reading

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“It Was All a Dream hits the awareness, struggles, hopes and triumphs behind the conversations…the real talk…that we must continue to have about what inspires our young men, and the role of the HBCU in that inspiration. What do our young men need to know and embrace the greatness within themselves? The answer in part lies in our beloved HBCU higher education community and the power within the culture of these national gems…shout out to ‘Bama State! This group of 11 brothers and ASU alums are walking the walk par excellence…an example of that inspiration. It Was All a Dream is a must read and fresh, uplifting addition to the conversation.”

Any young person interested in overcoming adversities and dreaming big dreams should unequivocally associate with the men of TDI as described in this book. For over 20 years I have witnessed the maturation of this group of men into productive contributors to society. They are a glowing example of the power of prayer and persistence in the lives of young African American males.

IT WAS ALL A DREAM is a wonderful book about 11 men who dreamed outside of themselves while on the campus of one of America’sgreatest historically black colleges, Alabama State University. As an alumna of ASU, I saw the tenacious spirit firsthand from many of these young men. It was just as evident then that they wanted to help and inspire the younger generation to greatness. This is a great read for all future leaders and serves as a great example of what Alabama State University and other historical black colleges or universities can produce. I salute “TallaDallas” in all of their endeavors.

For the past 20 years I had the opportunity to help provide access to thousands of students looking to gain access to higher education and improve their lives. During this time I had the opportunity to help students in foster care looking for a way out and others who had attended some of the most prestigious private schools on their way to the Ivy League. No matter what the background of the students, they all have one common characteristic: How to reach THAT next level. This book serves as more than motivation to get through college, but a guide through the uncertain road of adulthood through the eyes of 11 men who have experienced many of the peaks and valleys of life on the way to achieving their individual dreams. Through their experiences and friendship the men of TDI have created a tool that can serve as an inspiration to us all to aid in reaching our full potential.

Young African American males are suffering from lack of guidance in the community. It is important that we mentor and show our youth that there is more to life than the streets. Mentorship molded me into the man I am today. Without it I would still have doubts about what I can accomplish. The guidance I had as a youth opened my eyes to something far bigger than myself; they taught me not to be a cancer to society but be a contributor to it. That is why organizations like TDI are important.

To young brothers with dreams of moving upward and onward toward the illuminating light of intrinsic progress and a raised existence, this book is expressly dedicated! I speak from a biblical sincerity when I say that what you read here from, TDI, is truly what you get! For more than 20 years I, too, have been awestruck by their commitment of spirit, deeply rooted convictions and this experiential road map that has the power to transform lives. Thank you, TDI–deeply from the souls of our ancestors for accepting the mantle of “each one, reach one” to offer this treasure of hope for one of our greatest community resources…our Black Princes! To this great endeavor I say, “Ase ‘my prolific brothers…..Ase’!

There are 107 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States, including public and private institutions, community and four-year institutions, medical and law schools. Even though the historical intent was to provide higher education opportunities for African Americans who could not afford to attend the most affluent state schools, most HBCUs were not and have not been given a sufficient amount of state dollars to keep these schools funded year to year. That’s the bad news. The good news is HBCUs’ much like the people they serve, find a way to survive and educate their alumni at a very high prestigious standard.

Which leads me to It Was all a Dream, written by the men of TDI (Turning Dreams Into Realities). This is a book by men who are the product of Alabama State University, an HBCU that framed their individual personalities as well as developed a long-term friendship that ultimately created a nonprofit business built on developing young men and women all across the country. A common theme with all of the personal narratives is the men’s personal desires to be great, a greatness that comes from the ability to navigate adverse situations to a point of long-term success.

Greatness and pain are often inseparable. Every time those adverse moments are described from one chapter to another, each author reminds us that we waste our mistakes and disappointments when we fail to learn from them. When we lose sight of our goals and vision, we miss the opportunity to change, grow, and move forward into an increased “Greatness” capacity.

Johnny Stephens
Grassroots Consulting LLC, CEO

Before the year even began, 1972 promised to be momentous. Because it was a leap year, two leap seconds were added to the year, making it 366 days, the longest year in modern history—something that has not been repeated since. The year also yielded groundbreaking highs as well as controversial lows.

President Richard Nixon ordered the development of a space shuttle program. However, in June 1972, there was a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC—later known as the Watergate scandal—which resulted in a government cover-up and led to Nixon’s disgrace and to his resignation two years later. The last draft lottery was held in 1972, a watershed moment in the wind-down of military conscription in the United States during the Vietnam War era; and political activist, scholar, and author Angela Davis was released from jail and later found not guilty of murder.

