When you turn 21, the club feels like arrival. It’s the symbol of adulthood, freedom, identity, and validation. But at some point, the music, the crowd, and the performance stop aligning with who you’re becoming — and that’s where the real journey starts. 

In this episode, Anthony Reeves, Esq. breaks down the unspoken transition many young Black professionals experience: evolving beyond nightlife culture, entering academic and professional environments, searching for culturally aligned peers, and finally discovering authentic community. 
From the club scene… to graduate school… to exploring exclusive spaces… and ultimately finding real belonging through a military network — this story offers a blueprint for what professional growth looks like behind the scenes, not just online or on paper.

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF: • You’re in your 20s or 30s and feel like you’ve outgrown old spaces • You’re educated, ambitious, or career-driven but unsure where you belong • You want connection with peers who share culture, vision, and values • You feel like you’re evolving — but don’t know where it’s leading • You’re searching for community that feels natural, not performative 

KEY THEMES: • Why clubs feel like the starting point of adulthood • The moment nightlife stops matching professional growth • How graduate school shifts identity and expectations • The illusion of exclusivity in upscale social spaces • The frustration of trying to locate “your people” • How aligned spaces are found — not advertised • Community as a growth catalyst, not a social activity 

QUOTE TO REMEMBER: 
“You don’t evolve to impress new rooms — you evolve to recognize the rooms that were already meant for you.”


CALL TO ACTION

If this message speaks to your spirit, share it with someone who’s evolving, searching, or feeling disconnected. Rate the show, leave a review, and join the mission of building spaces where young Black professionals don’t just enter the room… they belong in it.

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In this episode, I break down one of the most overlooked realities of growing up Black as a member of Generation X — the confusing part of racism. Not because racism itself is confusing, but because the presentation of racism changed between our parents’ world and ours.

Our parents and grandparents grew up with laws, signs, institutions, and culture that made second-class citizenship undeniable. They didn’t have to guess if racism was present — it announced itself.
But Black Gen X came of age in a world where the signs were gone, the laws had changed, and the country insisted that things were different.

Except the people who enforced those old systems?They were still here.And their attitudes didn’t change just because the laws did.

This episode explores:

• What it meant to grow up between two racial realities
• How Black Gen X entered integrated spaces without the survival guide our parents had
• The cafeteria moment when someone asked, “Why are you all segregating yourselves?”
• The professional moment where I was told, “I’m surprised you’d think that way as an educated Black man”
• Why microaggressions became emotional landmines
• The generational disconnect between “We’ve moved forward” and “Be careful out there”
• And why moments like George Floyd’s death revealed how long America ignored Black voices

For Black Gen X, racism wasn’t predictable anymore. It wasn’t a sign on the door or a slur shouted from a porch. It was a question. A comment. A moment that made you pause and ask, “Did that just happen?”

This is the story of growing up in that space — of learning how to navigate a world that promised equality but still carried hidden dangers.

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This 20-minute audio reflection pulls back the curtain on my IN THE KNOW video “Sign of the Times.” I share personal insights about the realities Gen X faced growing up between parents divided by the Jim Crow experience. For many White Gen Xers, that meant dealing with relatives whose biases still lingered. For Black Gen Xers, it meant hearing stories of survival and injustice at the dinner table. In this behind-the-scenes conversation, I talk about how those family histories shaped our generation’s silence, empathy, and evolution.

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In this episode, I take a hard look at what we mean when we say something was just a “sign of the times.” For generations, that phrase has been used to excuse racism, discrimination, and hate — as if time alone could justify injustice. 

As a member of Black Generation X, I reflect on growing up surrounded by family members who lived through segregation, the Klan, and systemic racism — yet often stayed silent about it. But there’s another side to this story: many White Gen Xers were raised by people who benefitted from or defended those same systems, sometimes passing down their biases and beliefs to their children. 

This isn’t about blame — it’s about truth. Because if “Jim Crow had kids,” then Generation X inherited the responsibility to confront what our parents taught us, challenge what they couldn’t see, and choose what we carry forward. 

