Kevin Jefferson, June 21, 2022

Kevin Jefferson, June 21, 2022

Kevin Jefferson describes their early life in the Lehigh Valley, personal relationships and coming to terms with their sexuality, and their pivotal non-profit work with Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley and Change Now.

Muhlenberg College Special Collections and College Archives

Muhlenberg College Special Collections and College Archives

2022-06-21

Copyright remains with the interview subject and their heirs.

video

LGBT-34

Mary Foltz

Kevin Jefferson

01:14:17

5.4 June 21, 2022 Kevin Jefferson, June 21, 2022 LGBT-34 1:14:17 LVLGBT-2022 Stories of Lehigh Valley LGBTQ+ Community Members (2022 - ) Muhlenberg College: Trexler Library Oral History Repository Support for the collection of this interview was provided by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). trexlerlibrarymuhlenberg Kevin Jefferson Mary Foltz video/mp4 JeffersonKevin_20220621_video_trimmed.mp4 1.0:|27(9)|64(10)|81(14)|102(4)|125(14)|148(6)|169(4)|192(4)|213(10)|234(13)|253(16)|276(3)|301(4)|322(2)|347(13)|368(10)|393(5)|414(17)|435(2)|456(14)|479(7)|498(17)|519(10)|540(16)|565(6)|582(7)|607(11)|632(4)|653(13)|674(2)|695(19)|718(7)|739(7)|758(2)|781(3)|800(8)|827(6)|844(10)|861(13)|884(10)|907(5)|928(8)|949(8)|966(15)|989(4)|1010(2)|1029(16)|1050(10)|1069(4)|1088(14)|1107(12)|1130(12)|1151(11)|1176(14)|1197(5)|1216(10)|1233(14)|1254(15)|1277(3)|1296(11)|1319(9)|1340(10)|1361(10)|1380(6)|1399(16)|1420(8)|1439(10)|1456(6)|1475(14)|1494(19)|1515(2)|1534(13)|1553(3)|1572(14)|1581(12) 0 https://youtu.be/AT-zqO7LZxQ YouTube video English 0 Interview Introductions MF: Well, my name is Mary Foltz, and I'm here with Kevin Jefferson to talk about his life and experiences in LGBTQ organizations in the Lehigh Valley. And this is a part of the Lehigh Valley LGBT Community Oral History Project. This year our project has funding from ACLS, and Kevin and I are meeting at Muhlenberg College today is June 21st, 2022. And I want to just start by saying thank you so much for meeting with us today.&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: I'm humble. Humble to be here.&#13 ; &#13 ; MF: I'm just thrilled that you're here. And to start, could you please state your full name and spell it for me?&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: My name is Kevin James Jefferson. That's K-E-V-I-N, J-A-M-E-S, J-E-F-F-E-R-S-O-N. 0 117 Upbringing&#13 ; KJ: Um, I grew up, there was five of us, I had four sisters, only boy. I was spoiled. Definitely. My, um, my mother. My mother really spoiled me. She did. A lot of my drive and motivation actually comes from her, and just our upbringing. My mom was a single mom. She definitely did her best. But there were times where we lived in shelters and things of that sort. 0 243 Growing up in Whitehall, PA&#13 ; MF: Describe the community where you grew up, was that..? &#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: I grew up, when I was a kid, about until I was about five. We lived in Florida till I was about five. Did move to Allentown for a little bit. But I can say, like when I was around six or seven, we moved to Whitehall and that's where I actually say I grew up because really, once we moved to Whitehall, the house that we lived in, we stayed in until graduation. So now I always say I'm from here. I lived here the most. Yeah. 0 508 Relationship with Mother KJ: And my mom was really good at those machine games where you put the quarter in and it drops down and picks-- the claw machine. And I think honestly, we spent like $15, but she made sure she got me that doll and like she never treated me different out there. I wanted the doll, [snaps] she got me the doll. So I just, I didn't know I was different. I didn’t. And she didn’t make me feel that way.&#13 ; &#13 ; I even have an older sister, who's a lesbian, and she came out to my mom, and my mom was doing the dishes when she came out to her. And my mom was just like “Yeah okay”, and like Deanna was like, “I'm serious, mom, I’m gay”. And my mom was like, “Yeah, I know. I like, I know these things”. So, I just remember her being really accepting. Even when I had to educate her on things like even… My mom was a white woman from New York. She had blue eyes, blond hair, a New York accent. You couldn’t tell she had mixed kids unless you met them. 0 769 Going to School in Whitehall / Friendships little bit about the Whitehall community. What was what was school like for you in Whitehall?&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: I was my mom's star child. They would say, they would say in their own words, they would just -- stop. My sister – My sisters they weren’t rough and stuff. It's just, I would say I'm more laid back, in a sense. Everyone knew Kevin for good reasons, and I never fought or anything like that. And I just remember the teachers would pull me aside and say, you know, you're your mom's star child. And anyone that knew Kevin, and I don't say this to gas me up. But they would smile because they had a funny story about Kevin. 0 1070 Coming to Terms with Sexuality MF: You said it was a long process to come into your gayness. Can you describe that process? &#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: Which is sad because I shared a room with my older sister. Well, first she tricked my mom into giving my room to pay rent, and I think she paid rent once. But whatever, I shared with my older sister, eventually. She's a lesbian stud. And there was a gay flag on the wall and stuff. I had a girlfriend for about five years, and at the time ; I don't know if this is TMI, but at the time, that's all I knew. So of course, I was, like, faithful and I really cared for her. I really did. 0 1282 Dating in Early 20s MF: You talk about -- so you kind of made this decision. Well then what? Where did you go in the Lehigh Valley to meet people or was there a process for you sort of like, I'm going to the Stonewall or I'm going…&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: You know what's sad and I hate to say this cause I was supposed to go there like when they were about to close, but I never been to Stonewall. I've been to, I've been to other gay bars in the Lehigh Valley, but I never experience like Diamonz or Stonewall, never got to experience that. But I've gone to Philly to gay clubs and stuff. And when I first came out of the closet and I knew, like, this is what I want, I don't know who I want and when, but this is what I want. I went into a gay bar and it did take some adjustment of like getting hit on. I was always the one like doing that. That was me and initiating and stuff and it took you used to but one once I got out there and I met the community and stuff, I actually got to see how beautiful our gay community is. 0 1565 Meeting Justan&#13 ; KJ: [...] But I met some good guys and stuff, but little did I know the love of my life lived in the same town as me, it just took a little while.&#13 ; &#13 ; MF: How did you meet? &#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: Oh, we met on an app called Badoo. I don't even know if the app still works now. And, I mean I’ll let him tell you what --, I can tell you from my perspective, he like, he didn't know if I -- because there were straight people on there, as well as lesbian, gay, and transgender. 0 1719 Work Life MF: We talked a little bit about -- I mean, I'm sure we'll talk more about Justan in quite a bit. But we talked about education. What happens to you sort of after you’re sort of moving through school? What is your work life like? We talked a little bit about your dating life, like what's happening in terms of your work life. And then I'm hoping we could kind of move towards your organizational...&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: Oh, yes. Okay. So my work life started when I was 16. I would help my mom, as well as my older sister, as we would all help with the bills and stuff. And I had a under-the-table, full time job, and then I had a part time job and I worked my butt off. I was 17, 16, turned 17, and I felt like working and stuff that helped ground me. 0 2130 Change Now KJ: And I think -- and I know we don't speak about it yet, but I think that's why we went official with Change Now. Instead of “Hey, we're going to go do a Thanksgiving meal at the men's shelter and stuff or we're going to drop [presents] off at the shelter”. We started something I feel that is beautiful, Change Now, and it's just the beginning and I see us doing really big things with that. We have an awesome team and I see the change that we're making in the community. It may be small to other people, but those accomplishments are big to us. Really big. &#13 ; &#13 ; MF: Tell me the story of Change Now. I mean, it's so clear that your mother is an inspiration. 