February 10, 2026 • 37 mins
At 19 years old, King Randall put aside his own self-interest and started taking care of other people’s kids in Albany, Georgia, which has the highest concentrated poverty rate in the state. His summer school program grew into The X School for Boys, a private school that is completely free to 25 families and has hundreds of kids on its waitlist. And King’s social media accounts have grown to over 1 million followers for the same reason that he’s our guest, this dude will teach you about being all-in like no one else!
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
When I was nineteen. There were a lot of things
that I thought that were wrong. There were things I
felt at the school. At first it failed, you know,
the projects I did failed, and so it's like, oh,
he messed this up and messed out him, blah blah.
Well you've messed up nothing because you've never did anything
or whatever. So why are you worried about me and
what I'm doing, you know, or because you're too scared
to jump on something big?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And so I'm the man in Verna.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney.
I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father,
I'm an entrepreneur, and I'm a football coach in inner
City Memphis. And that last part, somehow would to an
oscar for the film about one of my teams.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
That movie is called Undefeated.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
I believe our country's problems will never be solved by
a bunch of fancy people and nice suits using big
words that nobody ever uses on sinning in Fox, but
rather by an army of normal folks. That's us, just
you and me deciding, Hey, you know what, maybe I
can help. That's what King Randall, the voice you just
(01:10):
heard has done. At nineteen years old, still just a
kid himself, King put aside his own self interest in
getting his piece of the American dream and started taking
care of other people's kids. In Albany, Georgia, which has
the highest concentrated poverty rate in the state, single moms
(01:31):
gave twenty of their kids to King's summer school programs
because apparently this nineteen year old was the best option
they had available, and his boot camps focused on the
fundamentals like reading and how to change a tire, has
grown into a full fledged school, The ex School for Boys,
(01:51):
a private school that is completely free to twenty five
families and has hundreds of kids on the waitlist. And
I believe king social media accounts have grown to over
one million followers for the reason that he's our guests today.
This dude will teach you about being all in like
no one else. Right after these brief messages from our
(02:14):
gender sponsors. So I think I got to offer apologies
to King and Alex.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
So here's the deal.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I've been an ole Miss fan since I could walk,
graduated from ole Miss, kids graduated from ole Miss, and
I've had the same season tickets since I was twenty
three years old and I'm fifty seven now, so that's
a long time. Thirty four years. I have lived through
Tommy Tuberville and David Cutcliffe. I have lived through ed
(02:57):
Or Jeron, Matt Luke, Matt Luke, I have Hugh Freeze.
Oh my gosh, we've flipped through everything. I mean, it's
it's been.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
And he who shall not be named.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, and he who shall not be named. And you know,
my saga started with the late great Billy Brewer, who
I have a keen affinity for. Having said all of that,
we all miss fans have wanted to be in the
position we were in, only to Avelaine try to pull
(03:29):
the rug out from under us and.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
At any rate.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
When King was scheduled to be in Memphis happened to
be the exact day of the Fiesta Bowl.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Lisa and I went to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And were ecstatic, as would be Georgia. And there was
just no way I was missing the Fiesta Bowl. So
I couldn't reschedule the Fiesta Bowl, and King couldn't reschedule
his recording, so I had to fly at the last
minute to Tempe to go watch the Rebels get beat
Miami unfortunately, and.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Alex took over.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So as you hear this interview, understand Alex will be
handling it.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
I will be narrating it.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
And please forgive me, because there's no way I was
gonna miss something I've it wait thirty five years for.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
And if you think I'm a better host, email me
at Army at normal Folks dot us.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, if you think Alex is better, then you could
put me on my misery and you don't have to
hear about voiceover again.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Okay, thanks.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
King Randall. Welcome to Memphis.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Hey man, glad to be here. I never been here before,
so glad to be here today.
Speaker 6 (04:37):
Apparaly, you didn't get to explore once you were stuck
in your room working.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
I was in my room working, man works none stop.
That the students were trying to fundraise for the year.
We got this year program still free, obviously, so what
we're trying to do is fundraise for the rest of
the year. We tried to fund raise year by year
to a big capital campaign so we can stay open
and everything stay free.
Speaker 6 (04:55):
Or I'm gonna say something about the school and then
we're gonna come back to it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Later.
Speaker 6 (04:58):
Sure, So the X School for Boys Albany, Georgia, around
twenty five students, all financial poverty. And then you told
me on the drive here that probably only around two
of them have present dads, you know, in their lives.
So you are stepping away in a huge way and
helping to transform lives and all any Georgia, which we're
gonna spend most of this interview talking about.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Sure.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
First, why is your name?
Speaker 4 (05:20):
King?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Talked to my mom about that one? My mom said
she named me. I got like five names that my
mom named me.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
Like legally, yeah, legally, what's your legal name?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Get into my whole legal name?
Speaker 1 (05:31):
My full first name is King Laket and then Randall
lives my last name, and I'm the first so imagine dad,
and all my middle names and then the first.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
How many middle names you go, I got, Well this.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
One, yeah, I got, I got.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
I got a middle name and two first names, and
then my last name and then the suffix.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So and then my son's the second, so that's always fun.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
You gave him the entire same name.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, but do we just go by King Randall? Go
to the first last and nast Ye?
Speaker 4 (06:02):
All right?
Speaker 6 (06:02):
Did she mean this is my little prince, my king
or did she reference doctor Martin Luther King?
Speaker 5 (06:07):
What's up with the name king.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Well, she wanted to name me that originally, but she said,
like some passes at church told her she couldn't name
me king or something, you know, in regards to Jesus
or something like that. So she was like, Okay, go
and do it anyway.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
So here we are. Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Well it makes you unique.
Speaker 6 (06:23):
There's a lot about you unique because people are going
to find out I never have a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yepah discovered I'm a special person. So yeah, I'm glad
she picked a good name.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
We'll pay tribute more to her here in a minute.
I want to go to You were nineteen years old
living in I think one of the most violent cities
in Georgia. I mean you feel free to add on
some more stats on this. When I looked it up,
violent crime in Albany some murder, robbery, assault is eight
hundred and twenty three people per one hundred thousand, So
(06:53):
it's one hundred and twenty nine percent higher than national
average in Georgia's three hundred and twenty five per hundred thousand.
So Alvany's, you know, way over double that, almost triple
of it. And then people in al Many have a
one to thirty chance of being a victim of either
a violent or property crime, and it's probably in the
bottom thirteen percent of communities, I guess, in terms of safety.
(07:14):
So you're nineteen years old, you graduated culinary school, you
were in the Marines. A lot of people say, get
the hell out of there, go make a bunch of money.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
I'm gonna get mine.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Why did you stay in Albany.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
At the time. I just had a I didn't want
to lead the city. I like, like I found it.
I guess I lived there my whole life, and I
always felt like, you know, Albety could be a better place,
and it has been for because of the people that
are there, that are trying to do the work. And
one thing I always say is, you know, if I
only talk about all the terrible things that are happening there,
(07:48):
then obviously that's how we're gonna believe. And so our
local news, our local you know, other media teams or whatever,
everybody only just shares all the negative things happening, and
that's because it gets the most clicks and like I
told people before, even if you are a news media
company or whatever, if you are solely driven by getting
the clicks, you start to become evil after a while
(08:08):
because it's easy to get all the negative clicks. You're
not worried about how people's minds are being affected. You're
not worried about how people are, you know, seeing their
hometown or how they're feeling about the hometown. You're just
worried about getting the clicks. And so when we never
share the good stories, when we never you know, share
the great stories, when we never put any effort into
sharing and the hundred great things that are happening, or
the hundred things that people are trying to do to
(08:29):
make the city better, then people always just feel like,
you know, they're in blood, they're in theod, you know.
And that's not what I want to see for the hometown.
And so, you know, to start, I started working with
children in my hometown.
Speaker 6 (08:42):
And well before you get there, sure you're nineteen, Like,
who the hell you're going to help.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
That's a lot of people's.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
Reactions like, come on, you're nineteen, you don't know much
about the world.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
Yet you don't even figured your own things out.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, and that was what I got a lot, especially
when I was talking about, you know, helping boys and
helping them to come in.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
They're like, well, how are you going to teach somebody
how to be a man? I'm like, what do you
guys do?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And you know, in my hometown, I wasn't the most
like person when I was about nineteen twenty years old
because I did a lot of this. When I first started,
I was fussing at everybody, the churches, the schools, the everybody.
And I had a very big microphone early. Once I
started talking, I just never stopped in my social media
following and just grew and grew and grew, and people
in my hometown started listening to me. But of course
(09:22):
the powers that be did not like that, you know,
And so of course for a while, like I was like,
don't bother with King Randall, people are like, don't bother
with him? You know, He's like I was like the
Boogeyman for a while because I would just say what
needed to be said. I didn't care who, you know,
didn't like it. I would talk about the preachers, the
pastors by name, the churches by name, like I didn't.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Care for a while.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
But then as I've gotten older, I've understood how things
actually work, because some of those people are like trying
to do different things. But it's not all just couldn't
dry like, oh, just change it tomorrow, just do it today.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
It's not how things work. And so I'm grateful to
have matured.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
But at the time, I was just fiery and passionate,
and I started working with kids, and I didn't care
who was gonna help me or not help me. I
just worked at home from eating hot and ready pieces
with the kids. So I started out just at the
house and I didn't care what people thought about it. Honestly,
your own house, yeah, I have my own house. I
was married, I was previously married at the time. I
(10:14):
had just had baby King. Baby King was born ten
days after the ex boys was born, so they kind
of have the same birthday almost. But anyway, it's a
once man, a lot going on at once, and so
I was taking kids on field trips and I was
funding these field trips through cutting hair, fixing cars, working
on houses. I had just lost my job, and so
(10:35):
I was just doing what I learned how to do
growing up, like working on cars and stuff. I was
like the handyman, Like I would go cut somebody's hair
and then go fix somebody's card and go paint somebody's house.
