by John Reid

“History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history-” James Baldwin.

Dr. Tom Alexander Jr. understands the importance of not only learning Black history but also teaching it. His journey has taken him from serving on the battlefield, to the classroom, and to the ministry. Now, he is taking on a new assignment, one in which he seeks to share what he has learned with others through The Grio Project. He met with the PW Perspective to discuss his vision for the documentary series he’s currently producing.

So, what was his inspiration for creating The Grio Project?

“I was about 7 or 8 years old, and in my hometown of Kone Hill, in Brandon, Mississippi,” he said. “I would sit under a gentleman named Mr. Tom. He would tell me stories of his life, and two things that always stuck out with me: how he grew up in a segregated town, and another was to never let your anger get the best of you.”

“He was at a juke joint,” he continued, “and he got into an argument with another gentleman when he went outside and shot him. As a result, he had to go to jail for a long time. He told me not to let anger take control, and it inspired me.”

He talked about the importance of those stories helping him understand the need to share them with others.

“As I’ve gone through the military and back to my hometown, there were so many stories I wanted to tell. Also, as an educator I have met so many people in the older African-American generation, and I realized their stories are not being told. When they pass away, their stories go with them, which is how I started the Grio Project.”

For those who may not know what a griot is, he explained its significance in the culture.

“A Griot is an African storyteller,” he said. “Some tell stories through music, others verbally, and they passed down the myths, legends and traditions to the next generation so they would remain with us.”

“Mr. Tom was my griot, and we especially need them now to be told. As an educator and youth pastor, I have connected with several young people and they don’t know what questions to ask, so the project helps create that space to share history.”

The Grio Project will be a series of short documentary films. He explained how its bite-sized approach will help students learn the history of their elders.

“In education,” he said, “you only get so much time to capture their attention. With The Grio Project, it is a documentary series that is approximately ten minutes each. The platform is where they can see, hear and engage to pull away some things which can capture their attention.”

“We have to create the space and mechanisms to reach them. Talking to students for 45 minutes, that’s old school mentality, so you have to break it up in chunks. Students will come back and say they learn a lot from my classes, so I know they’ll be able to learn from the Grio Project.”

“Similar to the stories Mr. Tom told me,” he continued, “I took away a few points that always stayed with me, and I hope the same will be for those who watch.”

“I have always loved sitting and hearing people who have experienced life a lot more than I have. As I’ve gone through college, been in combat in Iraq, a lot of those individuals remained with me. It’s about hearing their voices and seeing their faces through those stories.”

The key for getting those stories was to have buy-in from people he knew.

“It was through establishing relationships.” he said. “I met Deacon Carroll Braxton (who was a Marine Master Sargeant) at First Baptist Church in Manassas. He’s one of the first African-Americans to integrate the Marine Corps at Montford Point, North Carolina.”

From 1942 to 1949, approximately 20,000 African American men were admitted to the Marine Corps. With segregation in place, they trained at a separate base at Montford Point.

“Back in Mississippi,” he recalled, “everyone was called ‘cousin’ [laughs], and what they would say, it wasn’t captured, so I want to create this project so we could get as many people on as possible.”

While he is putting together The Grio Project, he also has an organization called the Alexander Education Foundation, introducing students to rural life. “I have noticed that a lot of young people aren’t exposed to fishing, hunting, horseback riding, or farming,” he said. “Some people say that’s associated with slavery, but being out in the rural environment gives them the opportunity to experience things they may not have seen before. I own a few horses myself, and our church has the Barnabas Garden.”

“I have three sons,” he continued, “and if you talk to them, they’ll say that we’ve ridden horses and done gardening. My oldest son says how doing that taught him a valuable work ethic.”

He said the advantage of The Grio Project is it gives space for a more inquisitive generation to be a part of the learning process.

“They’re the most intelligent, creative, and strong-willed generation we’ve had,” he said. “They will ask questions, and if we don’t answer them, someone else will.”

“If you think about what’s happening in educational institutions in places like Florida, Texas, etc. there are many other cultures who would say ‘lest we forget,’ because when we don’t share the good, bad, or ugly, our youth, and ultimately our cultures, will forget.”

Through The Grio Project, Tom hopes to use this as a launching point for continuous dialogue.

“The narrative about us is not great, and there’s so much we have done, and will continue to do.”

“One thing the Grio Project does is change the narrative, so as youth are seeing other things which took place, they can analyze it for themselves.”

Going forward, how will The Grio Project look? He talked about the ask for the vision to be complete.

“In its first phase,” he said, “there will be seven ten-minute documentaries, and this is where I am seeking support for the community. I began a Kickstarter project to raise $31,266 by April 3, I’m at $2000 currently.”

“I’m not making any money off of this,” he continued, “and the budget will include going to different places. One of my brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. contacted me about a gentleman in Ohio, who is 99 years old and helped developed the nuclear bomb. There is an older lady in Kentucky who taught in one-room schools, so I am hoping to meet with her as well.”

What will this mean for him personally?

“How it can impact our lives, and the lives of future generations. I’m hoping someone will talk about The Grio Project they way others talked about Roots.”

A special showing of the first documentary series with Master Sargeant Braxton will be on Sunday, March 10 at First Baptist Church in Manassas at 10:30am. You can find out more about The Grio Project and donate by visiting the website.