0 2376 Change Now's Programs/Mission of Change Now KJ: Yeah, Justan can quote me on that, but I want to say we had it officially for two years. Now, our last event that we just did was Humankind Day last month. And where we provide it like toys, summer toys and stuff to the community, they didn't even have to get out their cars. You literally just stayed in your car and went stations and station and you were provided with -- We would just ask how many kids? And we had buckets, bubbles, chalk, games. And I love doing that -- working on Change Now, is something that I can do around the clock, and I feel like I kind of never get tired from it because it's honestly something I enjoy doing. And at these events with speaking with members of the community and stuff, or even one of our programs. 0 2739 Goals of Change Now MF: When you and Justan were talking about that, is that what you were imagining in that original conversation, this kind of organization with these wonderful, incredible gifts to our community, or has it passed, surpassed? &#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: Surpassed by far. I honestly couldn't imagine like it -- us accomplishing so much with Change Now, and just the friends that we've made with Change Now and stuff. I couldn't imagine not knowing them though. Anita and Luna come to mind, they're the one that's run SELF! Women's Reentry and they’re our sisters we have gone to Puerto Rico with them. We have cried with them. We failed with them, we've succeeded with them and stuff. And I just couldn't imagine my life without them. 0 3003 Structure of Change Now MF: Can I ask you a little bit about the structure Change Now, because I know you work a full time job and Justan works a full time job. How does the organization operate? Is it all volunteer or how do you keep it so successful, even when you're working full time?&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: We have -- and I have to thank our team, we have a tight circle. A lot of our volunteers are actually people that I've been personally work with. 0 3213 Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley MF: Can I ask -- so what is the relationship or is there a relationship between Change Now and then your work with Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley, putting up the page…?&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: We kept that separate, just because with nonprofits, you really don't want to get into politics and stuff and so we separated the two, but that didn't change our focus with the two. With the Black Lives Matters Lehigh Valley page, that page, like we do have a Change Now Facebook page, but the Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley page is the page that is really active. There are families in the community reaching out, whether it be question for assistance or, hey, did you see this article and stuff, and you want to stay on top of it. You don't want to keep these people leaving this page. 0 3553 Importance of Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley MF: I know you've passed the baton on, but I have a question about that origin story for Black Lives Matter, Lehigh Valley. I guess my question comes from, you know, it's a national movement. I mean, we can hear about organizations in different sort of major cities. Why was it important to start Black Lives Matter in Lehigh Valley here in Allentown? Like, you know, what is the important for you of having a local organization that's also sort of connected to the national conversation? 0 3844 Engagement to Justan/Visions for the Future 0 4179 Co-Parenting MF: So can I ask you, what's it like to be, as you are right now, a dad with Justan and with….&#13 ; &#13 ; KJ:. And I will say, our son, even though is a small case, he has autism. And I think when I first met him, I was like 21, 22, 22, became a stepdad and he had autism. And I only asked that question like, “do you have kids?” just to make conversation, I didn’t expect him to say yes. But honestly, being a step-parent I felt like is what I was meant to do and stuff. That -- just as Justan's my best friend, my partner, the person I trust, it's the same for his daughter and son. That's my family right there, I give them my heart. 0 4312 Closing Remarks MF: Well, we're nearing the end of the interviews, but I want to ask you, is there anything that we missed that you thought, oh, I really want to talk about that. Anything that you wanted to sort of talk about at the end? &#13 ; &#13 ; KJ: I would just say, let's -- it's nice that we talked how Black Lives Matter, I'm a Black man. But let's talk about more LGBTQ issues going on in the community and let's just talk more about it. 0 MovingImage Kevin Jefferson describes their early life in the Lehigh Valley, personal relationships and coming to terms with their sexuality, and their pivotal non-profit work with Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley and Change Now. MF: Well, my name is Mary Foltz, and I'm here with Kevin Jefferson to talk about his life and experiences in LGBTQ organizations in the Lehigh Valley. And this is a part of the Lehigh Valley LGBT Community Oral History Project. This year our project has funding from ACLS, and Kevin and I are meeting at Muhlenberg College today is June 21st, 2022. And I want to just start by saying thank you so much for meeting with us today. KJ: I'm humble. Humble to be here. MF: I'm just thrilled that you're here. And to start, could you please state your full name and spell it for me? KJ: My name is Kevin James Jefferson. That's K-E-V-I-N, J-A-M-E-S, J-E-F-F-E-R-S-O-N. MF: And would you be willing to share your birthday? KJ: Yeah. October 25th, ′91. MF: And before we started the interview, you and I went over a consent form. But I just want to go back through those questions. Do you consent to an interview today? KJ: Yes. Definitely. MF: And do you consent to having the interview transcribed and digitized and made publicly available online? KJ: Yes. Yes, I do. MF: And do you consent to the LGBT archive using your interview for educational purposes or in other formats like articles or on the website or presentations? KJ: Yes, I would love that MF: Thank you. And then we talked about after the interview is transcribed, I will send it to you, and you'll have 30 days after the electronic delivery of the transcript to review the interview. You can identify our parts that you want to delete, or you could withdraw the interview from the project. Was that clear to you? Did I make that clear? KJ: Yep. MF: Okay, great. So I think we can just go ahead and get started. KJ: Awesome. MF: So my first question for you would be just tell me a little bit about the early years of your life. KJ: Um, I grew up, there was five of us, I had four sisters, only boy. I was spoiled. Definitely. My, um, my mother. My mother really spoiled me. She did. A lot of my drive and motivation actually comes from her, and just our upbringing. My mom was a single mom. She definitely did her best. But there were times where we lived in shelters and things of that sort. So and I think that is why I started and my partner started doing what we do, to try to give back, especially in her honor. My mother passed away in 2020, but before that, she would even help me. I would go and get gifts and donate them for like a boy and a girl, donate them to the shelters each year and stuff, just to give back. Because I was that child. She let us make mistakes and she was really accepting, you know, like I never had the conversation with my mom, like, "Oh, I'm gay". I just came home with a boyfriend, and she just was like, "Okay". [laughs] I mean, she teased me. She teased me before then, when we were just friends, but, moms know. So, she wasn't really shocked. What else-- I just. I just remember being a kid and playing and just playing in the streets with my sisters and my friends. I have cerebral palsy, but never used it as like a disadvantage. And I was in the streets, climbing trees, all of that. So that never stopped me. What else, I'm trying to think here. MF: Describe the community where you grew up, was that..? . KJ: I grew up, when I was a kid, about until I was about five. We lived in Florida till I was about five. Did move to Allentown for a little bit. But I can say, like when I was around six or