Like that was me every day doing something because I
had to make sure it'll stay paid.
Speaker 6 (10:48):
And that's pretty stories of Yeah, sometimes you said you
knew how to do things and you really did it.
Speaker 5 (10:54):
If you can tell some of those stories.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Yeah, man, I had times I'm not cutting hair at
like eleven o'clock at night, because I mean, this is
the thing, you know, regular barbershops, clothes. I would just
travel to people and cut hair, and sometimes people need
an emergency haircut or whatever, and I couldn't kind of
say no because I need the money, you know, So
I would come late at night to cut people's hair.
If people said, hey, you know, I need my car fixed,
and I was asked them, what you're making my all
(11:16):
that car is? And I would go on YouTube and
figure out how to fix it, like, hey, I need
to started changing my twenty seven hundred and me YouTube
two thousand and seven started Oh that's easy, but that'll
be three hundred dollars and then go in and do
do and fix it doesn't take long at all, And
it got fixed, and so that's how I learned how
to do it. The same thing when I told the
story about how I, me and my brother first painted
our first house. We were paying the inside of the houses already,
(11:40):
but I had never painted outside of a house. And
I'll never forget. One of my former church members was
in home depot today. We were looking for some paint
for another house. We were painting on the inside, and
she was like, hey, y'all paying house. I say, yes, man,
we paying house. She was talk about like the I mean,
like the outside. I was like, yeah, we.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Paid outside of the house. It's no no problem like that.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
And so we came by house and looked at very
nice small houses perfect. I was like, please, don't be
no big old house with all this stuff, and but
it was a very nice, little small house.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Easy work.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
And so we got home, got on YouTube and we
just YouTube everything we needed.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Even though we way.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Under charged or I didn't know at the time, but
we went and got everything we needed, got all the
paint sprays rented and everything, and we painted the house.
Easy work, made our first thousand dollars. Like I said,
you know, we undercharged, way under but you know that
was our first house was painting, and from there we
were able to you know, paint more houses, and people
started giving me work, you know, from that because I
was using social media posting some of the things that
(12:35):
I was doing, letting people know I was fixing people's cars,
and people would start, you know, giving reviews and telling
people that I was doing a good job. And so
then I transit into teaching the kids how to do it.
And I didn't have a building at the time. I
posted a flyer on social media.
Speaker 5 (12:49):
To just come to your house.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Yeah, they'd come to my house, and so I posted
a fly twenty had twenty kids at my house. I
had twenty parents believing this nineteen year old kid at
the time to help. They kids learned how to do stuff,
and they believed in me. Made some mistakes, you know,
did some things wrong, did things right, and we made
it work. And so a lot of those parents you know,
are still in contact, still grateful for just that time.
(13:11):
And so they're being twenty six now and just understanding
protocol and insurance and liability.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
And the lord had none of that.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
No, I didn't even know what a nonprofit was at
the time, much less you know, knew about any of
the happenings, trying to make sure the kids were squared away.
I'm just taking them on field trip, just going out
of town. No allergies stuff, no medication stuff, just hey,
just bring your kids over here.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
No waivers, no.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Waivers, nothing, just just doing it.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
And you know, thankfully nothing bad happened, and God, you know,
just you know, helped take care of things for us
at the time. And so we went from there and
we just kind of grew. We started using social media
and we learned how to grow from there, and you know,
here we are.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
And now a few messages from our general sponsors. But first,
we've launched our first sex local service clubs around the
country and a time when only thirty three percent of
Americans are contributing in their community at the level that
they want to. The mission of these clubs is to
make more service easier for everyone. The first six are
(14:16):
in my hometown, Memphis, alex is hometown, Oxford, Wichita, Atlanta,
the Milwaukee area and it's called Ozak County, and North
Duchess County, which is New York. If you live in
one of these areas, visit the service club section of
(14:36):
our site. Normal folks on us and get plugged in.
And if you don't live there and you want a
service club in your area, email Alex because these are
the first six.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
These are the.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Pilots, but we're going to be doing the core like
other Army members that are launching clubs in their communities
later this year, including San Antonio, Nebraska, Huntsville, Alabama, Lincoln County, Ohio,
Lorraine County, Ohio.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
If you happen to live in one.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Of these following areas and are interested, email Alex at
Army at normal Folks dot us and he'll get you
connected to them.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
That's just gonna be fun. We'll be right back.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I mean, it does kind of show how desperate parents
are that. I mean obviously once they met you, I
know you're you're an amazing human being, and I'm sure
they loved it, but like to trust you at that
that you were the best option in the moment is
kind of crazy.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Yeah, you know, looking at all being there is not
a lot of options at all. I will say we
have a lot of you know, football programs, have a
lot of basketball programs, a lot of baseball programs, youth programs,
but a lot of those programs only serve a couple
of days a week, maybe for a hour or two.
I wanted the program to be all day, and that's
where we are even now, all day because a lot
of parents they're working and sometimes when they're off of work,
(16:05):
and unfortunately they don't really have anybody to watch their kids.
They don't have nobody to pay to watch their kids.
So the kids kind of watching themselves, maybe on YouTube,
looking at social media all day, seeing girls or seeing
you know, guys outside on the streets or whatever, and
they don't know what's happening with their sons or kids.
They just come home and go to sleep and go
right back to work the next day. Because we don't
have many livable ways jobs in all Beny, we have
(16:26):
people working jobs. They're working two and three jobs at
a time just to make the ends even meet. And
that's a big issue. You know, the rent's going up
and light bills are going up, and the jobs aren't
paying more money, and so people are struggling, you know,
in our hometown. And I definitely feel like if we
had more job opportunities just to start there, we start
to slowly see a you know, incline with just better
(16:49):
results with everything the reading scores, crime, et cetera. If
people just were able to make money, we could start
there and then you know, go from there and grow
in the city.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
Well, it's come back to our school for boys on
the men at I want to go to your heart, Like,
what makes you motivated to do this work? Like I
said at the top, like you could have gone and
been a chef. I guess you had expertise in that
You're a pretty entrepreneurial dude that you could figure out
a lot of different Yeah, if even just a repair
of business, right, I mean, there's a lot of things
you could have done. What do you think, like in
(17:20):
your childhood or the influences in your life that gave
you this kind of unique heart.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
My mom like for Christmas and Thanksgiving and stuff, we
would go feed people. We help people all the time.
My mom is a fossip parent my whole life. So
I'm a mom's only child, but she was a fossip
parent my whole life. I'm so used to helping people.
My grandmother had a church, my grandfather had a church. Like,
I'm just so used to helping people, So it's like
second nature, you know, Like it it's not really special
to me. That's all I ever saw growing up. So
(17:47):
that's just kind of what I do. I help people.
I got help people often, like no matter what, I've
you know, been blessed to be able to just do good.
And so like literally every restaurant I go to, I
give a hundred dollars tip, no matter what. If I
can't give a hundred dollar, I won't go out to eat.
And I don't care who it is, whether it was
bad service or good service. I don't know why they
were having a bad day to day. I don't know
why whatever, But every restaurant I go to, I give
(18:07):
a hundred dollar tip, no matter what.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
Who gave you that idea or how'd you come up
with it?
Speaker 6 (18:10):
Because that seems like something only somebody I don't know,
with millions and millions of dollars.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
And what's funny is and I've never had millions and
millions of dollars. I've sometimes I've given my last like
little I have two hundred dollars, and I'll still give
a hundred all tip because I believe in how God works.
You know, I grew up in the old Baptist church,
and when offering time came around, we would sing this
song called you Can't beat God Given. So in my
mind I came up, well, I would guess I'm in
competition with God and given, so I would give. And
(18:38):
I have no problem with it even now. If I
had my last hundred dollars and you needed it, I'll
give it to you. And I know for a fact
that it's going to happen for me later. I know
I'm going to get it back later. So that's truly
how I give now. And so when I give, I
given the idea of I know I'm going to get
it back, so I'm not worried about it.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
And that's how I operate.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
And so if I have my last, if I have
the most, I'm gonna I'm gonna do that and so,
and I also understand how waiters make money. They don't
really make money, you know. They get paid little pennies
per hour. So for me to give them a hundred
dollars like they just like you know, and I usually try.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
To run away so they can't see me.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
I don't like the whole you know thing, you know,
So I always give it and I take off out
the restaurant. I'm like, all right, you know, have a
good day before they even see it, you know. But
there have been times you know, they have you know,
met with me and saw me, but especially in my hometown,
and you know, to see them getting a better mood.
Now I've created a great day for ten people because
since I've given her that one hundred dollars tip today,
(19:29):
now the rest of her customers are going to get
great service, great love. Now she's gonna make more money
because she's doing having a great day to day. Like
I've made a big chunk of money, and now I'm
able to make ten people happy because their waiter was happy.