The first installment of the Godfather trilogy was released in theaters, and HBO (Home Box Office) was launched as the longest continuously operating pay television service in the country. To end the year, Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt participated in the last manned moon mission to date aboard the Apollo 17 spacecraft.

That same year, Christopher Wallace—later known as Biggie Smalls, “the King of New York”—was born in Brooklyn, New York, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Although he started out as a small-time drug dealer, he would one day become one of the greatest rappers in music history. According to his classic hit “Juicy,” he went from negative to positive, changed from a common thief to a successful entertainer, broke the stereotypes of what black men could aspire to be, and learned to live life without fear. Smalls credited all his success to his ability to dream. His lyrics inspired our own dreams.

This book is our story, a chronicle of the lives of 11 African American men from the South who had dreams of becoming successful and changing the way we were perceived because of the color of our skin. Now we are focused on giving back to young people all over the country through our nonprofit organization, Turning Dreams Into Realities, Inc. (TDI).

We share an appreciation for education, relationships, partying, family, success, music, and most importantly a dedication to our dreams. What is the key to our success? Our D.R.E.A.M.S. (Dedication, Relationships, Execution, Attitude, Motivation, and Sacrifice).

We invite you to join us in helping to transform the dreams of other young African American college students through scholarships, mentoring, and professional development by making a tax-deductible contribution. Visit us at www.tdi2r.org.

As I sit in the pulpit at Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Phenix City, Alabama, I think about how I got here. After all the outrageously wrong things I have done, how did I go from where I used to be to where I am now? I realize that I am a story that is not yet complete; and the story is filled with good days and bad, but I have more good days than bad days. As I flash back to my past, I begin to recall the many people and events that have pushed me into my destiny.

Many of the people in the Knoxville area of Talladega, Alabama, lived in poverty, whether they knew it or not. During the late sixties early seventies, many didn’t have running water at home, not to mention washers and dryers, so they had to go to wash houses—or, as we called them in Talladega, washeterias. It was just such a washeteria that came to mind when I was thinking of my past.

Pretty ninth-grader Brenda Glover was washing clothes at a washeteria with her grandmother Gussie Mae Glover. Gussie Glover had raised Brenda pretty much as her own child. One day, a young handsome man drove by and saw Brenda and her beautiful legs. He was fit and trim and had curly black hair. They were instantly attracted to each other. Clement Truss decided that day that Brenda would be his, so he pursued her relentlessly. Clement worked at Talladega Foundry, a local mill; and he thought he was on top of the world.

Brenda agreed to a date with Clement, and they became a passionate couple in love. While Brenda was ambitious, Clement was a hardheaded rebel who believed in little—but what he did believe in, he stood by it. If Gussie would not allow him to see Brenda, Clement would angrily speed out of her yard, knocking down her mailbox! But although he was a rebel with his own set of rules, he also was very smart and knew how to make amends. Usually, by the next day, he had returned to Gussie’s and fixed her mailbox.

Clement soon won Brenda over, and the couple was married. Soon they discovered they were expecting a child. Unfortunately, their relationship was already a little rocky, filled with passionate verbal and sometimes physical fights. They were young and temperamental, and money was tight.

To complicate the couple’s woes, they were unhappy living in Talladega, believing that the town just wasn’t the right fit for them. Brenda adamantly proclaimed that her child could not be born in Talladega; he had to be born somewhere else. So after much discussion, Clement and Brenda decided they would start their new lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Brenda desperately wanted her child to be born in a place filled with hope and opportunity, so the Trusses headed east.

In 1972, Atlanta seemed to be bursting with opportunities, and it quickly became a place of hope for many African Americans. Soon after the Trusses arrived, Brenda gave birth to me, Brencleveton Donta Truss—a baby with a unique name (which came from putting together the names of my mother, Brenda; my father, Clement; and my grandfather, Cleveland). More importantly, Brenda and Clement believed that I would become president of the United States or the CEO of a large company. To them, my name, Brencleveton, sounded presidential, while my middle name, Donta, was added so somebody could pronounce at least part of my name.

I was a peculiar child from a peculiar background. By this time, my parents’ marriage was strained by my father’s temper and my mother’s relentless will. To try to provide a brighter future for our family, Dad enlisted in the Army and left for basic training. Mom, deciding that she did not want to be dependent on anyone while Dad was away, enlisted in the Army, too. Compared to the availability of low-paying jobs at the time, the military offered a much better opportunity, especially for African Americans.

