Justin Turner’s Post

Apologies for the long post, however as we close #BlackHistoryMonth, this post is near and dear to me. Being from the Deep South (Huntsville, Alabama), I am a direct descendant of slavery. I was fortunate to have my Great Grandmother, Rosie French, in my life until I was 30 and she was 110 years old at her transition. Rosie was a sharecropper and picked cotton for $1/week well into the 1940s. I used to be in awe at her stories. Her daughter, Mildred Turner, was my grandmother and one of the first black school teachers in a newly segregated school system in Limestone County, Alabama. She fought through numerous death threats for simply wanting to teach children, regardless of the color of their skin. It was her passion and she fought passionately to teach kids whose parent's threatened her life for it. That’s my father’s side. On my mother’s side, her parents packed up at 18 years old as newlyweds, left Decatur, Alabama, and fled north to Kokomo, Indiana, to find employment in the automotive industry. Alabama in the late 50s-early 60s just wasn’t a great place to be for people of color for obvious reasons. My grandparents ended up becoming plant managers and general foremen, a huge accomplishment today but especially in the 1960s and 70s for African Americans (they were really good bowlers too!). Alongside my mother and many others, these are the influences that raised me. They taught me forgiveness, compassion, and humility. They taught me hard work. They taught me to dream big, and although they are no longer with us, I’d hope they’d be proud of my accomplishments. From small town Alabama to Southern California. From dispatcher to Executive. I truly believe I am my ancestors wildest dreams. My Journey has not come without its own challenges but I am thankful. I truly am blessed. Lastly, the photo is of my grandmother Mildred (the school teacher), whom I miss dearly, that forced me to go to college. Growing up, I loved music but she thought I'd be good in business. Maybe she was on to something... As we close Black History Month, Will Jenkins Calvin Blackmon and I chose to tell our story. Check us out on the Choppin’ It Up Podcast. Link in the comments.