seven, we moved to Whitehall and that's where I actually say I grew up because really, once we moved to Whitehall, the house that we lived in, we stayed in until graduation. So now I always say I'm from here. I lived here the most. Yeah. MF: What was Whitehall like? KJ: Whitehall was...I feel like kids nowadays are different than the kids that we were. I mean, bike riding, manhunt in the neighborhood. Everyone knew when the streetlights came on. Get your butt home and stuff. It was a beautiful upbringing and a good time. There's a lot of stuff that I see today, that maybe shouldn't happen, even though I'm what was a brown boy, with a limp. For some reason, I always met the description in Whitehall, and I never understood that. And I honestly never knew that it was a bad thing until I got older. It was just something I was used to. I didn't really have my father around to educate me about being a black man, you know? And these things can happen. Definitely things my mom mentioned to me, but it was nothing that was instilled in me. Oh, yeah. I got to take a little breather once I, once I think about that, because I have to say, it happened about like three times. And the youngest, I was ten years old and how does a ten-year-old meet the description? It's crazy. But besides all that, I grew up Fullerton, Fullerton Park in Whitehall. I played football for two years, baseball for one year. You can even say I was a cheerleader. [laughs] Like because my sister was a cheerleading coach, so I never missed a practice there either. But a really active kid and we're a tight family, so, so we would support one another and stuff. So I can't complain my upbringing. There is not one thing that I would take back. I wouldn't even say, like when we were at our brokest. I feel like those were my happiest times growing up in the shelter with my sisters. We always made the best of it. So it was home, it was what I knew. Yeah. MF: You said that being in the shelters had of some of your best memories, do you remember specific memories that you might want to share? KJ: Yeah. So one time my sister Daina, she's the second, the second oldest. And I tell you, my mom, she always just let us fly and let us learn. Daina wanted to make Christmas cookies the one year that we were there, and she made these Christmas cookies and she had to use half a bottle of salt. I mean, when I tell you, they were so salty, they were so salty. But you can see like the displeasure on her face because she knew they were salty. So we would eat them, and lie to her like "Oh they're so good, they're so good". But then everyone's running to the bathroom to get a drink of water. Because they don't want to hurt Daina's feelings. And that is one memory I always go back to, living in a shelter. I remember my mom taking us on a surprise trip, and the surprise trip was going to the movies to see the Rugrat movie. And that always brings me back. One of my favorite memories is going to see the Rugrat movie, and I'm telling you, my mom had to know that I was gay, because there was this doll in the machine and I had to have the doll. And my mom was really good at those machine games where you put the quarter in and it drops down and picks-- the claw machine. And I think honestly, we spent like $15, but she made sure she got me that doll and like she never treated me different out there. I wanted the doll, [snaps] she got me the doll. So I just, I didn't know I was different. I didn't. And she didn't make me feel that way. I even have an older sister, who's a lesbian, and she came out to my mom, and my mom was doing the dishes when she came out to her. And my mom was just like "Yeah okay", and like Deanna was like, "I'm serious, mom, I'm gay". And my mom was like, "Yeah, I know. I like, I know these things". So, I just remember her being really accepting. Even when I had to educate her on things like even-- My mom was a white woman from New York. She had blue eyes, blond hair, a New York accent. You couldn't tell she had mixed kids unless you met them. But my mom, she always let us -- even when, and I don't mean to jump ahead, but like when the Black Lives Matter movement came and stuff, my mom, instead of saying, like, "All lives matter", she, she let us educate her on, when we say Black Lives Matter, what we're truly trying to say. And it's not that all lives don't matter, it's just right now our Black lives are the ones hurting. And she understood and she asked questions and stuff, and she respected my point of view and stuff. Even if she felt -- Even if she didn't say it and she thought I was being extra, she still made it seem like "I understand, I care," and I appreciate her for that.I really do. I remember she always kept a garden, so we always grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. I remember one time she made pickles. She tried to make homemade pickles. And they came out nasty from the pickles that she grew -- the cucumbers. So what she did was, she threw them out, and she bought pickles and put them in a Mason jar and everyone was just so amazed at her cooking skills, "You made these pickles", like "We never need to buy pickles". And later on it came out that she went to the store. So she was always a trickster like that and stuff. Just a wonderful person, honestly. I just I can't stop talking about her, because she's the reason why I do what I do now and stuff. She raised me to be a man, a woman raised me to be a man. And I don't think that me having four sisters and a single mom turned me out to gay. And it's sad, I even have to say that. But a lot of people in society feel that way. And it's, it's sad. But I had girlfriends, I just like guys more. Yeah, but what else can I think of from my upbringing? I remember being in the kitchen a lot. I learned how to cook at an early age. I went to say like ten, ten, 11. I know people who cooked before that, but that's really when I learned how to cook. And my mom was just big on cooking, and cooking, brought the family together and stuff and getting the meals prepared and stuff. That was family time in the kitchen. So I was always one of those, one of those boys tied to their mom's hip in the kitchen cooking. And now I could cook anything, I could cook anything. Yeah, I'm trying to think of other stuff, they'll come to mind as we go on. MF: Well, you talked a lot about your beloved and wonderful mother and your siblings, a little bit about the Whitehall community. What was what was school like for you in Whitehall? KJ: I was my mom's star child. They would say, they would say in their own words, they would just -- stop. My sister -- My sisters they weren't rough and stuff. It's just, I would say I'm more laid back, in a sense. Everyone knew Kevin for good reasons, and I never fought or anything like that. And I just remember the teachers would pull me aside and say, you know, you're your mom's star child. And anyone that knew Kevin, and I don't say this to gas me up. But they would smile because they had a funny story about Kevin. So I appreciated my time in Whitehall, and my teachers and stuff, and I felt like I was cared about by my teachers and staff. So I can't say nothing but good things about the staff out in Whitehall and stuff. I never felt different, whether it was being black or being black with a disability. I never felt different. I honestly didn't realize, I had a -- I walked with a limp until I was like maybe like in seventh, eighth grade and stuff. That's when I was just like, I really do have a limp. No one ever treated me different. So I wanted to play sports, I got to play sports and I just appreciated that even at Fullerton. Like it wasn't like, they didn't treat me any different. I got to -- I got to play in and stuff. I was a linebacker and they just let me do my thing. And it was great times. Great times. MF: Well, tell me about some of those great time. What was your circle of friends like? KJ: My circle of friends are my neighborhood kids. I lived in the townhouses and then there was a apartment building in Maryland Circle down the street and everyone just knew everyone. And I was a kid who had a pool in their backyard. So, so we all at night swimming and stuff would get together then. And we weren't -- We weren't ad kids. I mean, we were kids. We drank when we weren't supposed to. I remember getting caught doing that, and my mom was extremely upset, but we played manhunt, and kickball was a big one. And football, we used to play the townhouses versus Maryland Circle. Maryland Circle always won because they had the best players. They always had the