And now that those ten people are happy, now they're
gonna go home to their wives and be happy. And
like so now I've created a chain effect of happiness
just by giving one hundred dollars tip, Like it's just
(19:51):
it's a domino effect, or just in the stores, I
speak to everybody I see, like that's something I just
normally do. Everybody I see, I speak to them, give
a smile, you know, come them in a shirt or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
I don't know what that compliment did for this, you know, young.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Lady or old lady or older guy, whatever, you know,
I'll just say something nice, and this may turn their
day around, and now instead of going home upset, they
may go, you know, give their kids a hug when
they get home today. You know, Like, I don't know
what this is doing for somebody, And so that's why
I help people, Like I don't care in what way
I'm going to help.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
I'm just gonna help. That's what I do for a living.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
I think with so many I mean, frankly, even I
feel this a little bit of times for so many people,
Like in those kind of waiter jobs, you could just
feel like the deck is stacked against you in so
many ways, and like here's this restaurant owner that's got
more money, and here's all these customers with a lot
more money, and it's like it's going so well for
these other people, and like I'm barely making it, Like
why don't they care about people like me? Right, I mean,
(20:43):
and even just communicating that to them, like there's good
people out there who love.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Me absolutely, and that's that's important.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
People just need to know some about somebody cares, and
I think that's important. So that's why I give so much.
That just comes from how I was raised. All I've
ever seen was given. I've had Christmases I give my
gifts away, or I've had Thanksgivings where I'm feeding other people.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
So that's just what I do. I love it. It's
not special to me. It's just second nature. I just
give just because I can.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
Let's pay tribute to your mom more for a sec
before we go back to school for boys. It's pretty remarkable.
I didn't know she was a foster parent growing up.
So the way you said that, you said my mom,
so she was a single mom. Your dad wasn't in
the house.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah, Well my stepdad my mom married when I was
about eight or nine, I believe, Yeah, and he raised
me from eight to about sixteen. Awesome, so all the
important years of my life he was there.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
So I was gonna get to her heart with being
a foster parent, but also how she uniquely approached your dad.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Yes, can you talk about that.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, to this day, my mom and my biological father
have the most interesting relationship. They like best friends that
hate each other really bad. My mom thinks she's his mom,
and so she's trying to keep him on the right track,
like he's married, and like sometimes they'll get into you know, debates,
you know or he'll get into it with his.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Wife and my mom's like, you need to stop tacking stupid,
Why are you doing, why are you after stupid. She'll
call him like I'm tired of you mistreating this one.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
Blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
You know, just you know whatever, and so she'll call
him make sure he has this stuff together or whatever,
because that's just always been her with him, even with me.
You know, she'll call she call him on my birthday.
Make sure you call his something and tell me birthday
today or whatever. You know, make sure you you know,
do this or that. Like she always tried to make
sure that was there. That was never going to be
a hate between me and my dad. Like my dad
probably only came to like three or four football games.
(22:39):
I played football my whole life. The only football games
I remember are the ones he came to because he's
on the side line.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Because I was really good.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
He came.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
He was on the side line, like.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
So excited, throwing his towel everywhere, like he's just really
excited to see me play because I was good. It
was just a big thing to see, what I remember,
because my mom was at every football game, asked me,
do I remember any of the games she was at.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Nope, I don't remember it.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
But that's how important and impactful dad was, and so
my mom made sure that that relationship stayed there. For example,
I taught before about like how for some Christmas is
like my.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Mom would buy gifts.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
She would take the gifts to my dad and then
come pick me up and then take me to my dad,
so my dad could give me the gifts as if
he bought them, Like that's important stuff or like I remember, like.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
Like fause on that for a second, because that's I
mean crazy in most people's mind, Like a lot of
I mean it's crazy period. Yeah, for a lot of
people that are like, all right, let the dad be bad,
let him not get his son a gift, let him
be the bad guy, and I'm going to be the
good savior.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Number one.
Speaker 6 (23:40):
A lot of people just have that thinking number one.
Number two, for her to care enough about your relationship
with your dad that she's divorced from, for her to
actually spend her own money to do this as wild.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
But it's the psyche of the child that matters, and
that's what people are feeling to understand even now if
he's an actual bad person, that's different. My dad wasn't there.
He wasn't a bad person or anything like. He wasn't
abusive or nothing like that. He just wasn't around like
he just he didn't do the dad thing or whatever.
There were times I went over his house, you know,
here and there. I probably see him two three times
a year, and you know, we'd have spurts where I
(24:13):
would see him a little often. Sometimes i'd never see
him for a year or two. But there were times,
you know, on where he was around, you know, just
for a little bit. And I remember all those times vividly.
But my mom understood that the psyche of mine was
important because if I grew up, you know, bitter at
my dad or not wanting to be like my dad
or hating men or whatever like that, that's gonna mess
up with my psyche as an adult. So as a kid,
(24:34):
she made sure that their relationship with my father was
there and there was no hate, There was no bitterness,
there was no nothing. And when it came to my
dad as an adult, I understand, you know, what happened
when I was younger, or the true stories that happened
or whatever, But I still love my dad, you know,
to this day. We have a relationship now. And what
I do love now is that he's trying to be
(24:55):
an active grandfather. He's at all the birthday parties, you know,
he takes pictures with the kid. He calls and checks
on him, you know, and so I bring them over
to his house. You know, he ain't hein't the greatest
person around. He still drinks his smokes or whatever like that,
but he still tried to be a cool granddad, you know,
and so he checks on the kids.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
He comes to the baseball games. And that's what I love. Like.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I'm like, yes, be a granddad. Like I love it
because I don't need it anymore. I'm cool with you
being who you are, Like, I don't need to talk
to you all the time. I don't need to talk
to you every day. I come check on him. My
dad cooks really well, so sometimes he'll come cook, you know,
at the house, you know, for the kids sometime.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Like So, I love where he is now.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I don't hold where he was back then because at
the end of the day, I'm a grown adulte Like,
I don't have time to be worried about Oh well,
my dad hurt me when I was ten or whatever.
Like I'm grown, I'm twenty six. I'm making my own
decisions down. So what he did back then, I can't
just let it.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Triple up into where I am now. I make my
own decisions now.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I can decide whether to feel bad, I can decide
to whether to be happy.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
I can decide to like him or not.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
And I just decide the latter part because I want
to be happy. I don't want to sit around and
be upset or just have a reason to be mad.
I don't have time for that. I got things to do.
I got kids to raise. I don't have time to
be upset about anything. I really don't.
Speaker 6 (26:05):
Oh, yeah, you're pretty busy. We just took a break
in the podcast for a second. You went back on
your phone immediately.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Got work to do. Yep, got work to do.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
Man, We will be right back.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
Do you feel like I mean, it's an incredible story
with your mom, your dad, you how all you guys
approached this. Did you feel like there was still some
hole in your heart that made you feel for these
boys and ultimately try to do this work for the
boys that you have.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Yeah, I feel like the boys in the community were
missing so much, and what I don't even say so much.
They were missing the small things, and that's just the
proper greeding of the day, you know, saying good morning,
good afternoon, simple manners, learning how to do the basic
things at home, like learning how to turn off the
water and a toilet, or learning how to install a toilet,
learning how to install a light fixture. I did all
that stuff growing up, like it was nothing like it's
(27:09):
and it's easy.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
But they don't know that. I grew up.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Thinking that kids knew how to do this stuff because
that's what my stepdad taught me my whole life. We
grew all of our own food, Like when we wanted
to eat something after school, we just went outside and
picked it and Mom cooked it, like we grew our seasonings.
We grew everything outside and so we had all types
of fruit trees and everything. And we weren't in like
the best neighborhood. We had maybe be like an acre
of land, but the whole acre was just full of
(27:32):
stuff we were growing. We had dogs, we had chickens,
so we would get eggs from outside and.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
We ate really healthy.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
And our little neighborhood was like a community, Like there's
a guy down the street who used to sell candy
and sell pots. We call him pot Man. He used
to grow food down the street. He used to grow
collar green, so we'd go get stuff from him. His
lady across the streets. She used to sell little icy cups.
He'll put kool aid and cups, freeze it and we
buy for fifty cent. Mister David down the street. Mister
David used to build brick mailboxes, and he taught us
(28:00):
how to build brick mailboxes. We bricked in our garage.
Missus Solace across the street, he was a truck driver.
Deacon Bogan used to cut grass everywhere in the neighborhood.
He taught all the boys how to cut grass in the neighborhood.
So literally our whole area was just it was. It
was normal for us, all the kids. We went outside
all the time.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
We rode bikes.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
I mean, and this was in the age of like
starting to get cell phones and stuff like that. But
still like we were outside. We played with each other,
we spent time with each other. We fought, you know,
we made friends, we got robbed, we did stuff like
I mean, that was yeah, but that was just a
neighborhood like that was it, and we had fun and
so we got so many memories now and you know,
all of us are split up for the most part,
but the stuff that you know was put into us.
(28:38):
Like my stepdad would have Bible study with us, you know,
during the week, and the kids would come over to
the house. My mom would cook for the whole neighborhood.
So I mean, that's what we did. And so I'm
thinking everybody grew up like me because that's all I saw.