Let’s talk about what it really means to break the cycle and stop using “sign of the times” as a free pass for prejudice. 

Call to Action

💬 What did your parents or grandparents teach you — directly or indirectly — about race and difference? 🎧 Listen, reflect, and share your thoughts using #SignOfTheTimes and #GenXVoices. 📢 Don’t forget to follow for more real conversations about culture, legacy, and truth.

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For many of us in the Black Gen X generation, the N-word wasn’t something we were supposed to hear anymore. We were told that the world had changed—that the battles of our parents and grandparents had been fought and won. But all it took was one word to remind us that the past was never really gone.

In this episode, I share a deeply personal story—the first time I heard the N-word directed at me and my mother—and what that moment revealed about the illusion of equality so many of us were raised to believe in. From the quiet lessons of our parents’ generation to the silent shock of our own, this reflection explores how one word carries the weight of centuries.

This is more than a story about language. It’s about awareness, identity, and the difficult moment when innocence gives way to truth.

🎧 Tune in to hear how the echoes of history still shape how we see ourselves and the world around us.Listen • Reflect • Share.#BlackGenX #LivingBlackHistory #TheNWord #BlackExperience #CulturalAwakening #GenXVoices #GrowingUpBlack #InTheKnowWithTonyReeves #LivingWhileBlack

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Have you ever walked past a building and felt its history?

For many of us in Black Gen X, we live among reminders of what our parents and grandparents endured. The homes, parks, schools, and even restaurants we move through every day are living witnesses to segregation, struggle, and change.

In this episode, I reflect on how the past is still present — not in history books, but in the physical spaces that surround us. From a Mississippi plantation home to the parks of Pine Bluff, from the old McDonald’s on Main Street to Pine Bluff High School and the Saenger Theater — each place holds a story. 

These places remind us that time doesn’t erase history. It only buries it under new paint. And when we ignore that truth, we risk being historically disrespectful to those who came before us. 

Key Segments 

• The Symbol Never Dies: How a childhood visit to a plantation revealed the emotional weight of historical spaces.
• From Segregation to Assembly: The evolution of Townsend and Oakland Parks — and how safe spaces carry memory.
• Same Space, Different Impact: Why the same McDonald’s or school means something completely different to different generations.
• The Impact Doesn’t Go Away: Remembering the Saenger Theater and the legacy of exclusion that still lingers.

Takeaway

You can remodel a building, but you can’t renovate its history. Remembering isn’t about guilt — it’s about respect.

Call to Action

💬 Share your story: Have you ever stood in a place where you felt history? Message or comment to tell me about it. 🌐 Visit anthonyreeves.com or my Fourthwall store to explore more reflections and e-books. 🎧 Follow The Anthony Reeves Experience for more stories, insights, and conversations about history, culture, and identity.

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In this episode, Tony Reeves reflects on how a simple kindergarten classroom in 1974 became the backdrop for one of the most profound social transformations in American history.

Born in 1969 and starting school just two decades after Brown v. Board of Education, Tony shares what it was like to begin his education during the final waves of school desegregation in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. What felt like an ordinary start to childhood was actually a quiet revolution — where innocence and integration met for the first time.

He also pays tribute to his mother, one of the first Black teachers in an integrated kindergarten in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, who carried the weight of generational change while protecting her son’s innocence. Through their shared experience, Tony explores how Black Generation X became the bridge between the struggles of the past and the promise of a new America.
In this episode you’ll hear:

• What it meant to start kindergarten in the post-Jim Crow South
• How school integration reshaped early childhood for Black Gen X
• The untold strength of Black educators during desegregation
• Why Generation X still carries the legacy of those first classrooms

🎙️ “We weren’t just learning our ABCs — we were learning what equality looked like, even before we understood the word.”Call to Action:If this story resonates with your own journey — or your parents’ — share this episode and subscribe for more reflections on history, identity, and the experiences that shaped Black Gen X.