best players. But we still did it, and it was still fun. And even today, a lot of those people that I hung out with as a kid, we're still friends to this day. Actually, the one, my one friend Dashawn, he's actually going to be my best man at my wedding. And so, yeah, like my, my best friend. And my best friend Diamond and stuff. She, I literally -- She was always the friend who did everything first. She used to. She used to make me upset about that, like, "Can I do something first"? She got her driver's license first. I mean, the permit first, the car first, the job first. And I seen her grow up to an independent woman. She's a single mom, but she has three beautiful girls, just bought a house and, and she's doing it. And I'm proud to see my friend succeed. Even my friend Dashawn, he runs a successful YouTube channel and stuff. And I just love to see my friends doing great and that that honestly helps motivate me to do more like maybe I'm slacking a little bit, but we keep each other on our toes. And to look back on another great time, we're always like Halloween trick or treating nights when we would all go trick or treating. God knows till like, we were like 15, 16 still going trick or treating but then we would all go to someone's house and watch a scary movie and stuff. And again, none of my friends ever treated me different. So, it was just a -- it was just a long process to realize, "Hey, you like guys", it was a long process that "Hey you got a limp". But I wouldn't change any of it. I felt like I was respected by the ones who loved me straight, and I felt like I was respected by them gay. Yeah. And there were some friends who dropped throughout the years and stuff, but it's the ones who are still there that matter. So I don't really focus on who's not here. MF: You said it was a long process to come into your gayness. Can you describe that process? KJ: Which is sad because I shared a room with my older sister. Well, first she tricked my mom into giving my room to pay rent, and I think she paid rent once. But whatever, I shared with my older sister, eventually. She's a lesbian stud. And there was a gay flag on the wall and stuff. I had a girlfriend for about five years, and at the time ; I don't know if this is TMI, but at the time, that's all I knew. So of course, I was, like, faithful and I really cared for her. I really did. I mean, I'm glad to know now, like, I like guys now, but I feel like because I was always in a relationship when I was a kid, I never really got to experiment and see until I was actually single a year. And like, "Hey, he's kind of cute," so. But when you think that, you have to know it's for sure, that's what you want. Because once you've gone down that route, which is sad, society labels you as gay or like you can never just be experimenting. So I just wanted to make sure that once I started talking to the same sex,.I just wanted to make sure that it was something that I wanted, and it was. I'm engaged -- I'm engaged now. So it's definitely something that I wanted. And I just felt like, "Man Kevin", and he just was like, if you just knew back then, cause there was just so many opportunities. No I'm joking, but I just feel like it took me a slower process. Like my sister, she knew from the beginning, like "I like girls, I like to dress up masculine. This is what I'm comfortable in" and stuff. Whereas it took Kevin, like 12 years. I think I finally realized that I liked guys in 2011, I want to say, and that's when I actually like took that step into going down that path and like, "Hey, let me see what this is like". And so in that sense, when I say, like a long process, it was just a long process for me to decide, like, is this what you want? I'm really an indecisive person to begin with. But once my mom started making jokes like she would always call my partner now Justan. She would always call him my boyfriend, even when we were friends. Like they don't believe that we were friends at one point. But we were, we were best friends. I remember even hooking him up with guys. I was talking to another guy at the time. But I'm definitely happy I found him. We met at a young age, so it took us a little bit of growing up and stuff. But we did it. We're definitely not who we were four years ago, not even a year ago and stuff. And I wouldn't trade him for anyone. And I'm gay and I'm a proud gay black man, you know. MF: You talk about -- so you kind of made this decision. Well then what? Where did you go in the Lehigh Valley to meet people or was there a process for you sort of like, I'm going to the Stonewall or I'm going-- KJ: You know what's sad and I hate to say this cause I was supposed to go there like when they were about to close, but I never been to Stonewall. I've been to, I've been to other gay bars in the Lehigh Valley, but I never experience like Diamonz or Stonewall, never got to experience that. But I've gone to Philly to gay clubs and stuff. And when I first came out of the closet and I knew, like, this is what I want, I don't know who I want and when, but this is what I want. I went into a gay bar and it did take some adjustment of like getting hit on. I was always the one like doing that. That was me and initiating and stuff and it took you used to but one once I got out there and I met the community and stuff, I actually got to see how beautiful our gay community is. And people, some people don't they don't feel like it exists out here and stuff. But if you open up your eyes and go places, it does and you'll meet great friends. You'll be great friends. I met Justan's best friend. He's who I think of his name as all the world's great, great, great talent. And he was actually part of our nonprofit Change Now team, and he passed away last year. But before he passed away, I do think God, because we were we were just at the pride in New York. It was my first time out there, as well as I believe it was his first time out there and out of all of Justan's friends, like I'll tell you, I told him like that. That is that's a friend right there. And he was just free spirited. And you could just always call on him. And I just remember him being there for me when my mom passed away and stuff. He would literally just come in and sit on the couch, say if like Justan wasn't there and stuff just to make sure someone was in the house with me during that rough time and stuff. And I'll cherish his relationship forever. And I was he was truly, truly one of the most beautiful people you would ever meet from our community, I feel like. And he just comes to mind when I think about jumping out into the gay scene and stuff. And he would be shade -- he would be shady, but it was like a good sh -- His nickname with us was NeNe, we called him NeNe and he wasn't judgmental and stuff. Like he was one of Justan's friends that actually let me take the steps with Justan to see if I actually liked him, where his other friends -- I can always tell when Justan was hanging out with his friends cause whenever I saw him again he would have an attitude it's like "Well yeah you don't, you don't want to show me around". And I'm like "Oh, I you were with your friends" and stuff. Whereas Greg said, "Boy let him take his time cause he's a keeper". And I just remember him saying that, and he was just a great friend and never chose sides, even though he was Justan's best friend. He was just the best. And I could call him for anything. Anything. He comes to mind when I think about stepping out into the gay scene back then. I believe I was 21, 21, 22 around that time. Before then, I would always talk to guys on like dating apps and stuff not Grindr. I wasn't aware of the history of Grindr at that time, but just like Facebook, Instagram and a lot of the guys who I actually talked to, they were all like in New York, New Jersey, but I just had to make sure that it was what I wanted. And I just felt more secure with talking to someone who didn't live around me at the time. Maybe that was just so that I wasn't a labeled gay just right away. But I met some good guys and stuff, but little did I know the love of my life lived in the same town as me, it just took a little while. MF: How did you meet? KJ: Oh, we met on an app called Badoo. I don't even know if the app still works now. And, I mean I'll let him tell you what --, I can tell you from my perspective, he like, he didn't know if I -- because there were straight people on there, as well as lesbian, gay, and transgender. So he never knew what it was about. So you could always see who checks your profile every day. He would check my profile