And when I go out and saw that kids can't
read and kids don't know how to do things, I'm like, okay,
then well let me let me start by doing the
simple things first.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Because people see.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
The program and they're like, oh, your teach don't how
to work on cars and houses. I'm like, yeah, that's cool.
But the more important thing is the routine they come
in here and do. Every day, they come in here
and shake hands, they come in here and greet the
proper green. The other day they come in and look
you in the eye. They come in you know, walk
in a certain way, talking a certain way, learning etiquette.
Those simple things are what are the most important and
what helped build that character. Because I believe if we
(29:20):
could create a habit, habits build character, and character makes
the man routines build those habits. And so every day
of the program is not going to look different. It's
actually gonna look the same because they need to have
that everyday, same structure. Rushing your teeth, ironing your clothes,
making sure you look proper when you come to school, whatever,
taking a bath. We even teach kids, you know, proper
ways to bathe because all the time they don't know that.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
So right now we got kids ages seven through nine.
But before the.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Program, yeah, we're at age seven through nine. We drop
the age groups mainly because I started seeing that kids
were losing themselves and this day a lot sooner than
age eleven kids. Today we have seven through nine year
olds smoking a school, you know, like vaping, et cetera,
talking about sex whatever. There's a lot happening in twenty
twenty five, you know. And I took the age groups
(30:07):
down because of that. But also I realized these kids
actually want to do better. There was a time where
I believe that there wasn't a kid that I couldn't help,
and I had to mature and understand that there are
many kids that I can't help. There are many kids
where life has to punch them in the face and
there's nothing that I could tell them, or do with them,
or fix with them to make them, you know, become
a better person. And so I felt like, and people
(30:30):
will hate what I say it that I feel like
I wasted a lot of time, you know, with the
exle Boys program trying to make kids who didn't want
to be there or who didn't want to learn it,
trying to make them do it, versus turning away kids
or losing kids because they weren't able to participate that will,
or they weren't able to focus. Because all the kids
who didn't want to be there, I was too busy
fussing at them or trying to force them to do
(30:50):
it or whatever. So now a kid maybe has two
times to tell us he don't want to be in
a program, all right, mom, they sta't the program for him,
you know, because we got kids who actually want to
be here, and this is We're not going to take
in store away from the kids who truly do want
to be here and truly trying to get to the
learning and trying to get the things that we're teaching.
They're trying to you know, internalize it. And we got
a kid over here who just doesn't want to be here.
(31:11):
So now he's just going to be unruly, and I'm
not going to continue punishing all the other kids because
this child doesn't want to be here. So I come
to the conclusion like, yeah, there are some kids I
can't help. And I've had many of my older students,
you know, who are in college now, who are in
the military, et cetera, they come back to say, you know, man,
like I understand all the things you tried to teach.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
And this was years later.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Like, for example, one of my first students from twenty
twenty one, his name was Davion, and Devion's gone to
the military now he's a combat photographer. He sent me
some pictures, like just a month ago, he sent me
some pictures of him, and so I hadn't talked to
him in a while, and he sent me some pictures
of him, and he was just like, man, I just
want to say I appreciate everything he was teaching me
back then and whatever, you know, all the stuff that
(31:52):
we learned, like you having me at your house all
that stuff, Like I appreciate all that, saying with one
of my other students.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
He's in the Navy now. He sent me some pictures
of him in the Navy.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I'm in the middle of us doing our little downtown
outdoor run and he sent me some pictures. I hadn't
heard from him a while. He's stationed in Japan. He's like, man,
I just want to say thank you for being like
a father figure to me. Like for all those years
of me being the Ex Boys program, from us having
to go to your grandmama's house to us, you know,
being here or there, like all that stuff helped me
or whatever. And so that's what it's all about, you know,
at the end of the day, because the stuff that
(32:23):
I want to see happening is not going to happen
anytime soon. I'm not looking for any collaps or applause
or any true progress right now.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
It's not going to happen. It's not realistic.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
And I always tell people who always sell this, you know,
I'm going to change the world thing with their programs,
That's not how it works.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
I don't ever sell that. I say, no, I'm working
for the City.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Of Albany community and with those twenty five kids that
I'm working with, I don't sell that this program's going
to change the world. I'm not going to sell that
this program's gonna work in your area. I don't know
what the kids in your area need. I just know
the Ex Boys program works for the kids in the
city of Albany, Georgia, and that's who we work with.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
And so we took those age groups down and we're.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Thriving right now because those kids are like little sponges
and they're truly wanting the teaching. They're wanting to do better,
they're wanting to read, they're wanting to learn, and so
many kids are simply just looking for somewhere where it's
cool to do the right thing. And that's what we're missing.
Everywhere you go, it is shunned, the pun doing the
right thing. You don't get rewarded for doing the right thing.
(33:17):
You know who gets rewards. The bad kids get rewards
for not doing the wrong thing. They get rewarded at
the end of the week. Jimmy gets a lollipop because
he acted up all week, but Friday he was good,
So Jimmy gets a lollipop. But but Adriane over here
has been great all week. He's been getting straight a's
he's been doing what he's supposed to do. He's been
saying yes, ma'am, no, ma'am, he's been and he gets nothing.
(33:38):
And so what do you think Adrian's about to start
doing to get lollipop? Well, maybe if I act up,
I'll probably get me a lollipop at the end of
the week too.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
You heard the Prodigal Sun story.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Yes, I can get my mom to come up to
the school if I act crazy.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Okay, cool.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
So now I can spend more time with mommy because
she's always at work. So if I act up, I
get to see Mommy more often. So maybe if I
act bad, then I could get more attention. And so
that's truly what it is. And so now that's what
we've decided to create an ex voice program. When our
kids do good oh week, handsomely reward them. Because I've
explained to adults before, they'll say, well, you're supposed to
do the right thing, You're supposed to make good grades. Yeah, well,
(34:14):
when you go to work, don't you like to get paid.
If you go to work and you do a good
job and you don't get no money, then what do
you want to do? Not work anymore? So what should
we do for these kids who are doing the right thing.
We should pay them and in ways that they want
to be compensated. So, if he's having a good week, gon,
we're gonna take him the chucky cheese. If he's doing great,
we're gonna take them to the bowl. Now, we're gonna
get him his favorite food. Because you need to understand
(34:35):
that this is how life works. When you do good,
good things happen. And so if we do bad, then
bad things happen. But if the only thing you've ever
seen what's bad, things happen and then maybe some good
comes out of it in the end, or things that
you might think are good. Or everybody's always picking at
you for doing the right thing, and you don't have
an environment where it's cool to do the right thing,
Are you ever going to do the right thing?
Speaker 5 (34:54):
No?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
And so now you've created a child who doesn't want
to do the right thing, and he's got into all
the debauchery. Now now, because how are you gonna tell
the kid to stop having sex who started now at thirteen?
Good luck? How you gonna tell the kids stop smoking
weed at fourteen fifteen?
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Good luck?
Speaker 4 (35:08):
You know?
Speaker 1 (35:08):
So, But we haven't created an environment where it's cool
not to smoke, we not to be having sex. We
we have an environment now we've created that, and I
think that's very important.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
How don't give hear this teacher Marvi Collins, she's my
favorite teacher in history in Chicago, yep, And she said,
we don't talk to them about sex, drugs, all these things.
We give our kids so many things to say yes to,
they don't have time to say no to all this.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
We just keep them busy, man, we just keep them busy.
We keep them busy from sun up to sun down.
I don't even worried about that. Like by the time
they get home, they're sleepy because they leave to go
home at about eight o'clock and we've already fed them.
We've we exercised every day, so we've ran them back
and forth. They've done jumping jacks, they push ups, whatever.
When they get home, they are sleepy. And they get home,
they're full, Mama, don't have to cook. They go home,
(35:51):
go to sleep, try again the next day. Like that's
how we do.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
It, all right?
Speaker 5 (35:54):
What's the weightless like for this place?
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Too long?
Speaker 1 (35:57):
To the point I just had to close the weight
lists because we have so long as we have like
hundreds of kids from the city of Garage. Yeah, our
program's the most popular program in town and we have
many kids. Like so whenever we, you know, have to
drop a kid or whatever like that, it's picking another
one up just like that, and no problem. Because we
have such a long waitlist and so many parents, like
even to the point where the've gotten upset with me
not being able to take their kids. I'm like, well, listen,
(36:18):
this program is free. We don't charge anything. So this
food you see us feeding them, the uniform items that
we give them, the stuff we send home, like you know,
tide pods and laundry detergent and dish soap and underwear
and socks and all that. That stuff ain't free. That
stuff has to be purchased. Our staff members that are
here with them full time. They're not free. They have
to be paid. These vans that are driving, the insurance
(36:41):
on them, the live building insurance for the building, the lights,
the mortgage, all that stuff, the grounds keeping, all that
the renovations that you just saw happen in the building
to make sure the kids have somewhere nice to be.
