An interview with Free Minds member Keonte, by Dalton, Free Minds Communications Intern. This interview was originally published in Volume 13, Issue 3 of the Free Minds Connect .
For this reentry profile, we had the opportunity to speak with Free Minds member Keonte. Despite being one of our younger members at only 21 years old, Keonte has done a lot of thinking about big questions, from his personal values and life goals to the sort of legacy he wants to leave behind for generations to come. Our conversation reveals the importance of groundedness and perspective, and demonstrates the outsize positive impact this young man is already making, and will no doubt continue to make, on those around him.
So, Keonte, tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where do you call home?
At first I was going to say DC, but I was raised down in Maryland, in Prince George’s and Charles Counties. But DC is always going to be home for me.
Can you share a bit about what you’re up to these days?
Man, pretty much a little bit of everything. I’m working on starting a new organization called We Are the Streets Foundation to promote community activism. But what’s on my mind right now is writing a memoir. I want to take what I’ve experienced and put it on the page, and share it with people. So that’s what’s on my mind a lot.
Speaking of your story, the theme for this Connect is Ancestors, and I’m wondering about what you think about ancestors, family and home. Do you feel a strong connection to these things, in terms of where you’re at now and where you’re going in the future?
That’s a good question. One day when I was incarcerated in DC jail, I was reading this book called African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. I was reading it, and I was learning a whole lot of things about African American history, and I was really perplexed, so I did some more research. I was learning things about life in Africa and about the cultures and traditions that I had never known before, and I really grew a new open mind to the topic. I read about the Civil Rights Movement and all the great idols associated with those times, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Maya Angelou. The list goes on and on, but that’s when I really learned about what these people went through and the struggles for us just to have simple rights that are very much so overlooked nowadays. I resonated with it, and I internalized these people’s lessons, and I vowed to continue on their legacy. So, to answer your question, when I think about the people that came before me, even my immediate family, it’s like I’m not doing this for me. I’m doing this for them. I’m doing this for my life purpose, yes, but ultimately, for all people in America and the world facing struggles.
That’s really powerful. What would you say is your biggest goal in life, and what sort of legacy would you want to leave behind for future generations?
I want to be a role model for people. Living in contemporary society, it’s not easy to live even a halfway decent life with so many negative influences. I want to leave a legacy that said I carried on the torch and I left it to someone else or to others that were going to carry it on and make things even better for their descendants. I want to instill that same mentality, that things can be a struggle, and we can maybe make some people angry, but that it’s all for justice, for moving forward.
That reminds me a lot of what Congressman John Lewis said about “good trouble,” right? That’s a great legacy.
Yeah, you want to talk about a role model, an idol, he’s the epitome of that. Like he said, it’s okay to get into certain trouble, certain conflicts for the right reason, and to know that you’re not alone doing that.
I love that. Now, one final question: what in your life is your proudest accomplishment? We’ve talked about how you want to be remembered in the future, but what about right now?
I think my greatest intrinsic achievement is that I found myself. I found out who I really am, and I grew to love myself. I used to think everyone has to look at me like I’m this cool person. Everyone has to like me. But now, I don’t really care about it at all; I live for me, genuinely. So that’s my biggest achievement, just finding out who I am and living in that space. And I think this shows up in my other achievements. I did a couple semesters with Georgetown when I was incarcerated with a 4.0, got my GED as valedictorian, passed all my tests on the first try. And I think that’s all correlated with my greatest achievement, because I wouldn’t have done any of those things had I not really made that paradigm shift.
That’s all really incredible, and I think really shows your commitment both to yourself and to bettering the world around you. Is there any final message you’d like to leave Connect readers with?
I definitely want to say to find yourself first. Find out who you really are. Do some soul searching and introspection, because you’ve got to know yourself to know where you’re going. And it’s okay if you’re still trying to figure it out, because everyone finds themselves at different points of life, but you’re not going to feel fulfilled in what you’re doing if you’re not in touch with that. All the rest falls into place.
Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America. – Congressman John Lewis