like multiple times a day. And I finally messaged him one day and I was like, "Are you even gonna say hi," and that's how it started. And we met. We met up one time to get to know each other in person and at the time he had a little situation, I had a situation. So we were like, honestly, best friends. You can say, I wasn't looking for a relationship. I guess I was looking more for a friend at that time, but it slowly developed into a relationship. And I hate to say this cause, it sounds prude of me and stuff, but he did ask me out about three times and I said no. And what made me finally say "Yes let me do this. Before I lose it", was he asked me out on Valentine's Day and I was like, "Oh, I don't know, I don't want to mess up our friendship". So he's like, "All right, I'm in than Valentine's Day with this guy in New York". I even took him to the bus stop to go. But I will say I was supposed to pick him up the end of that week, and I didn't do it because I was mad. He really went to New York. But it was like I delivered you. I took you to the thing. But, boy, did I make him walk home in the cold. It was so cold that night. And I literally he got off that bus and walked home. And then later on I saw him that night and he was like, "Well, what do you want to do"? And I was like, "Okay, we, we can try this out". And we then made it official. So yeah. And that's how that started, off a dating app. Uh huh, yeah. I'm trying to think what else? MF: We talked a little bit about -- I mean, I'm sure we'll talk more about Justan in quite a bit. But we talked about education. What happens to you sort of after you're sort of moving through school? What is your work life like? We talked a little bit about your dating life, like what's happening in terms of your work life. And then I'm hoping we could kind of move towards your organizational... KJ: Oh, yes. Okay. So my work life started when I was 16. I would help my mom, as well as my older sister, as we would all help with the bills and stuff. And I had a under-the-table, full time job, and then I had a part time job and I worked my butt off. I was 17, 16, turned 17, and I felt like working and stuff that helped ground me. I had to work for everything that I wanted down to like my car, my clothes on, my back and stuff. My mom did her best and she would make it happen, but it just felt better. Achieving it myself. So once I started working, I never stopped working. And honestly, I think the job that I'm currently at now, I just started there about almost seven years ago. That was like the first job where I only had one job. Because I was always working two jobs and I just always want to make sure my mom was good and she had a lot of health problems. Medicine's expensive. So if there was a way I can help, I helped. Until she was ready to sell the house, move into something smaller and stuff. And then that's when I moved on and got my own and stuff. But I always liked to make sure she was okay first. So I did -- I worked a lot. And then one of my jobs I'm thinking about, is it was actually with the school, well it was with Career Force? But what we would do is we would go up to the high school and do a lot and paint the walls and things of that sort. So it got me, it got me into realizing, "Hey, I really do like to garden," even though I grew up with a garden and all this is I really do eventually hope to have a big garden and stuff. And I learned lessons. I have a scar right here from a box cutter. And I remember telling my mom, she thought I was so weird, I wanted this to scar up. And I was just like, "I hope this scars up, I hope it scars". So when it did, it was awesome. Now I tell the kids, I got cut by a pirate and stuff. She came up the story, and I just ran with it. So but I would say I was a hard worker. Definitely a hard worker. And she instilled that in me. She was a hard worker. She worked until she shouldn't have been working and stuff. My mom was a hard worker. MF: So you worked at Career Force. But you had multiple jobs. KJ: Career Force. I worked for a carnival business. So I was one of those people who tried to get you to the play, their games and stuff. So I did that the summer going into my junior year. And now that I think about it, they were both full time jobs. I'm like, now that I think about it. Yeah. They were both full time jobs because it was everywhere in Pennsylvania. We would travel and do shows and stuff. And after that, after graduation, I had gotten a part time job at McDonald's and then a full time job at Sodexo in the hospital. And I did I did both of those jobs for a long time. A long time. I was just used to working, I guess. So it really didn't bother me. Plus, you got paid every week, so, even better. But usually any job that I start, I'm there for a good while. I would love to grow, and eventually. Once I left McDonald's, it's because I was moving up at Sodexo and stuff and then I just try and keep growing until there's no more growth. And then I try to just find more and try to find just -- I like to stay busy, I love to learn, I love to read. I just don't take that for granted. Stuff like that. I lost my train of thought. MF: I have a question. Did you move from Sodexo to the Hartford? Yes. KJ: Okay. Yeah. So how that worked was I was going for a promotion for supervisor at Sodexo, and they graciously gave it to someone else. But like the reasons for it, like, I didn't agree with it. It wasn't more towards like, work ethic and stuff, it was more towards like this person went for the position more times than you. So we're just going to give it to them, and we're gonna change their duties because they don't know how to work a computer. And I just --, well, one thing my mom always taught me was my worth, and I was just like, "I'm going to find another job". And they didn't believe me at first. But when I put that two weeks in, they were upset. But I learned a lot from them. I learned my customer service from them. I know I learned how to have a conversation with different people. I saw different people throughout the day. I walked all around the hospital and stuff. So I definitely and I make sure that each place that I go, I really don't have anything bad to say about them because they taught me something and I appreciate Sodexo for that time. And then I moved on to the Hartford doing auto insurance. And that's a great it's a great job. It's rewarding and stuff. I do see myself eventually going other places and stuff, but I'm happy with my life. I'm definitely happy with my life now. It took me a second to realize that, especially after losing my mom, Losing my mom just taught me because it was like so sudden. It just taught me that not, everything's promised and just be happy. And I think -- and I know we don't speak about it yet, but I think that's why we went official with Change Now. Instead of "Hey, we're going to go do a Thanksgiving meal at the men's shelter and stuff or we're going to drop [presents] off at the shelter". We started something I feel that is beautiful, Change Now, and it's just the beginning and I see us doing really big things with that. We have an awesome team and I see the change that we're making in the community. It may be small to other people, but those accomplishments are big to us. Really big. MF: Tell me the story of Change Now. I mean, it's so clear that your mother is an inspiration. KJ: Yes. MF: You know, for that work. But tell me how it came to be. What is its origin story? KJ: So with Change Now it just made sense after Justan did the protest -- And I'm probably jumping around here, but after Justan to the protests in June of 2020, about because of George Floyd. Later that night, it was like, "What are you going to do now?" Like, "Yeah, we can go on the streets, we can do these peaceful protests and stuff, but what's next?" And that's how we came about with the Black Lives Matter to Lehigh Valley page and then and then from that like to two weeks later we went official with Change Now and stuff because it was like we're already doing it out of our own pocket. Let's see if we can get help from the city to help us help these people. And it's just amazing what we accomplished so far with our team again. They're great. There's about eight of us. But we all work together. We have weekly meetings and stuff. We feed off of ideas and stuff. Everyone has a voice in our team. My partner and I like, yeah, we're the executive director and stuff. But that's a really -- that's just the title like we're a team. We can only keep this going and it's just about we and but with