The touchscreen boards they have in the laptops and the
pencils and the pens and everything in there to the tables.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
It all has to be paid for.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And so no, we can't take a hundred kids because
if we do, we have to charge.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
And at that point the kids who will be coming
won't be the kids that need it.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
We need the kids there that truly need it, and
those are the ones who can't afford it.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
And that concludes Part one of Alex's conversation with King Randall,
and you don't want to miss part two. It's now
avable to listen to. And since I didn't do the interview,
I'll be listening with you. Together, guys, we can change
this country, but it starts with you. I'll see him
Part two
When I was nineteen. There were a lot of things
that I thought that were wrong. There were things I
felt at the school. At first it failed, you know,
the projects I did failed, and so it's like, oh,
he messed this up and messed out him, blah blah.
Well you've messed up nothing because you've never did anything
or whatever. So why are you worried about me and
what I'm doing, you know, or because you're too scared
to jump on something big?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And so I'm the man in Verna.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney.
I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father,
I'm an entrepreneur, and I'm a football coach in inner
City Memphis. And that last part, somehow would to an
oscar for the film about one of my teams.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
That movie is called Undefeated.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
I believe our country's problems will never be solved by
a bunch of fancy people and nice suits using big
words that nobody ever uses on sinning in Fox, but
rather by an army of normal folks. That's us, just
you and me deciding, Hey, you know what, maybe I
can help. That's what King Randall, the voice you just
(01:10):
heard has done. At nineteen years old, still just a
kid himself, King put aside his own self interest in
getting his piece of the American dream and started taking
care of other people's kids. In Albany, Georgia, which has
the highest concentrated poverty rate in the state, single moms
(01:31):
gave twenty of their kids to King's summer school programs
because apparently this nineteen year old was the best option
they had available, and his boot camps focused on the
fundamentals like reading and how to change a tire, has
grown into a full fledged school, The ex School for Boys,
(01:51):
a private school that is completely free to twenty five
families and has hundreds of kids on the waitlist. And
I believe king social media accounts have grown to over
one million followers for the reason that he's our guests today.
This dude will teach you about being all in like
no one else. Right after these brief messages from our
(02:14):
gender sponsors. So I think I got to offer apologies
to King and Alex.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
So here's the deal.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I've been an ole Miss fan since I could walk,
graduated from ole Miss, kids graduated from ole Miss, and
I've had the same season tickets since I was twenty
three years old and I'm fifty seven now, so that's
a long time. Thirty four years. I have lived through
Tommy Tuberville and David Cutcliffe. I have lived through ed
(02:57):
Or Jeron, Matt Luke, Matt Luke, I have Hugh Freeze.
Oh my gosh, we've flipped through everything. I mean, it's
it's been.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
And he who shall not be named.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, and he who shall not be named. And you know,
my saga started with the late great Billy Brewer, who
I have a keen affinity for. Having said all of that,
we all miss fans have wanted to be in the
position we were in, only to Avelaine try to pull
(03:29):
the rug out from under us and.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
At any rate.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
When King was scheduled to be in Memphis happened to
be the exact day of the Fiesta Bowl.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Lisa and I went to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And were ecstatic, as would be Georgia. And there was
just no way I was missing the Fiesta Bowl. So
I couldn't reschedule the Fiesta Bowl, and King couldn't reschedule
his recording, so I had to fly at the last
minute to Tempe to go watch the Rebels get beat
Miami unfortunately, and.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Alex took over.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So as you hear this interview, understand Alex will be
handling it.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
I will be narrating it.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
And please forgive me, because there's no way I was
gonna miss something I've it wait thirty five years for.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
And if you think I'm a better host, email me
at Army at normal Folks dot us.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, if you think Alex is better, then you could
put me on my misery and you don't have to
hear about voiceover again.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Okay, thanks.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
King Randall. Welcome to Memphis.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Hey man, glad to be here. I never been here before,
so glad to be here today.
Speaker 6 (04:37):
Apparaly, you didn't get to explore once you were stuck
in your room working.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
I was in my room working, man works none stop.
That the students were trying to fundraise for the year.
We got this year program still free, obviously, so what
we're trying to do is fundraise for the rest of
the year. We tried to fund raise year by year
to a big capital campaign so we can stay open
and everything stay free.
Speaker 6 (04:55):
Or I'm gonna say something about the school and then
we're gonna come back to it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Later.
Speaker 6 (04:58):
Sure, So the X School for Boys Albany, Georgia, around
twenty five students, all financial poverty. And then you told
me on the drive here that probably only around two
of them have present dads, you know, in their lives.
So you are stepping away in a huge way and
helping to transform lives and all any Georgia, which we're
gonna spend most of this interview talking about.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Sure.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
First, why is your name?
Speaker 4 (05:20):
King?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Talked to my mom about that one? My mom said
she named me. I got like five names that my
mom named me.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
Like legally, yeah, legally, what's your legal name?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Get into my whole legal name?
Speaker 1 (05:31):
My full first name is King Laket and then Randall
lives my last name, and I'm the first so imagine dad,
and all my middle names and then the first.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
How many middle names you go, I got, Well this.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
One, yeah, I got, I got.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
I got a middle name and two first names, and
then my last name and then the suffix.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So and then my son's the second, so that's always fun.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
You gave him the entire same name.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, but do we just go by King Randall? Go
to the first last and nast Ye?
Speaker 4 (06:02):
All right?
Speaker 6 (06:02):
Did she mean this is my little prince, my king
or did she reference doctor Martin Luther King?
Speaker 5 (06:07):
What's up with the name king.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Well, she wanted to name me that originally, but she said,
like some passes at church told her she couldn't name
me king or something, you know, in regards to Jesus
or something like that. So she was like, Okay, go
and do it anyway.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
So here we are. Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Well it makes you unique.
Speaker 6 (06:23):
There's a lot about you unique because people are going
to find out I never have a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yepah discovered I'm a special person. So yeah, I'm glad
she picked a good name.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
We'll pay tribute more to her here in a minute.
I want to go to You were nineteen years old
living in I think one of the most violent cities
in Georgia. I mean you feel free to add on
some more stats on this. When I looked it up,
violent crime in Albany some murder, robbery, assault is eight
hundred and twenty three people per one hundred thousand, So
(06:53):
it's one hundred and twenty nine percent higher than national
average in Georgia's three hundred and twenty five per hundred thousand.
So Alvany's, you know, way over double that, almost triple
of it. And then people in al Many have a
one to thirty chance of being a victim of either
a violent or property crime, and it's probably in the
bottom thirteen percent of communities, I guess, in terms of safety.
(07:14):
So you're nineteen years old, you graduated culinary school, you
were in the Marines. A lot of people say, get
the hell out of there, go make a bunch of money.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
I'm gonna get mine.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Why did you stay in Albany.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
At the time. I just had a I didn't want
to lead the city. I like, like I found it.
I guess I lived there my whole life, and I
always felt like, you know, Albety could be a better place,
and it has been for because of the people that
are there, that are trying to do the work. And
one thing I always say is, you know, if I
only talk about all the terrible things that are happening there,
(07:48):
then obviously that's how we're gonna believe. And so our
local news, our local you know, other media teams or whatever,
everybody only just shares all the negative things happening, and
that's because it gets the most clicks and like I
told people before, even if you are a news media
company or whatever, if you are solely driven by getting
the clicks, you start to become evil after a while
(08:08):
because it's easy to get all the negative clicks. You're
not worried about how people's minds are being affected. You're
not worried about how people are, you know, seeing their
hometown or how they're feeling about the hometown. You're just
worried about getting the clicks. And so when we never
share the good stories, when we never you know, share
the great stories, when we never put any effort into
sharing and the hundred great things that are happening, or
the hundred things that people are trying to do to
(08:29):
make the city better, then people always just feel like,
you know, they're in blood, they're in theod, you know.
And that's not what I want to see for the hometown.
And so, you know, to start, I started working with
children in my hometown.
Speaker 6 (08:42):
And well before you get there, sure you're nineteen, Like,
who the hell you're going to help.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
That's a lot of people's.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
Reactions like, come on, you're nineteen, you don't know much
about the world.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
Yet you don't even figured your own things out.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, and that was what I got a lot, especially
when I was talking about, you know, helping boys and
helping them to come in.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
They're like, well, how are you going to teach somebody
how to be a man? I'm like, what do you
guys do?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And you know, in my hometown, I wasn't the most
like person when I was about nineteen twenty years old
because I did a lot of this. When I first started,
I was fussing at everybody, the churches, the schools, the everybody.
And I had a very big microphone early. Once I
started talking, I just never stopped in my social media
following and just grew and grew and grew, and people
in my hometown started listening to me. But of course
(09:22):
the powers that be did not like that, you know,
And so of course for a while, like I was like,
don't bother with King Randall, people are like, don't bother
with him? You know, He's like I was like the
Boogeyman for a while because I would just say what
needed to be said. I didn't care who, you know,
didn't like it. I would talk about the preachers, the
pastors by name, the churches by name, like I didn't.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Care for a while.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
But then as I've gotten older, I've understood how things
actually work, because some of those people are like trying
to do different things. But it's not all just couldn't
dry like, oh, just change it tomorrow, just do it today.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
It's not how things work. And so I'm grateful to
have matured.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
But at the time, I was just fiery and passionate,
and I started working with kids, and I didn't care
who was gonna help me or not help me. I
just worked at home from eating hot and ready pieces
with the kids. So I started out just at the
house and I didn't care what people thought about it. Honestly,
your own house, yeah, I have my own house. I
was married, I was previously married at the time. I
(10:14):
had just had baby King. Baby King was born ten
days after the ex boys was born, so they kind
of have the same birthday almost. But anyway, it's a
once man, a lot going on at once, and so
I was taking kids on field trips and I was
funding these field trips through cutting hair, fixing cars, working
on houses. I had just lost my job, and so
(10:35):
I was just doing what I learned how to do
growing up, like working on cars and stuff. I was
like the handyman, Like I would go cut somebody's hair
and then go fix somebody's card and go paint somebody's house.
