even they prove that they're real. There's just one thing in Florida. It's called-- it's a little puppet in a museum. And you have to ask the puppet to take a picture with you or else you die or whatever. And they actually proved people had actually died. Like it showed-- and it was from that puppet.
Q:
Where's this puppet from? Someone made it?
DE LEON:
Oh, it's called Robert. The puppet is called Robert.
Q:
Robert.
DE LEON:
And I was amazed. I was like, that's like the real Chucky.
Q:
How does it look?
DE LEON:
It's like a little regular bear. It looks like Curious George--
Q:
Really.
DE LEON:
--kind of bear.
Q:
I've never heard of that.
DE LEON:
You have to look it up. It's really interesting.
Q:
And they have it like in a--
DE LEON:
Yeah, it's in a glass box.
Q:
Glass case or something.
DE LEON:
And I feel like things like that, like little things. And people told me stories about La Llorona, which was a girl in Mexico, The Weeping Woman. And I've heard several stories about it. It's real. She cries at night and you hear her. People are scared. There's actually videos out there that you can hear her crying too. And there's also the puppet island in Mexico, where you can hear puppets screaming, puppets running around and stuff like that. What else? The chupacabra, which is--
Q:
In Puerto Rico, right?
DE LEON:
--the goat eater and stuff like that.
Q:
These are like legends. And then people call them urban myths, but maybe not.
DE LEON:
Yeah, that's find. And then I guess my mom's ex-boyfriend tole me a story. When him and my grandma's husband, they were walking around, they were working and whatever in Mexico, where they work in the field and stuff like that. There was one late night where they had to work later. So I guess they seen a baby surrounded by an upside down star. It was crying.
And they seen a girl. I guess they seen this girl walking. And they were trying to talk to her. And they were about to talk to her. And as soon as she turned around, she had like a face of a horse. And my uncle can't speak no more, because of how scared he was. Q:
Up to this day he can't speak.
DE LEON:
Up to this day, he cannot speak. And I was like, wow, this had to be real, because why would he just not speak anymore? He lost his voice. He went to the doctor, lost his voice.
Q:
And nothing, I guess they couldn't figure it out. And these are things that make--
DE LEON:
They just make me believe like this is real.
Q:
Do you think you would take that for a strength, almost like anything can happen?
DE LEON:
Yeah, yeah, I feel like anything can happen.
Q:
That's what I would think.
DE LEON:
Like when they say, when pigs fly. I'll let you do this when pigs fly. When it really happens, you're just going to be the salty one.
Q:
Yeah, exactly. Do a lot of people in your family are they the same way or you stand out?
DE LEON:
Everybody is different, everybody's different in my family. I guess you could say we can relate. Some of our family, it's our aunt, because everybody talks about my aunt.
Q:
Oh, yeah.
DE LEON:
Oh, yeah, she always has an attitude or whatever. Oh, you're getting it from her? It'll be that. But everybody's different. I have a transgender cousin. I have-- everybody stands out definitely. One who went to jail. He got shot, but he's still alive. And now he's at the top of a painting company now. And everybody just changed. A lot of our family can relate, because everybody jumped out of high school. But they came back. And they got their GED. And now they--
Q:
It worked.
DE LEON:
--work at a school. They actually work at a school [INAUDIBLE].
Q:
Since this is going to be a little point in history, is there anything you want to say? You know, you might listen to this 20 years from now.
DE LEON:
I was just thinking about it. Do I want to say it to my future self. It's just really crazy how I'm really talking right now. I don't know, just really hope that I at least actually see something crazy in the future. It doesn't have to be like a creature, just like something that's going to amaze me. Things that I predicted, I hope actually come true. I just want to--
Q:
That would be nice.
DE LEON:
--know if something is real or not. I just want to say that.