Change Now it seemed a little -- it feels sometimes a little competitive because there's a lot of other nonprofits in this community and a lot of great nonprofits in this community. But when -- or at least I feel, with great work sometimes comes drama and unnecessary drama. So I don't feel -- I really don't feel-- I'm trying to say this in a nice way. I don't feel like we're appreciated by other nonprofits besides the ones we collaborated with, like SELF!, they're a women's reentry program. And I just like, we're here to help people. That's what it's about. It's not about who's doing what or whose name or whose names. We're like, -- excuse my language, but I can give a damn if you know about Kevin Jefferson. Just know about Change and all of that. That's what I love. You don't have to put my name, just see my work. And but Change Now is our baby now. We had Change Now for about two years, I want to say. Yeah, Justan can quote me on that, but I want to say we had it officially for two years. Now, our last event that we just did was Humankind Day last month. And where we provide it like toys, summer toys and stuff to the community, they didn't even have to get out their cars. You literally just stayed in your car and went stations and station and you were provided with -- We would just ask how many kids? And we had buckets, bubbles, chalk, games. And I love doing that -- working on Change Now, is something that I can do around the clock, and I feel like I kind of never get tired from it because it's honestly something I enjoy doing. And at these events with speaking with members of the community and stuff, or even one of our programs. One of our big programs that we do is our Mercy Hotel stay, whether it be a domestic violence situation or someone homeless on the street, and it's going to snow and stuff. When 2020 happened, there was like maybe one warming station open. There wasn't a lot of places for homeless people to go. And we saw all that and we wanted to do something about it. And I would say that main program is one of our successful programs and it's still going to this day. We get calls when we're on vacation and stuff. Our job is never done. And we don't mind. We don't mind. I want to say, just in March, as we were driving to Atlanta for our sister's graduation, there was a situation of domestic violence situation. And we had to get that person into a room and stuff. And luckily everything can be done electronically. So even though we weren't here, we were still able to help. MF: Not everyone who will listen to this will know, like the mission of Change Now. So beyond that kind of origin story, could you say like what your primary mission is like? KJ: Yeah, right now, I would say I would say a big mission that we've been focusing on and have been and still are, are the unsheltered and getting them off the street and getting them into a program. So it's not like, "Hey, we're providing you with this three day room stay, but then you have to go out on the street". It's like, "No, let's try and get you into a shelter. And then from the shelter gets you into a program. I mean, I lived -- I lived there. So it can be done. It's just, it's something that you can't make people do. They have to want to do it. And it's sad. We have those cases where they're just looking for that stay for the three days and they're okay with going back on the street and stuff. But we want to -- our mission is to stop that and get as much people we can into shelters and then eventually some stable living. We also do resumé prep and job prep and stuff, where we meet with people and we help them work on their resumé and interview prep and stuff and down to even a thing, clothes. Even if we had to come out of our pocket and -- I wouldn't mind -- you're paying it forward, you're helping your neighbor, your community and stuff. it's just with having a united community and stuff. You have you have a family outside of family. And it's like when one struggles, we all struggle. And when I think about Change Now, I think about our mission and stuff. I, I just. I just want -- If it's just if it's just two people. Three people. It doesn't have to be a bunch, but just a handful of people to know that we actually helped get off the streets and changed their life. One girl I can think of right now, we got her into a hotel room, and she overheard the staff talking about hiring. So, she put it an application at just the hotel that she was staying at, she found down with her working for the hotel, they provided free room stay. So she works for the for the hotel doing the front desk, and her husband does maintenance. And literally, like when I go into the hotel, to get other people a room and stuff and I run into them and stuff. Just seeing how great they look, their spirit, their eyes, they're vibe. You can tell -- you can feel when someone's really down and out, and just to see how great they look, that lets me know like, "Hey, Change Now is really doing something," and I just appreciate moments like that. But as of our mission, it's just to get people off the streets right now, just to give people jobs right now. Let them know like, "Hey, yeah, you did these things in your past, but that's your past. Let's move forward. Let's change now". So that's just the mission that -- the legacy I hope to leave for my kids and stuff. MF: When you and Justan were talking about that, is that what you were imagining in that original conversation, this kind of organization with these wonderful, incredible gifts to our community, or has it passed, surpassed? KJ: Surpassed by far. I honestly couldn't imagine like it -- us accomplishing so much with Change Now, and just the friends that we've made with Change Now and stuff. I couldn't imagine not knowing them though. Enid and Luna come to mind, they're the one that's run SELF! Women's Reentry and they're our sisters we have gone to Puerto Rico with them. We have cried with them. We failed with them, we've succeeded with them and stuff. And I just couldn't imagine my life without them. And I couldn't imagine my life without Change Now. Even though my mom has humbled me, Change Now, also keeps me humble because it's like, you know, you don't see right away the things that are actually going on in the community until you actually get out there, day or night, and actually see what's really going on in the community and Change Now has helped humble me, my family, my sisters. My family, they're blown away with how much we have accomplished with Change Now, down to our toy drives. Before, I think I can only afford a present for a boy, a present for a girl, and I would give that to a shelter every year, whereas now it's -- my living room looks like Santa just threw up everywhere and stuff, everywhere. So it's just amazing to see that. And then to just have people who are like you, who run nonprofits, even if they don't run it, they're still in the community. It's nice to see people just like you still doing the work. It lets you know, like, hey, there are still decent people out here. And that just keeps us going. But I couldn't imagine, I -- it's not that I couldn't I just wouldn't have thought Change Now would be even as big as it is today. But it just makes me more excited to see how big it will be later down the line. Because these are just the job prep, the resume building, the Mercy Hotel stay. Those are just our programs right now. Eventually, I want to start a grant project where we provide grants to LGBTQ students, brown students, Latino students, white students. I just I would love to do that. Help these students out with these grants. And so that's a program that eventually down the line I would like to start as well as, like awareness, awareness to addiction. I have lost a lot of people to addiction, a lot of close family members ; my mom's best friends she's like my aunt, her son, he overdosed and passed away and that was about two years ago and still that phone call of her crying plays in my head and stuff. And she's going to retreat, she's going to program, she's getting better. But I just wish there were more programs out here that was more acknowledged that, hey, you have an addiction, hey, it's unhealthy, but let's get ypu healthy. Let's don't just forget about you, or knock you, or not trust you, because of your past actions. Let's get you better. And I just hope to have -- when I say all of this, I just hope to have more programs, more programs out there and stuff. And we'll all keep working for it. We won't stop. We won't stop. MF: Can I ask you a little bit about the