Convo with Kevin

Although my topics are deep and educational, I don't want to have people winking at me, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I engage the crowd and attempt to funny in the process. I share not only intergenerational struggles of black people but as a society as a whole. We all struggle from what we learn from our parents and other adults, my goal is to open the eyes to the one-sided view and break the cycle of trauma.

KEVIN R. COLLINS SR., is a Community Health Worker with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. He is currently a student at Arizona State University pursuing a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. He has a wife Keshia, six children, and eight grandchildren. His story starts in South Central Los Angeles during the 1970’s and 80’s. He didn’t run with the gangs; he ran from them. It was either fight or flight, he fought a few times, but he was a track star and never ran track. During the summer breaks his brother and him worked with their grandfather cutting yards. His grandfather told him stories of his ventures during the 1910’s to 1950’s while in Alabama. He began studying the time periods his grandfather spoke of through the encyclopedia’s they had at his grandparents’ home. At a young age, he learned that some people truly hate him because of his skin color, and some people who look like him hate him as well. This led him to trying to understand why we as black hate each other. College and working for LACDMH opened him to further studying Intergenerational Trauma and its effect on African American Blacks and what are somethings we can do to come out of this. The lessons learned in his study took him back to one conclusion, misunderstanding or lack of understanding can become hatred. Most black people hate themselves and don’t even know it or know why. This hatred is fueled by the television and movies which portrayed them as, slaves, dumb, jobless, drug dealer, killers, etc., it all becomes the reality some African American Blacks live.

In a large room I will need a microphone, we can discuss the need for a screen but I can always provide my presentations with or without it.