Though joining the Army solved their employment issues, it didn’t solve my parents’ marital and family problems. Their military duties left them little time to navigate the responsibilities of their young family. Just getting a babysitter for me was a challenge, so they sent me to Talladega to live with my great-grandmother Gussie.

I loved my grandmother and cherished all the time I spent with her. Every night, Grandmother Gussie and I would go to a different church. As a child, that was like having a different adventure every night! I was delighted by the joyful singing and being able to play with the other children. I enjoyed hearing the different hymns and listening to various pastors preach in the country churches we visited.

After four years in the military, my parents returned to Talladega, where they both worked at the Anniston Army Depot. Their new jobs gave them more financial security than they had ever had before, but money was still tight. They moved to a two-bedroom trailer that they purchased in Kentucky on land previously owned by Gussie and her husband, Randle, my great grandfather.

Randle, the patriarch of the Glover family, was a hard-working construction worker who helped build many steam plants and dams in Birmingham, Alabama; raised his children; and took in other children who needed care. His love and kindness and big heart continue to be a big part of the lives of members of the Glover family.

Never one to settle for anything less than the best, my mother demanded that Dad renovate a house they got from Grandfather Randle. Although they had better jobs and a place to live, unfortunately, acquiring the land in Talladega was the beginning of the end for my parents’ marriage.

At four years old, I was soon to experience a strange incident that would change the course of my life. My rambunctious cousin, four-year-old Katrina, and I decided to play with the keys to our grandmother’s new car. However, playing with the keys led to us starting the car and trying to drive! We blamed each other, but I’m the one—daring Donta—who concocted the plan to take the car for a joyride. We ended up ramming the car into our aunt’s trailer before Katrina jumped out of the car. After leaping from the car, she was run over but miraculously was unhurt. God was already watching over me.

After our dangerous first turn at the wheel, I got the first beat-down I can remember. Soon, I found myself in an all-white preschool so I could try to focus all of those persuasive and creative skills toward something good and not mischievous.

When I started school, I realized that I had a few talents that could not be ignored: I loved reading, and I loved girls. Reading became my way out of all the trouble I got into. In elementary school, I was placed in an advanced reading class that included the best and the brightest students. This was the most amazing class I had ever been in.

I developed my love of reading during the rockiest times of my parents’ marriage. When they argued, I would read one of our family encyclopedias. Before the Internet, encyclopedias held a special place of honor in most homes, especially in those of African Americans. I read these books from cover to cover, which made me believe I could learn and understand anything.

My love for girls coincided with my concern with my image and how others perceived me. I was athletic—or at least I thought so—and I had dimples that everyone seemed to love. I worked my athleticism and those dimples to the max, although both would later land me in trouble.

First crushes can be brutal, and my first crush was no exception. I liked the smartest and cutest little girl I had ever known, May Wilson. She was my all in all! However, she would never be my girlfriend, and I was better because of it. She made me work hard chasing her and showed me that I could be turned down.

While still in elementary school, I met a teacher who ended up becoming part of my family: Mrs. Georgia Goodwine. She was my toughest but best teacher during those years. She not only taught me in school, but she also was my Cub Scout leader. It was amazing that no men stepped up to handle the task, but it didn’t matter because she filled the gap. She was great, but it wasn’t just Mrs. Goodwine’s wisdom and intelligence that kept me in the Scouts. She also had a cute daughter!

During my years in the Cub Scouts, I developed a couple of attributes that would stay with me forever. These attributes were a commitment to complete a task and self-love. Mrs. Goodwine showed us that we must complete the task at hand, and she inspired me to have pride in myself.

I was also inspired by the relationship between Mrs. Goodwine and her son. It was similar to the relationship I had with my mother. Mrs. Goodwine had the type of relationship that challenged her son to be his best, and I always admired their relationship.

My own mother was my rock when I was growing up. She and I were like Batman and Robin because we were always together. She was outspoken and ambitious, so she attended a community college and earned a two-year degree in mental health. She went to school part-time while working a full-time job. She did her internship at a convalescent center, and I was with her the whole time. I am very proud of her academic accomplishments.

My father is one of the hardest-working men I know. I loved him for that. He taught me his work ethic as well as how to be a man. He was respected and feared because of his matter-of-fact attitude. He could also be somewhat mean at times; but I knew that despite that, he had my back. He has always been a gap-filler for me. When I was younger, I was afraid of him. In many ways this was good because I avoided trouble, but it caused me to miss a lot of good years of learning from him because I just wanted to do what he asked and stay out of his way. He was still a good dad.