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In this episode of IN THE KNOW with Anthony Reeves, we take a deep look at what it meant to be Black Generation X — the first generation to grow up in a multicultural America while still carrying the emotional weight of segregation, loss, and social transformation. 

Anthony reflects on how his generation was shaped by the trauma and triumphs of their parents and grandparents — from the assassinations of the 1960s and the Civil Rights victories that followed, to the modern echoes of George Floyd’s death and global reckoning. 

Through powerful storytelling, historical parallels, and personal insight, Anthony explores how Black Gen X became the bridge generation — raised by those who endured the fight for equality, and tasked with living out its promise in real time. 
🔹 Topics include:

• The legacy of Civil Rights and generational trauma
• The psychological impact of rapid social change
• How the death of George Floyd mirrors earlier generational pain
• The story of Anthony’s mother — a teacher and mother navigating a new world
• Why remembering the past is key to healing the present

🎙️ “Black Gen X grew up between progress and pain. We were America’s test case for transformation.”
👉 Listen, follow, and share to join the conversation on how history continues to shape our lives. For more reflections, check out Anthony’s e-book “Black Generation X Journey: The World Before Me” — available now on Fourthwall.

#BlackGenX #InTheKnowPodcast #AnthonyReeves #CulturalTrauma #CivilRightsLegacy #GenerationalHealing #BetweenHopeAndTrauma #SocialJustice #BlackHistory #GenXVoices

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(00:00:00) Lessons from the Past: Why Black Travelers still move differently
(00:00:08) Intro: Moving Differently for a Reason
(00:00:32) The Myth That Time Erases Danger
(00:02:00) The Generational Warning System
(00:03:37) From Emmett Till to Interstate 10
(00:05:51) It’s not about fear. It’s about Focus
(00:07:29) Closing: Blueprints, not baggage

For many of us in Black Gen X, travel has never been just about the destination — it’s about survival through awareness. 

In this episode, I explore how generations before us taught vital lessons about how to move in certain spaces — lessons that were never about fear, but about staying safe in a world that didn’t always welcome us equally. From family warnings before road trips down South to stories of Emmett Till and beyond, I reflect on how these “travel codes” became a quiet form of self-protection that still resonates today. Because the truth is — the past isn’t baggage. It’s a blueprint for survival

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In 1987, I was just 18 — a college freshman at the University of Tampa and a brand-new Army Reservist trying to earn a $4,000 bonus. What should’ve been a routine weekend drill turned into one of the wildest, most dangerous journeys of my life. 

No car. No money. No phone. Just a uniform, a highway, and the belief that I could walk 80 miles from Orlando back to Tampa — because, at that age, I thought I was invincible. 

In this episode, I share how that long, dark walk down I-4 became a defining lesson about freedom, faith, and foolishness. From begging for food at a gas station to crawling under a resort fence just to use a phone, to being rescued by a kind Black couple at night — this story is about more than survival. 

It’s about what it truly meant to be Black Gen X — the first generation told we were “free to move,” yet still learning that freedom didn’t always mean safety. 

🎧 Tune in as I unpack how one night on a Florida highway revealed what Traveling While Black Gen X really felt like — equal parts courage, ignorance, and grace.

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In 2008, I had just started my own law firm in Central Florida and was commuting daily through the quiet backroads of Polk County. One day, a young woman in my mentor’s office pulled me aside and said, “Be careful driving through that town — the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan lives there.”

That moment stopped me cold. Not because I feared what might happen, but because it revealed something deeper — that even decades after Jim Crow, the echoes of history still shape how we move through certain spaces. 

In this episode, I revisit that conversation, unpack what it meant for me as a Black Gen Xer, and reflect on how generational awareness — even from those born long after the civil rights era — reminds us that history doesn’t fade just because the laws change. 

Join me as I explore why awareness isn’t paranoia, why silence doesn’t equal safety, and why talking about history isn’t divisive — it’s survival. 