structure Change Now, because I know you work a full time job and Justan works a full time job. How does the organization operate? Is it all volunteer or how do you keep it so successful, even when you're working full time? KJ: We have -- and I have to thank our team, we have a tight circle. A lot of our volunteers are actually people that I've been personally work with. So sometimes that's a hard time because it's like, you're working when I'm working, so I can't really utilize you. But I would say my partner, Justan, he's definitely, or has been way more flexible. Whereas he can jump on these phone calls and schedule these rooms, help these people and stuff. But we all work together and stuff. Where someone can't be, someone will be and stuff. And I even remember when I lost my mom, that was unexpected and stuff. And I wasn't in my right mind, but I still went out and delivered the Christmas presents to the kids. And I remember me and Justan crying because he's thinking about his grandma through this time. Because that was like his mother and all. I'm crying about my mom and stuff, but then we start laughing because they're like, Wow, we're delivering these presents and we're crying and stuff. But I remember my team through all of that, they picked up where I left off after I got that news and they got the job done. And it's challenging. It definitely is. There are times where I'm working and I'm talking with the customer and my cell phone's blowing up. The Change Now line is blowing up because someone needs help and stuff, but we make it work. Whether if I have to step away for like 5 minutes or, Justan has to take a quick run to the hotel or even to pick them up. We'll get it done. We get it done. And I'm not going to say it's easy, but it's definitely something that we get done. This is Change -- Chane Now is our baby, one of our babies. So yeah, it's a challenge. But having a great team who believes in the work that you're doing, they see -- sometimes I feel like they see more of the success than we do. But just having them by our side and just helping us with our baby and stuff, we're trusting them with our baby and stuff. And I couldn't ask for any anyone else. And the fact that like they're volunteers, like they're not looking for -- none of us, but they're not looking for a payment or nothing. They just see it. They just see our passion and they just help us with it. I couldn't ask for a better team. I couldn't. MF: Well, your baby is beautiful KJ: Thank you, but. MF: Can I ask -- so what is the relationship or is there a relationship between Change Now and then your work with Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley, putting up the page--? KJ: We kept that separate, just because with nonprofits, you really don't want to get into politics and stuff and so we separated the two, but that didn't change our focus with the two. With the Black Lives Matters Lehigh Valley page, that page, like we do have a Change Now Facebook page, but the Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley page is the page that is really active. There are families in the community reaching out, whether it be question for assistance or, hey, did you see this article and stuff, and you want to stay on top of it. You don't want to keep these people leaving this page. The page was developed to let our brown and Black community members know like, you're not alone, your voices do matter. We would deftly make sure to respond to every message just so whether they liked it or not and just so that they got a response like we hear you, and stuff. I will say with Black Lives Matter page, it was a little challenging at first, but you just gotta look past the arrogance of people. My partner has got death threats and stuff. People talking about his family. I mean, I've been called a cripple n****r and stuff, and. But we're not -- we don't have that page for that stuff. So I'm not even going to focus on what you're saying, I'm going to make sure that these articles go out. What's not in the news, what are -- what's going on in our community that's not talked about. That's why we developed the Black Lives Matter to Lehigh Valley page, and to let people know that like -- I feel like with the Black Lives Matter page, a lot of people get confused with the like, it gets decided like Justan is the black voice in the community and when he's actually not, we are all our voices matter. And it took a little while for some leaders in the community to understand that. But I still feel like they don't understand that. But, I will say, the Black Lives Matter page -- I don't know if you're aware of this, but we don't actually run that page anymore. Ashleigh Strange has been running the page for us and it didn't have to do with giving up. I have seen people write on Facebook about my partner Justan giving up on the page and stuff. And it wasn't that he gave up. He passed it along to the next generation, to our next young people who have more time, who's now running a full time job in a nonprofit and stuff. And we still do check in and stuff like hey, like, how's it going and stuff? But it gives us more free time of working with Change Now and just and just being a family at the same time. Juggling Change Now and Black Lives Matter was getting tough, even when we were in Allentown. There were like protest going on about Black lives and stuff and people just getting upset that Justan wasn't at these protests and stuff and they feel like because he ran the Black Lives Matter page, he should be there. And I could see where they're coming from when they're saying, but I want people to know that there are more Black people out here than the Black leaders who are known. And Justan will even say that, too. It's humbling to see he's honored for these things and stuff, but we're not the only black gay people out here. And I feel like it's more -- it's really important not only to get like Justan's view, my view, but get other people's view on these topics and stuff. Let's stop being scared, scared to say other people's names. Let's stop being scared to say what we want to say. But, Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley, that was our baby. And that will always be our baby and stuff. But it was time to pass the baton, and I feel confident with the person who has been controlling it and she has been doing a wonderful job with it. And I know it's being taken care of and it's not turning into a for-profit page or something like that. MF: I know you've passed the baton on, but I have a question about that origin story for Black Lives Matter, Lehigh Valley. I guess my question comes from, you know, it's a national movement. I mean, we can hear about organizations in different sort of major cities. Why was it important to start Black Lives Matter in Lehigh Valley here in Allentown? Like, you know, what is the important for you of having a local organization that's also sort of connected to the national conversation? KJ: I feel like to better answer that question. I would say, to make sure that we're heard. I feel like there wasn't a place for us to really go to, whether as a Black man, let alone a Black gay man and stuff. There were these things happened in our community. I mean, like I told you earlier, I always fit the description starting at ten years old and stuff and I wasn't educated that that was wrong and stuff. I just knew. Just sit on the curb and listen to those and answer those questions that those police officers were asking me and stuff, whereas that's not okay. And there was nowhere, there was really nowhere to go like a website or a hall or something to go to and talk with people who were like minded just like you, who look like you and go through the same struggles and stuff and say like that, that's not right, that's not cool. There was another time -- and I always think about this time because this happened when I was an adult. But I'm -- and I'm gonna say their name, but I went to Ross over on Airport Road one time, me and my partner, and I like to wear jewelry and stuff. And I had this watch on. And I remember when we walked in the store, the cashiers and the security guards were looking at us and the security guard comes up to me and he's like, "Oh, I like your watch". So you're not thinking. I'm like, "Oh, yeah". So I show it to him and then he bring it here. He talks about how someone stole a watch from Ross, and they feel I met the description. And it was just like, if I had a Black Lives Matter page to bring that to, I think I would have got more stories that were like