By the time I got to middle school, I had found a new love: football. I loved the sport, and I was good at it. I was fast and tough, and I used football to heal the pain from my home life and my parents’ rocky relationship. Football taught me many life lessons, including being part of a team and doing my part to ensure the team’s success. I even won the MVP award during that time.

My coach, Coach Odell, was an amazing leader, and he played a major role in my life. Sometimes, I think he believed in me more than I believed in myself. He was a football genius who gave up his time to coach some young knuckleheads in the small town of Lincoln, Alabama. He taught us never to give up, and we believed that we could beat anybody. He also instilled in us that practice does make perfect.

It was during my time on the football team that I became close friends with Ryan Dawson and Darrell Pearson. We were ride or die! They taught me about friendship, and I would have done anything for them. They were committed to being the best in the game.

One day, while hanging out with Ryan and Darrell, I saw a girl named Latina. She was cute but had an edge. If you’re from the country, you might have called her “fast.” Latina was younger than me, but she was a slick-talker and clearly more experienced than I was. It was my first real love!

In my own middle-school way, I loved Latina. She knew what to say and how to say it, and it didn’t hurt that she also knew how to kiss. She was a cheerleader, so I would see her at our football games. We also went on Educational Talent Search trips together. Educational Talent Search is a federally funded program that helped people from low-income homes to go to college and be successful. The program made it possible for us to go on culturally enriching trips.

When I found out Latina was going on a college tour, I quickly registered for the trip. On the day of the trip, I showed up excited and ready to go, but Latina was nowhere to be found. I was so upset!

Without Latina, our group traveled to Alabama State University. At first, I thought I was not going to like the school, but I quickly realized that this was a different world. I was less than 100 miles from home, but I discovered a new world and my future home. The day I arrived on campus, I saw girls wearing their Greek colors: pink and green, red and white, and blue and white. I knew I was in heaven. I had never seen this many black people in my life, and they all looked prosperous!

Then we saw guys dancing. They were dressed in their colors, red and white, and brandished their canes while they danced. Later, I discovered that they were “stepping,” or step-dancing, which is popular at many Greek shows. These brothers were as smooth as ice. I knew at that moment I wanted to be just like them. The dream had started!

Growing up, it seems everything in my life was centered around Sycamore Missionary Baptist Church. My best mentors came from that church: Mrs. Christine Gaddis; Mrs. Callie Mae Brock; and Pastor Montgomery, who was also an Alabama State University graduate. It was through these dedicated people that I viewed the world, and they were always around to provide guidance for me along life’s path.

During my time at Sycamore, I was in many Christmas plays and Sunday school activities. My mother kept me in church, and I enjoyed being there because there were always girls there; but little did I know that being in church was the beginning of a life-long journey.

God and I went through so many issues along the way—some are too devastating to mention. I found myself in situations where I was certain I was going to lose, but God kept me and allowed me to survive. On many occasions, I told God that if He got me out of a particular situation, I would not do it again. Later, I would find myself right back in that same situation, but God still kept me. I didn’t always understand why, but God protected me.

While I was in middle school, my favorite teacher was Mr. Freddie Brown. Mr. Brown was the man, and I wanted to be just like him. I rode in his Nissan 280z when he took me to a science fair competition at Talladega College. I hated science at that time and had the most awful science project to take to the fair, but my consolation prize was to ride in Mr. Brown’s car while my friends rode in a van.

Mr. Brown knew about my difficult home life, so he was doing what he could to encourage me. My parents were going through a divorce, and I needed as much positive motivation as I could get. He told me I had potential and said that there was something about me that would take me to the next level. He said that no matter what happened, I should keep pushing forward and never sit still.

Though he was encouraging, Mr. Brown was also tough on me, accepted no excuses, and challenged me mentally. Not only did he teach me to express myself verbally, he also sharpened my reasoning skills by questioning my rationale. He inspired me to be the best.

Even his car motivated me. I wanted to be able to afford a car like Mr. Brown, and I knew I had to work hard to do it. He was an amazing blessing in my life because he gave back when he didn’t have to. He taught me the power of mentorship and how important it is to be excellent. For those reasons, Mr. Brown became a superstar in my life.

Freshman year at Talladega High, I was the man! I had a whole world of opportunities in front of me. Unfortunately, I didn’t always make the best choices. I had a chance to choose an advanced degree, but because of peer pressure I decided not to enter the advanced degree program. This would prove to be the first of many mistakes I made during my time in high school. Looking back, it seems as if I was determined to sabotage any chances for success I might have had.