Like that was me every day doing something because I
had to make sure it'll stay paid.
Speaker 6 (10:48):
And that's pretty stories of Yeah, sometimes you said you
knew how to do things and you really did it.
Speaker 5 (10:54):
If you can tell some of those stories.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Yeah, man, I had times I'm not cutting hair at
like eleven o'clock at night, because I mean, this is
the thing, you know, regular barbershops, clothes. I would just
travel to people and cut hair, and sometimes people need
an emergency haircut or whatever, and I couldn't kind of
say no because I need the money, you know, So
I would come late at night to cut people's hair.
If people said, hey, you know, I need my car fixed,
and I was asked them, what you're making my all
(11:16):
that car is? And I would go on YouTube and
figure out how to fix it, like, hey, I need
to started changing my twenty seven hundred and me YouTube
two thousand and seven started Oh that's easy, but that'll
be three hundred dollars and then go in and do
do and fix it doesn't take long at all, And
it got fixed, and so that's how I learned how
to do it. The same thing when I told the
story about how I, me and my brother first painted
our first house. We were paying the inside of the houses already,
(11:40):
but I had never painted outside of a house. And
I'll never forget. One of my former church members was
in home depot today. We were looking for some paint
for another house. We were painting on the inside, and
she was like, hey, y'all paying house. I say, yes, man,
we paying house. She was talk about like the I mean,
like the outside. I was like, yeah, we.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Paid outside of the house. It's no no problem like that.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
And so we came by house and looked at very
nice small houses perfect. I was like, please, don't be
no big old house with all this stuff, and but
it was a very nice, little small house.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Easy work.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
And so we got home, got on YouTube and we
just YouTube everything we needed.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Even though we way.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Under charged or I didn't know at the time, but
we went and got everything we needed, got all the
paint sprays rented and everything, and we painted the house.
Easy work, made our first thousand dollars. Like I said,
you know, we undercharged, way under but you know that
was our first house was painting, and from there we
were able to you know, paint more houses, and people
started giving me work, you know, from that because I
was using social media posting some of the things that
(12:35):
I was doing, letting people know I was fixing people's cars,
and people would start, you know, giving reviews and telling
people that I was doing a good job. And so
then I transit into teaching the kids how to do it.
And I didn't have a building at the time. I
posted a flyer on social media.
Speaker 5 (12:49):
To just come to your house.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Yeah, they'd come to my house, and so I posted
a fly twenty had twenty kids at my house. I
had twenty parents believing this nineteen year old kid at
the time to help. They kids learned how to do stuff,
and they believed in me. Made some mistakes, you know,
did some things wrong, did things right, and we made
it work. And so a lot of those parents you know,
are still in contact, still grateful for just that time.
(13:11):
And so they're being twenty six now and just understanding
protocol and insurance and liability.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
And the lord had none of that.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
No, I didn't even know what a nonprofit was at
the time, much less you know, knew about any of
the happenings, trying to make sure the kids were squared away.
I'm just taking them on field trip, just going out
of town. No allergies stuff, no medication stuff, just hey,
just bring your kids over here.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
No waivers, no.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Waivers, nothing, just just doing it.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
And you know, thankfully nothing bad happened, and God, you know,
just you know, helped take care of things for us
at the time. And so we went from there and
we just kind of grew. We started using social media
and we learned how to grow from there, and you know,
here we are.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
And now a few messages from our general sponsors. But first,
we've launched our first sex local service clubs around the
country and a time when only thirty three percent of
Americans are contributing in their community at the level that
they want to. The mission of these clubs is to
make more service easier for everyone. The first six are
(14:16):
in my hometown, Memphis, alex is hometown, Oxford, Wichita, Atlanta,
the Milwaukee area and it's called Ozak County, and North
Duchess County, which is New York. If you live in
one of these areas, visit the service club section of
(14:36):
our site. Normal folks on us and get plugged in.
And if you don't live there and you want a
service club in your area, email Alex because these are
the first six.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
These are the.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Pilots, but we're going to be doing the core like
other Army members that are launching clubs in their communities
later this year, including San Antonio, Nebraska, Huntsville, Alabama, Lincoln County, Ohio,
Lorraine County, Ohio.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
If you happen to live in one.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Of these following areas and are interested, email Alex at
Army at normal Folks dot us and he'll get you
connected to them.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
That's just gonna be fun. We'll be right back.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I mean, it does kind of show how desperate parents
are that. I mean obviously once they met you, I
know you're you're an amazing human being, and I'm sure
they loved it, but like to trust you at that
that you were the best option in the moment is
kind of crazy.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Yeah, you know, looking at all being there is not
a lot of options at all. I will say we
have a lot of you know, football programs, have a
lot of basketball programs, a lot of baseball programs, youth programs,
but a lot of those programs only serve a couple
of days a week, maybe for a hour or two.
I wanted the program to be all day, and that's
where we are even now, all day because a lot
of parents they're working and sometimes when they're off of work,
(16:05):
and unfortunately they don't really have anybody to watch their kids.
They don't have nobody to pay to watch their kids.
So the kids kind of watching themselves, maybe on YouTube,
looking at social media all day, seeing girls or seeing
you know, guys outside on the streets or whatever, and
they don't know what's happening with their sons or kids.
They just come home and go to sleep and go
right back to work the next day. Because we don't
have many livable ways jobs in all Beny, we have
(16:26):
people working jobs. They're working two and three jobs at
a time just to make the ends even meet. And
that's a big issue. You know, the rent's going up
and light bills are going up, and the jobs aren't
paying more money, and so people are struggling, you know,
in our hometown. And I definitely feel like if we
had more job opportunities just to start there, we start
to slowly see a you know, incline with just better
(16:49):
results with everything the reading scores, crime, et cetera. If
people just were able to make money, we could start
there and then you know, go from there and grow
in the city.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
Well, it's come back to our school for boys on
the men at I want to go to your heart, Like,
what makes you motivated to do this work? Like I
said at the top, like you could have gone and
been a chef. I guess you had expertise in that
You're a pretty entrepreneurial dude that you could figure out
a lot of different Yeah, if even just a repair
of business, right, I mean, there's a lot of things
you could have done. What do you think, like in
(17:20):
your childhood or the influences in your life that gave
you this kind of unique heart.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
My mom like for Christmas and Thanksgiving and stuff, we
would go feed people. We help people all the time.
My mom is a fossip parent my whole life. So
I'm a mom's only child, but she was a fossip
parent my whole life. I'm so used to helping people.
My grandmother had a church, my grandfather had a church. Like,
I'm just so used to helping people, So it's like
second nature, you know, Like it it's not really special
to me. That's all I ever saw growing up. So
(17:47):
that's just kind of what I do. I help people.
I got help people often, like no matter what, I've
you know, been blessed to be able to just do good.
And so like literally every restaurant I go to, I
give a hundred dollars tip, no matter what. If I
can't give a hundred dollar, I won't go out to eat.
And I don't care who it is, whether it was
bad service or good service. I don't know why they
were having a bad day to day. I don't know
why whatever, But every restaurant I go to, I give
(18:07):
a hundred dollar tip, no matter what.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
Who gave you that idea or how'd you come up
with it?
Speaker 6 (18:10):
Because that seems like something only somebody I don't know,
with millions and millions of dollars.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
And what's funny is and I've never had millions and
millions of dollars. I've sometimes I've given my last like
little I have two hundred dollars, and I'll still give
a hundred all tip because I believe in how God works.
You know, I grew up in the old Baptist church,
and when offering time came around, we would sing this
song called you Can't beat God Given. So in my
mind I came up, well, I would guess I'm in
competition with God and given, so I would give. And
(18:38):
I have no problem with it even now. If I
had my last hundred dollars and you needed it, I'll
give it to you. And I know for a fact
that it's going to happen for me later. I know
I'm going to get it back later. So that's truly
how I give now. And so when I give, I
given the idea of I know I'm going to get
it back, so I'm not worried about it.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
And that's how I operate.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
And so if I have my last, if I have
the most, I'm gonna I'm gonna do that and so,
and I also understand how waiters make money. They don't
really make money, you know. They get paid little pennies
per hour. So for me to give them a hundred
dollars like they just like you know, and I usually try.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
To run away so they can't see me.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
I don't like the whole you know thing, you know,
So I always give it and I take off out
the restaurant. I'm like, all right, you know, have a
good day before they even see it, you know. But
there have been times you know, they have you know,
met with me and saw me, but especially in my hometown,
and you know, to see them getting a better mood.
Now I've created a great day for ten people because
since I've given her that one hundred dollars tip today,
(19:29):
now the rest of her customers are going to get
great service, great love. Now she's gonna make more money
because she's doing having a great day to day. Like
I've made a big chunk of money, and now I'm
able to make ten people happy because their waiter was happy.
