Houston’s extraordinary elders share wisdom
I have encountered many amazing African American senior citizens in the Houston area who have focused their lives on helping and sharing their wisdom with others. Unfortunately, only those who have met these individuals in person have benefited from their influence. Most of these elders have no online presence and are relatively unknown. That’s why filmmaker Marc Newsome and I created
The Extraordinary Elders Film Project, which seeks to address this problem by sharing their amazing life stories through the medium of a short-form documentary. Younger folks interviewed elders of Black and Indigenous communities of Houston, like Dr. Thomas F. Freeman, the professor, founder and former head coach of the TSU debate team. The stories of these elders and their conversations with Houston youth will continue to be influential to future generations beyond the scope of their immediate presence and life spans.
More importantly, this project promotes intergenerational relationships. Intergenerational bonds are needed today just like in the past — it’s what sustained African Americans despite the challenges that we faced. Gentrification and efforts to rebrand the stories of these neighborhoods by outside influences are nothing new. Developers with no community ties who try to rename Third Ward to the Museum District or Midtown have no concern for our elders’ contributions that span decades.
The documentary series is a vital collaborative project that records the historical achievements of native Houstonians for future generations who are unaware of the richness that exists in their home town. We recorded responses about their lives and the wisdom they want to pass once gone.
John Wilkerson, 87, was born in San Antonio and was a brilliant and talented athlete. He started playing baseball and then found his passion in tennis, in addition to being an Army veteran. Many melanin-dominant men who fought and represented the United States armed forces on the front lines ultimately lost body parts, died or returned as veterans who developed severe depression, numbing themselves with street narcotics. But Coach John didn’t have that outcome. Instead, he taught and played tennis while stationed in Germany, and prior to leaving for the Army he had a full scholarship from Prairie
View A&M. Upon returning he got a full scholarship from Texas Southern University.
He shortly found another passion for mentoring young people life lessons of respect, integrity and etiquette by teaching youth the importance of playing tennis at MacGregor Park in Third Ward. There he met and coached retired international professional tennis legends Lori McNeil and Zina Garrison. For the documentary project, he was interviewed by 12-year-old Inaya Maughan. Maughan was one of his students at the Zina Garrison Academy, which continues to this day.
In the interview, Coach John stated, “I love kids and when I get to work with kids and help them develop.” As an educator I could truly relate to that statement. However, when Maughan asked him what he does for a living his response still rings in my mind to this day. Coach John replied, “I teach tennis, that’s all I do, I never had a job in my life.
And the reason I say that is because I love tennis and when it’s something you love it’s not a job. A job is something when you get up, you don’t want to go and you can’t wait to leave. Now I’m just the opposite. I can’t wait to get here, and they have to make me leave. I have been blessed, and I tell everybody to find something you love and you will never have a job.”
Maughan learned during the interview that the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, were her age when their father brought them to meet Coach John, who shared some tennis tips and got to experience their abilities. But more importantly, she learned from him that girls are strong. The father of two daughters, Coach John said women are not treated fairly in society, and it’s not right, but it makes them tougher. Maughan, who has a younger sister, could relate. Her eyes lit up when Coach John shared his slogan, “Your attitude is your altitude.” The intergenerational exchange left her with a timeless lesson: She should respect all people and have the right attitude despite whatever challenges she faces, show love and be happy. That’s the gospel according to Coach John.
Marc Newsome contributed to this op-ed. Newsome, a filmmaker, and Peters-Maughan, an activist for women’s empowerment and founder of WHEW Women
Healing & Empowering Women 501(c)(3) reentry program, are creators of The Extraordinary Elders Film Project, an episodic short-form documentary web series where youth are taught interview skills and then paired with community elders to record their profound stories.