It’s hard to believe that students were asked to make such weighty decisions at such a young age. Many students were coming from backgrounds where even their parents weren’t equipped to make such decisions for their children. Most parents believed that if their children chose the advanced degree program and their GPAs were low, that would cause them not to graduate with their class. So students were encouraged, many by their families, to avoid the honors program. Fortunately for me, I still took many of the classes I needed for college.

Though I didn’t shoot for the stars with the advanced degree program, I still did well, and my high school years were filled with drama and fun. Most of my troubles related to my curfew, though. My mother demanded that I be home around 11:00 P.M. I hated curfew. In fact, during my senior year, my mother and I argued about my curfew. (My real motivation for a later curfew involved my girlfriend, who could stay out until 1:00 A.M.) I took a stand and told her that if she didn’t allow me a more generous curfew, I would not go to school.

After my tantrum, my spitfire of a mother was as angry as I’d ever seen her. She ordered me to get in the car, and we drove to the Talladega police station. Before I knew it, I was behind bars and talking to the biggest, meanest criminal I had ever seen!

This man told me about how bad it was in jail and how I didn’t want to end up as his girlfriend. I was scared to death! He also mentioned that because he didn’t get an education, it cost him many opportunities.

As scared as I was, I was also thinking that my mother had lost her mind. I didn’t think I had done anything to make her put me in jail with this maniac of a criminal. However, I realized at that moment what it would mean to my mother for me to graduate from school. She had taken a stand in life for me, and she was not going to allow me to mess up my chance to get an education.

I left that jail a different person. From that point on, I made sure I was home by 11:00—well before my curfew. That day, my mother taught me that drastic situations call for drastic measures. Sometimes you have to fight like hell to make your point and achieve your goal. She wanted to show me what could happen to me if I didn’t get my diploma; and her goal was to get me through school and show my father that even though they were divorced, her only child was going to make it, no matter what happened. She would tell anyone that I was going to make it some way, somehow!

However, even my mother’s best efforts didn’t stop all of the life-changing things that would happen to me. One day, I was summoned to my girlfriend’s sister’s house. I knew the meeting was serious when I saw the look in my girlfriend’s eyes.

At 19, I was getting ready to start college, but I was also going to be a father. My timing couldn’t have been any worse. I had dreams for my future, and now I thought my life was over even before it began. What I didn’t know was that the beginning of a life would ultimately change my life.

Soon, I welcomed into the world my daughter, Kayla Donielle. Her arrival forced me to grow up quickly. I would have to work all during my college years, but it was the best thing for me. Her birth taught me responsibility and changed my life forever. Kayla is now a graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Actuarial Science and works and lives in New York. She is employed by New York Life Insurance as an Actuary Associate. God will work everything out!

I headed off to college with a group of guys who were determined to make it happen and to finish what we started. My Talladega crew included Tyrish (Pete) Garrett, Jeremy Spratling (the black Brad Pitt), Terrence Hall, Anthony Lewis, and Terrance Turner. We were not going to be dropouts and go back home—though you might not have known this during our first week on campus—but we hung out together and learned what it took to survive away from home for the first time.

One of my professors made a profound statement that I carry with me to this day: “In every situation, the cream always rises to the top.” For me, this means that you might not be the best in the beginning, but if you do the work, put the time in, and do what’s right, you will come to the top every time. This statement has become part of my personal philosophy.

One day, I met up with my group of Talladega friends. They were hanging out with some guys I didn’t know, but I soon discovered there was something about them I liked. They were go-getters just like I am. That day, I met Ramone Harper, Marc Desgraves, Bryant Spencer, and Herman Moncrief. As we got to know one another, it seems we were always getting together for one reason or another, and we always had meat on the grill and drinks in the fridge.

This group of friends would become known as TallaDallas. Some of us were as unpolished and rough around the edges as could be; but we were savvy enough to operate, even with limited exposure, and make it in a new world. Ramone, who was from Dallas, Texas, by way of Detroit, Michigan, led this new group. He hosted cookouts that went from just a few people to huge gatherings with hot girls, an incentive for any guy to drop by. With a newfound entrepreneurial spirit, we started to charge admission for the parties; and our company, TDI, was born.

Several years into my college career, I came into my own. As the father of a toddler, my student life was extremely busy. I worked a number of jobs while being in school full-time, so I had to be selective about the events I participated in because of my tight schedule. I maintained a 3.2 GPA, and my focus was razor-sharp; but my personal life was in disarray and filled with many distractions.

Academically, I found my schoolwork to be fairly easy to master, but personally I just couldn’t seem to settle down and focus. During that time, I was not such a good father, although I was taking care of my financial responsibilities; but it would take more time for me to become a better dad.