And now that those ten people are happy, now they're
gonna go home to their wives and be happy. And
like so now I've created a chain effect of happiness
just by giving one hundred dollars tip, Like it's just
(19:51):
it's a domino effect, or just in the stores, I
speak to everybody I see, like that's something I just
normally do. Everybody I see, I speak to them, give
a smile, you know, come them in a shirt or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
I don't know what that compliment did for this, you know, young.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Lady or old lady or older guy, whatever, you know,
I'll just say something nice, and this may turn their
day around, and now instead of going home upset, they
may go, you know, give their kids a hug when
they get home today. You know, Like, I don't know
what this is doing for somebody, And so that's why
I help people, Like I don't care in what way
I'm going to help.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
I'm just gonna help. That's what I do for a living.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
I think with so many I mean, frankly, even I
feel this a little bit of times for so many people,
Like in those kind of waiter jobs, you could just
feel like the deck is stacked against you in so
many ways, and like here's this restaurant owner that's got
more money, and here's all these customers with a lot
more money, and it's like it's going so well for
these other people, and like I'm barely making it, Like
why don't they care about people like me? Right, I mean,
(20:43):
and even just communicating that to them, like there's good
people out there who love.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Me absolutely, and that's that's important.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
People just need to know some about somebody cares, and
I think that's important. So that's why I give so much.
That just comes from how I was raised. All I've
ever seen was given. I've had Christmases I give my
gifts away, or I've had Thanksgivings where I'm feeding other people.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
So that's just what I do. I love it. It's
not special to me. It's just second nature. I just
give just because I can.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
Let's pay tribute to your mom more for a sec
before we go back to school for boys. It's pretty remarkable.
I didn't know she was a foster parent growing up.
So the way you said that, you said my mom,
so she was a single mom. Your dad wasn't in
the house.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah, Well my stepdad my mom married when I was
about eight or nine, I believe, Yeah, and he raised
me from eight to about sixteen. Awesome, so all the
important years of my life he was there.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
So I was gonna get to her heart with being
a foster parent, but also how she uniquely approached your dad.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Yes, can you talk about that.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, to this day, my mom and my biological father
have the most interesting relationship. They like best friends that
hate each other really bad. My mom thinks she's his mom,
and so she's trying to keep him on the right track,
like he's married, and like sometimes they'll get into you know, debates,
you know or he'll get into it with his.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Wife and my mom's like, you need to stop tacking stupid,
Why are you doing, why are you after stupid. She'll
call him like I'm tired of you mistreating this one.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
Blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
You know, just you know whatever, and so she'll call
him make sure he has this stuff together or whatever,
because that's just always been her with him, even with me.
You know, she'll call she call him on my birthday.
Make sure you call his something and tell me birthday
today or whatever. You know, make sure you you know,
do this or that. Like she always tried to make
sure that was there. That was never going to be
a hate between me and my dad. Like my dad
probably only came to like three or four football games.
(22:39):
I played football my whole life. The only football games
I remember are the ones he came to because he's
on the side line.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Because I was really good.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
He came.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
He was on the side line, like.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
So excited, throwing his towel everywhere, like he's just really
excited to see me play because I was good. It
was just a big thing to see, what I remember,
because my mom was at every football game, asked me,
do I remember any of the games she was at.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Nope, I don't remember it.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
But that's how important and impactful dad was, and so
my mom made sure that that relationship stayed there. For example,
I taught before about like how for some Christmas is
like my.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Mom would buy gifts.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
She would take the gifts to my dad and then
come pick me up and then take me to my dad,
so my dad could give me the gifts as if
he bought them, Like that's important stuff or like I remember, like.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
Like fause on that for a second, because that's I
mean crazy in most people's mind, Like a lot of
I mean it's crazy period. Yeah, for a lot of
people that are like, all right, let the dad be bad,
let him not get his son a gift, let him
be the bad guy, and I'm going to be the
good savior.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Number one.
Speaker 6 (23:40):
A lot of people just have that thinking number one.
Number two, for her to care enough about your relationship
with your dad that she's divorced from, for her to
actually spend her own money to do this as wild.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
But it's the psyche of the child that matters, and
that's what people are feeling to understand even now if
he's an actual bad person, that's different. My dad wasn't there.
He wasn't a bad person or anything like. He wasn't
abusive or nothing like that. He just wasn't around like
he just he didn't do the dad thing or whatever.
There were times I went over his house, you know,
here and there. I probably see him two three times
a year, and you know, we'd have spurts where I
(24:13):
would see him a little often. Sometimes i'd never see
him for a year or two. But there were times,
you know, on where he was around, you know, just
for a little bit. And I remember all those times vividly.
But my mom understood that the psyche of mine was
important because if I grew up, you know, bitter at
my dad or not wanting to be like my dad
or hating men or whatever like that, that's gonna mess
up with my psyche as an adult. So as a kid,
(24:34):
she made sure that their relationship with my father was
there and there was no hate, There was no bitterness,
there was no nothing. And when it came to my
dad as an adult, I understand, you know, what happened
when I was younger, or the true stories that happened
or whatever, But I still love my dad, you know,
to this day. We have a relationship now. And what
I do love now is that he's trying to be
(24:55):
an active grandfather. He's at all the birthday parties, you know,
he takes pictures with the kid. He calls and checks
on him, you know, and so I bring them over
to his house. You know, he ain't hein't the greatest
person around. He still drinks his smokes or whatever like that,
but he still tried to be a cool granddad, you know,
and so he checks on the kids.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
He comes to the baseball games. And that's what I love. Like.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I'm like, yes, be a granddad. Like I love it
because I don't need it anymore. I'm cool with you
being who you are, Like, I don't need to talk
to you all the time. I don't need to talk
to you every day. I come check on him. My
dad cooks really well, so sometimes he'll come cook, you know,
at the house, you know, for the kids sometime.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Like So, I love where he is now.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I don't hold where he was back then because at
the end of the day, I'm a grown adulte Like,
I don't have time to be worried about Oh well,
my dad hurt me when I was ten or whatever.
Like I'm grown, I'm twenty six. I'm making my own
decisions down. So what he did back then, I can't
just let it.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Triple up into where I am now. I make my
own decisions now.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I can decide whether to feel bad, I can decide
to whether to be happy.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
I can decide to like him or not.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
And I just decide the latter part because I want
to be happy. I don't want to sit around and
be upset or just have a reason to be mad.
I don't have time for that. I got things to do.
I got kids to raise. I don't have time to
be upset about anything. I really don't.
Speaker 6 (26:05):
Oh, yeah, you're pretty busy. We just took a break
in the podcast for a second. You went back on
your phone immediately.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Got work to do. Yep, got work to do.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
Man, We will be right back.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
Do you feel like I mean, it's an incredible story
with your mom, your dad, you how all you guys
approached this. Did you feel like there was still some
hole in your heart that made you feel for these
boys and ultimately try to do this work for the
boys that you have.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Yeah, I feel like the boys in the community were
missing so much, and what I don't even say so much.
They were missing the small things, and that's just the
proper greeding of the day, you know, saying good morning,
good afternoon, simple manners, learning how to do the basic
things at home, like learning how to turn off the
water and a toilet, or learning how to install a toilet,
learning how to install a light fixture. I did all
that stuff growing up, like it was nothing like it's
(27:09):
and it's easy.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
But they don't know that. I grew up.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Thinking that kids knew how to do this stuff because
that's what my stepdad taught me my whole life. We
grew all of our own food, Like when we wanted
to eat something after school, we just went outside and
picked it and Mom cooked it, like we grew our seasonings.
We grew everything outside and so we had all types
of fruit trees and everything. And we weren't in like
the best neighborhood. We had maybe be like an acre
of land, but the whole acre was just full of
(27:32):
stuff we were growing. We had dogs, we had chickens,
so we would get eggs from outside and.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
We ate really healthy.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
And our little neighborhood was like a community, Like there's
a guy down the street who used to sell candy
and sell pots. We call him pot Man. He used
to grow food down the street. He used to grow
collar green, so we'd go get stuff from him. His
lady across the streets. She used to sell little icy cups.
He'll put kool aid and cups, freeze it and we
buy for fifty cent. Mister David down the street. Mister
David used to build brick mailboxes, and he taught us
(28:00):
how to build brick mailboxes. We bricked in our garage.
Missus Solace across the street, he was a truck driver.
Deacon Bogan used to cut grass everywhere in the neighborhood.
He taught all the boys how to cut grass in the neighborhood.
So literally our whole area was just it was. It
was normal for us, all the kids. We went outside
all the time.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
We rode bikes.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
I mean, and this was in the age of like
starting to get cell phones and stuff like that. But
still like we were outside. We played with each other,
we spent time with each other. We fought, you know,
we made friends, we got robbed, we did stuff like
I mean, that was yeah, but that was just a
neighborhood like that was it, and we had fun and
so we got so many memories now and you know,
all of us are split up for the most part,
but the stuff that you know was put into us.
(28:38):
Like my stepdad would have Bible study with us, you know,
during the week, and the kids would come over to
the house. My mom would cook for the whole neighborhood.
So I mean, that's what we did. And so I'm
thinking everybody grew up like me because that's all I saw.
And when I go out and saw that kids can't
read and kids don't know how to do things, I'm like, okay,
then well let me let me start by doing the
simple things first.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Because people see.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
The program and they're like, oh, your teach don't how
to work on cars and houses. I'm like, yeah, that's cool.
