YouSaid · the spoken record

Nneka Jones Tapia

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68
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2018-07-02
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2018-07-02
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  1. “It's about two thirds white, one third, I mean, one third African American, the living spaces are pretty much segregated. But because the town is so small, you know, there was a lot of communing in the community. And so, you know, at their local grocery store, we would see each other. You know, it never made sense to me why he was targeted. You know, I can tell you my dad was very outspoken. You know, not only was he Afrocentric in the home, but my dad's door had the red, black, and green flag flying from it. You know, he was. People knew what he stood for.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  2. “Know, I don't know, I really don't, the town where we grew up, you know, it's like I said, it's pretty small. Everyone knows everyone.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  3. “Carelli, she used to make sure that I could stay after school with her, and she used to always give me a butterscotch as I helped her clean up her classroom. You know, those are the hours of the day, those after school hours. Where children really need that support And they offered it.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  4. “Well, I played sports. I played sports and I had a softball coach, Mr. Oakley. And we never really talked about what happened with my dad, but he made sure that I made it to softball practice. He would come and pick me up and his pickup truck and me, him and his daughter would ride the softball practice. That meant something to me because one, I was a part of a team. And two, I had someone else looking out for me. I always knew my family was going to look out for me, but to have this person who didn't know me to reach back and say, I'm going to do all I can to help you because I see some potential in you, that was incredible to me and very meaningful. There were many other people like that, but he stood out teachers. I always excelled academically, but there were some teachers that really took to me. So one teacher, Miss Ray.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  5. “I didn't have the anger towards my dad because I always felt this closeness with him. No matter where he was, whether he was incarcerated or he was at the home, we always had this bond. And I'm the baby of the family. And so I think that meant something to me. But my anger was more towards the adults, the other adults. I wasn't really angry with the children. Even at eight years old, I recognized that adults should have handled the situation better. And, you know, if it wasn't for the protection I had of my family bonds, I think that would have had a greater impact on me.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  6. “The people around me made a difference. So, one, I'll tell you about the negative impact. There were so many children my age as well as adults said but true that would taunt me and my siblings because they knew that my father was incarcerated. You know, they would say things like, you're never going to be anything. They wouldn't let adults wouldn't let their children play with my sister and I because we were the younger ones and they would openly tell us why. So, you know, that was a shameful experience. Yes, yes. And from”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  7. “No, no, I mean, I would update him on school. I was always so proud to show him my grades. He was always so proud of the grades that all of us had. And then we would leave time for my parents to engage. And they had a little playground near the picnic benches where all of the families would sit. And I remember playing on the playground.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  8. “Was in a state correctional facility, and times were much different than. So this was the 80s. And you could take food into the prison. And I mean, this is the strength of my mother. She would work two and three jobs and still come home. And on Saturday evening, cook dinner so that we could pack it up in picnic baskets and take it to the prison. Every Sunday we had dinner with my father and my brother was the driver.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  9. “Know throughout it all, he just kept saying that everything was going to be okay. I think it was important for him, for us to remain calm. I don't think he was calm, although that's what he portrayed to us. Of course, it's upsetting to him to have to leave his family. And then on top of that, to have your two daughters To see you being taken away. I couldn't imagine having that experience. You know, we never talked about what that day meant to him, but we just made sure that we maintained the connection with each other. Because my brother and my sister were so much older than I was, my brother is 15 years older than I am. You know, it was important for me to have that bond with them so that in spite of my father not being there, I still had a very good support system.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  10. “Four, yes, incredible Know, you talk about traumatic. That was, and again, for me to be 40 years old now in that picture to resonate in my mind so vividly, I know how that experience really molded me.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  11. “Yeah, I don't know the specifics of it. But when I talk to him, he tells me that it was turned out to be a possession. He ended up spending two years in prison.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  12. “No, no. My sister and I stayed at the house, and I remember just staying planted on the couch, watching all of this unfold. And it wasn't something where they put my father in the car because they thought he would flee or they thought he was violent. No, they let him ride his bike home. So that tells you, you know, that it wasn't a grave situation where they felt like they should have approached her house with rifles. So my dad rode his bike back to the house and I watched the officers just search our whole home. And then they searched my dad. And, you know, he kept looking at me and telling me everything is okay. He stayed calm through the whole incident. And I, oddly enough, was calm too. And so my sister and I just sat there and watched them take my father away.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  13. “And so we answered the door, and it was officers armed with rifles, and they said they were looking for my father. He wasn't home at the time, so we let them know where he was. They went to get him.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  14. “Yes. So actually, even a few times before I was eight, my father was incarcerated. But oddly enough, I don't really remember those times. The one time, the last time that he was incarcerated, that's the time that stands out in my mind. I was in the third grade. I was eight years old. I remember being at home, sitting on the couch. because the double Y trailer had aluminum siding, you know, you could hear things outside pretty eagerly. And so One point, people started beating on all sides of the house. So, of course, it scared me. I'm eight years old. Yeah. Luckily, my sister was there with me, who is six years my senior. So she was about. 14 at the time.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  15. “Yes, yes, yes. She was a dialysis nurse. And I remember many times going to work with her and helping other nurses. And, you know, she was always in the helping profession. And so I think that's what really inspired me to really go into a helping profession as well.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  16. “There in Grifton. So, my dad is an asthmatic, and so he would have a lot of difficulty working in different environments because his asthma would flare up. So then he started to just create his own statues. And they were usually African statues of black Jesus or Black prayer hands, things like that, and sold them. In fact, my mom and I used to help him sell them at local flea markets”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  17. “And so he painted the walls in these, you know, rich colors. And so when you walked in the house, you just felt like you were not in a low income environment. And then when you walk into the front door, you were greeted by a large frame picture of a black Jesus. So, you know, my dad, it was important for him to even name me an Afro-centric name. So my name is Nigerian. And it means my mother is supreme. So for his daughters, he wanted us to understand that we were princesses and he wanted us to appreciate where we came from and our culture. And yeah.”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  18. “Grifton, Grifton, North Carolina. So it's a pretty small town in eastern North Carolina. Population of about 2,500 individuals. You know, it's about one and a half square miles altogether, so pretty small one stoplight, one grocery store. I grew up there. the product of a mother and a father who really cared about you know making sure that their children had exposure to Afrocentric things and it was pretty interesting that at the time I didn't recognize that we came from a low income family but looking back on it now we were low income We lived in a double wide trailer. My dad, though, was pretty artistic. Robert. Robert C. Jones. They call him RC lovingly”

    2018-07-02 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 256 — Nneka Jones Tapia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source