mine, something I can relate to. Hey, that shouldn't have been handled like that. They need to be educated and stuff, that not all black people look alike. And I just always -- that was one situation where it was like, I really wish I said something. Like, I didn't think about it when I was going through it. Once we got out of the store, it was like, no, that wasn't right, that that shouldn't have happened. And I feel with bringing Black Lives Matter to Lehigh Valley to their valley, that really taught some store owners and a lot of people, "Let me watch what I say," because we were getting messages where people were exposing -- A dentist got exposed, the doctor in the Lehigh Valley got exposed and we're getting messages from these doctors and stuff, these dentists, to please take this down because this is affecting their job. And it's like, well, maybe you shouldn't be racist. Maybe this would teach you. And I felt like the Black Lives Matter to the Lehigh Valley page gave us that voice, that courage to know that that's not okay. And I just I just hope down the line, that even after Ashleigh Strange, I just hope that it gets taken care of. And it's used for what it's for. It's not used to collect any money from anybody. It's mainly used to just let our brown and Black families know, like, you're not alone. Voice your opinion here. Tell us what happened here. And I just feel like taught a lot of people, especially in 2020, "Let me watch what I say, because words do matter". MF: Thank you for sharing about those two babies that you and Justan bore together. Can I ask, so you're working full time, you're building two organizations, you're in love. Are you engaged yet, when does the engagement happen? KJ: Yeah, I got engaged officially, last year in Puerto Rico -- in April of, we're in 20 --, in '21. We went to a rainforest -- now, when we were young, I'm not gonna lie, when we were younger, we did get engaged. But I'll tell you, we were young. I wasn't thinking about marriage at that time. So it kinda didn't feel right, if you ask me. Whereas when he proposed last year, we were in a rain forest, and it just felt right then. Like it was like, okay, I'm going to get married. So we're engaged. We hope to be married after buying a house at the end of this year, fingers crossed. And the wedding, you should see an invitation in October of next year. So kind of save the date for me. But yes, so we have been planning that. I'm realizing that opposites do attract, because I can have a small wedding and be fine with that. Whereas my partner, he looks like acrobats falling from the ceiling and stuff. And I'm just like I'd rather keep the money and save it for a travel trailer. I'm like, but I have to wait till we buy the house and after the wedding to get the travel trailer. So I'm waiting patiently, patiently. But I love to travel, and I want to do it while I'm still young. And I don't want to wait until I'm old to travel around the States and stuff. I want to do it now while I'm young. So yeah. MF: Do you have visions for the future? You have the marriage, the house, but are there other things that you're imagining, you know, for your life? KJ: For our life? I definitely imagine to eventually -- and I pray that one day Change Now is something so big that I can dedicate all of my time to.Instead of working a full time job and running a nonprofit. I would one day want to just focus on my nonprofit. But I know there's a lot of work to do before even that happens. But I hope we have an office one day, and I hope -- I would love a community center for kids to come to and play sports, learn how to swim, learn. Let's get some reading programs in here and stuff. That's one thing I feel like you don't see a lot, is these kids out here reading and stuff and even -- you don't even have to be a kid, you can be an adult. We'll teach you how to read. I just -- I want a lot and I know it's going to take time, but I hope within a few years Change Now has an office, a little community center and all of my attention. And like anyone else, to have the big, beautiful house, the marriage, I don't know -- we do go back and forth about either adopting or having another child. But right now, we have one going into 10th grade and we just had a graduate. So it's just like, okay, we're almost there, then it's us time. So we do go back and forth with it, but it's not something that I wouldn't say no to. I love family, and I had a big family, so I wouldn't mind adding another addition later down the line. I just want to make sure it feels right and it is right. This is someone who would look up to me as their protector, their teacher and stuff. And I definitely feel like my partner today would be the best father. And there's things that even he teaches me and it's just like, Wow. Did you just say that, it was so sexy? Can you say it again? But all jokes aside, I just -- he's a great father. And him and his children's mother, they're great at parenting, she's the best. I call her my baby mom. And she -- it's just a nice blended family, a nice, blended, educated family and even our kids they were, I feel like they were more excited that we got engaged than I was. And so it definitely felt right when we got engaged. MF: So can I ask you, what's it like to be, as you are right now, a dad with Justan and with--. KJ:. And I will say, our son, even though is a small case, he has autism. And I think when I first met him, I was like 21, 22, 22, became a stepdad and he had autism. And I only asked that question like, "do you have kids?" just to make conversation, I didn't expect him to say yes. But honestly, being a step-parent I felt like is what I was meant to do and stuff. That -- just as Justan's my best friend, my partner, the person I trust, it's the same for his daughter and son. That's my family right there, I give them my heart. They're always there to pick us up, even when they know that we're not 100%. It's nice that we can come home to them and stuff and them tell us their crazy stories, and they'll bring me back to when I was 18. And honestly, I honestly think that they're kind of better. At least what I know, like my step-daughter, she's really good at hiding things, I guess. But from what I've seen, though, they're great kids. My stepdaughter is -- she's going to go to college this upcoming year. She's going to be a freshman. And even their mom, their mom, she dropped out at early age because she had she was pregnant. I want to say it was 15. But she got her G.E.D. She moved up in her career and she bought a house. Just to see her do that and to see that is possible, you just, you just kind of want to -- you just got to work for it. I wouldn't trade them for the world. I wouldn't -- even my baby mom, I wouldn't trade her for the world. MF: Well, we're nearing the end of the interviews, but I want to ask you, is there anything that we missed that you thought, oh, I really want to talk about that. Anything that you wanted to sort of talk about at the end? KJ: I would just say, let's -- it's nice that we talked how Black Lives Matter, I'm a Black man. But let's talk about more LGBTQ issues going on in the community and let's just talk more about it. I feel like in our community, especially in the Black community, I really don't feel like our community is accepted. I feel like we're frowned upon in a lot of situations. It's like, if you're not a LGBTQ leader speaking about it, then it's not being spoke about, and you don't have to be gay, and transgender, or lesbian to stick up for someone in our community. So let's stop being afraid of having these conversations and let's just help one another. We have of a lot of transgenders even last year -- and I'm just going to say and I know that it was more than 20, but I can think of off of my head in 20 transgenders. It was even more than that died last year, and it wasn't really discussed. And that's also something that I want to bring to Change Now, just more just ways of helping those issues more and in our queer community and stuff. And another thing too is respecting pronouns. I think it's just not a conversation, it'ss just not for fun. It's for 2022, let's respect people's pronouns. And that's just what I would say. MF: I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to talk with you. Thank you so much Kevin for taking the time. KJ: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Honestly, I was excited. I could talk to you all day. Honestly. MF: Okay. All right. Let's do another around. Thank you again. 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