But the more important thing is the routine they come
in here and do. Every day, they come in here
and shake hands, they come in here and greet the
proper green. The other day they come in and look
you in the eye. They come in you know, walk
in a certain way, talking a certain way, learning etiquette.
Those simple things are what are the most important and
what helped build that character. Because I believe if we
(29:20):
could create a habit, habits build character, and character makes
the man routines build those habits. And so every day
of the program is not going to look different. It's
actually gonna look the same because they need to have
that everyday, same structure. Rushing your teeth, ironing your clothes,
making sure you look proper when you come to school, whatever,
taking a bath. We even teach kids, you know, proper
ways to bathe because all the time they don't know that.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
So right now we got kids ages seven through nine.
But before the.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Program, yeah, we're at age seven through nine. We drop
the age groups mainly because I started seeing that kids
were losing themselves and this day a lot sooner than
age eleven kids. Today we have seven through nine year
olds smoking a school, you know, like vaping, et cetera,
talking about sex whatever. There's a lot happening in twenty
twenty five, you know. And I took the age groups
(30:07):
down because of that. But also I realized these kids
actually want to do better. There was a time where
I believe that there wasn't a kid that I couldn't help,
and I had to mature and understand that there are
many kids that I can't help. There are many kids
where life has to punch them in the face and
there's nothing that I could tell them, or do with them,
or fix with them to make them, you know, become
a better person. And so I felt like, and people
(30:30):
will hate what I say it that I feel like
I wasted a lot of time, you know, with the
exle Boys program trying to make kids who didn't want
to be there or who didn't want to learn it,
trying to make them do it, versus turning away kids
or losing kids because they weren't able to participate that will,
or they weren't able to focus. Because all the kids
who didn't want to be there, I was too busy
fussing at them or trying to force them to do
(30:50):
it or whatever. So now a kid maybe has two
times to tell us he don't want to be in
a program, all right, mom, they sta't the program for him,
you know, because we got kids who actually want to
be here, and this is We're not going to take
in store away from the kids who truly do want
to be here and truly trying to get to the
learning and trying to get the things that we're teaching.
They're trying to you know, internalize it. And we got
a kid over here who just doesn't want to be here.
(31:11):
So now he's just going to be unruly, and I'm
not going to continue punishing all the other kids because
this child doesn't want to be here. So I come
to the conclusion like, yeah, there are some kids I
can't help. And I've had many of my older students,
you know, who are in college now, who are in
the military, et cetera, they come back to say, you know, man,
like I understand all the things you tried to teach.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
And this was years later.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Like, for example, one of my first students from twenty
twenty one, his name was Davion, and Devion's gone to
the military now he's a combat photographer. He sent me
some pictures, like just a month ago, he sent me
some pictures of him, and so I hadn't talked to
him in a while, and he sent me some pictures
of him, and he was just like, man, I just
want to say I appreciate everything he was teaching me
back then and whatever, you know, all the stuff that
(31:52):
we learned, like you having me at your house all
that stuff, Like I appreciate all that, saying with one
of my other students.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
He's in the Navy now. He sent me some pictures
of him in the Navy.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I'm in the middle of us doing our little downtown
outdoor run and he sent me some pictures. I hadn't
heard from him a while. He's stationed in Japan. He's like, man,
I just want to say thank you for being like
a father figure to me. Like for all those years
of me being the Ex Boys program, from us having
to go to your grandmama's house to us, you know,
being here or there, like all that stuff helped me
or whatever. And so that's what it's all about, you know,
at the end of the day, because the stuff that
(32:23):
I want to see happening is not going to happen
anytime soon. I'm not looking for any collaps or applause
or any true progress right now.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
It's not going to happen. It's not realistic.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
And I always tell people who always sell this, you know,
I'm going to change the world thing with their programs,
That's not how it works.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
I don't ever sell that. I say, no, I'm working
for the City.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Of Albany community and with those twenty five kids that
I'm working with, I don't sell that this program's going
to change the world. I'm not going to sell that
this program's gonna work in your area. I don't know
what the kids in your area need. I just know
the Ex Boys program works for the kids in the
city of Albany, Georgia, and that's who we work with.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
And so we took those age groups down and we're.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Thriving right now because those kids are like little sponges
and they're truly wanting the teaching. They're wanting to do better,
they're wanting to read, they're wanting to learn, and so
many kids are simply just looking for somewhere where it's
cool to do the right thing. And that's what we're missing.
Everywhere you go, it is shunned, the pun doing the
right thing. You don't get rewarded for doing the right thing.
(33:17):
You know who gets rewards. The bad kids get rewards
for not doing the wrong thing. They get rewarded at
the end of the week. Jimmy gets a lollipop because
he acted up all week, but Friday he was good,
So Jimmy gets a lollipop. But but Adriane over here
has been great all week. He's been getting straight a's
he's been doing what he's supposed to do. He's been
saying yes, ma'am, no, ma'am, he's been and he gets nothing.
(33:38):
And so what do you think Adrian's about to start
doing to get lollipop? Well, maybe if I act up,
I'll probably get me a lollipop at the end of
the week too.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
You heard the Prodigal Sun story.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Yes, I can get my mom to come up to
the school if I act crazy.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Okay, cool.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
So now I can spend more time with mommy because
she's always at work. So if I act up, I
get to see Mommy more often. So maybe if I
act bad, then I could get more attention. And so
that's truly what it is. And so now that's what
we've decided to create an ex voice program. When our
kids do good oh week, handsomely reward them. Because I've
explained to adults before, they'll say, well, you're supposed to
do the right thing, You're supposed to make good grades. Yeah, well,
(34:14):
when you go to work, don't you like to get paid.
If you go to work and you do a good
job and you don't get no money, then what do
you want to do? Not work anymore? So what should
we do for these kids who are doing the right thing.
We should pay them and in ways that they want
to be compensated. So, if he's having a good week, gon,
we're gonna take him the chucky cheese. If he's doing great,
we're gonna take them to the bowl. Now, we're gonna
get him his favorite food. Because you need to understand
(34:35):
that this is how life works. When you do good,
good things happen. And so if we do bad, then
bad things happen. But if the only thing you've ever
seen what's bad, things happen and then maybe some good
comes out of it in the end, or things that
you might think are good. Or everybody's always picking at
you for doing the right thing, and you don't have
an environment where it's cool to do the right thing,
Are you ever going to do the right thing?
Speaker 5 (34:54):
No?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
And so now you've created a child who doesn't want
to do the right thing, and he's got into all
the debauchery. Now now, because how are you gonna tell
the kid to stop having sex who started now at thirteen?
Good luck? How you gonna tell the kids stop smoking
weed at fourteen fifteen?
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Good luck?
Speaker 4 (35:08):
You know?
Speaker 1 (35:08):
So, But we haven't created an environment where it's cool
not to smoke, we not to be having sex. We
we have an environment now we've created that, and I
think that's very important.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
How don't give hear this teacher Marvi Collins, she's my
favorite teacher in history in Chicago, yep, And she said,
we don't talk to them about sex, drugs, all these things.
We give our kids so many things to say yes to,
they don't have time to say no to all this.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
We just keep them busy, man, we just keep them busy.
We keep them busy from sun up to sun down.
I don't even worried about that. Like by the time
they get home, they're sleepy because they leave to go
home at about eight o'clock and we've already fed them.
We've we exercised every day, so we've ran them back
and forth. They've done jumping jacks, they push ups, whatever.
When they get home, they are sleepy. And they get home,
they're full, Mama, don't have to cook. They go home,
(35:51):
go to sleep, try again the next day. Like that's
how we do.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
It, all right?
Speaker 5 (35:54):
What's the weightless like for this place?
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Too long?
Speaker 1 (35:57):
To the point I just had to close the weight
lists because we have so long as we have like
hundreds of kids from the city of Garage. Yeah, our
program's the most popular program in town and we have
many kids. Like so whenever we, you know, have to
drop a kid or whatever like that, it's picking another
one up just like that, and no problem. Because we
have such a long waitlist and so many parents, like
even to the point where the've gotten upset with me
not being able to take their kids. I'm like, well, listen,
(36:18):
this program is free. We don't charge anything. So this
food you see us feeding them, the uniform items that
we give them, the stuff we send home, like you know,
tide pods and laundry detergent and dish soap and underwear
and socks and all that. That stuff ain't free. That
stuff has to be purchased. Our staff members that are
here with them full time. They're not free. They have
to be paid. These vans that are driving, the insurance
(36:41):
on them, the live building insurance for the building, the lights,
the mortgage, all that stuff, the grounds keeping, all that
the renovations that you just saw happen in the building
to make sure the kids have somewhere nice to be.
The touchscreen boards they have in the laptops and the
pencils and the pens and everything in there to the tables.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
It all has to be paid for.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And so no, we can't take a hundred kids because
if we do, we have to charge.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
And at that point the kids who will be coming
won't be the kids that need it.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
We need the kids there that truly need it, and
those are the ones who can't afford it.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
And that concludes Part one of Alex's conversation with King Randall,
and you don't want to miss part two. It's now
avable to listen to. And since I didn't do the interview,
I'll be listening with you. Together, guys, we can change
this country, but it starts with you. I'll see him
Part two
Host
Bill Courtney
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