🎧 Listen, reflect, and share this story with someone who believes history no longer matters. 💬 For exclusive reflections and bonus commentary, visit my Patreon at linktr.ee/anthonyreeves.

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In 1996, I was a 27-year-old Black naval officer stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. One late night, I was driving home from Jacksonville along a dark, two-lane rural road — no lights, no traffic, just me and the sound of my tires against the pavement.

Then I saw it — headlights, brake lights, and the unmistakable turn of a police cruiser making a U-turn behind me.

In that moment, every image I had ever seen of how quickly things could go wrong for someone who looked like me came rushing to the surface. Nobody had ever given me “the talk.” I didn’t know the playbook. All I knew was that I wanted to make it home alive. 

This episode shares the story of that night — the split-second decisions, the unexpected conversation with the officer, and the reflections that came years later. It’s about instinct, survival, and the quiet ways Black Gen X learned lessons that weren’t always spoken but deeply understood. 
Because sometimes, survival isn’t about being brave — it’s about being wise.

🔊  In This Episode:

• Growing up without “the talk” about police encounters
• The night I got pulled over in rural North Carolina
• The three choices that flashed through my mind
• How a shared military connection shifted the moment
• Why survival sometimes means de-escalating before it begins
• Reflections from older Black Marines who reminded me what mattered most

💬  Call to Action:

If this story resonates with you, share your thoughts in the comments or send a voice message through the platform. Your stories matter — and together, we keep these conversations alive.
Explore more reflections, exclusive stories, and digital books at Linktree.com/mynameisreeves and join me on Patreon for behind-the-scenes access at Patreon.com/TheAnthonyReevesExperience.

🏷️  Hashtags / Tags for Podcast Platforms

#BlackGenX #TheAnthonyReevesExperience #LifeLessons #TrueStory #BlackMenAndPolice #CampLejeune #SurvivalStory #MilitaryLife #Awareness #GenXReflections

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In this episode, Tony Reeves takes listeners beyond the viral video “Beware of the Klan County” to unpack what it truly meant for Black Generation X to grow up after the fall of legal segregation.
The Civil Rights victories of the 1950s and 1960s—Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act—changed the laws. But they didn’t immediately change the people.

Tony explores how Gen X became the first generation to live without Jim Crow, yet still under the shadow of those who thrived during it. From courtrooms still fighting school segregation into the 1980s to the quiet persistence of prejudice in everyday life, this episode reveals the growing pains of a nation learning how to desegregate—and the emotional toll of being a transitional generation. 
Generation X inherited the promise of freedom without a blueprint for how to live it. This is our story.


🔊  Highlights Include

• Brown v. Board II and the slow road to integration
• Why 1970 marked a turning point for institutional discrimination
• How laws and culture reinforced one another for generations
• What happened when the institutions changed but the bigots didn’t
• The identity divide within Generation X
• Why remembering history is not “dwelling on the past”

🎙️  Call to Action (for your podcast outro or show notes)

👉🏾 Join the conversation — Share your thoughts about growing up in the shadow of change. 👉🏾 Support the work — Visit mynameisreeves-shop.fourthwall.com for books and reflections from the Black Gen X Reflections collection.

 👉🏾 Subscribe to IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves wherever you listen to podcasts for more real talk about history, identity, and lived experience.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

In 1995, I arrived in Jacksonville, North Carolina — a young, proud Black naval officer reporting for duty at Camp Lejeune. Like anyone new to a duty station, I was trying to find my way — where to live, where to eat, and how to adjust. 

But within weeks, I received a warning I’ll never forget. A senior non-commissioned officer pulled me aside and said: 

“If you’re driving, make sure you drive the speed limit through that county.” 
At first, I thought he was talking about speed traps — until he told me that less than ten years earlier, that same county had a billboard that read:

“Home of the Ku Klux Klan.” 

That warning changed how I saw everything. It wasn’t about fear — it was about awareness. Even though the signs came down, the attitudes hadn’t always disappeared. 

In this episode, I share how that experience shaped my understanding of race, safety, and survival in America — and why it still matters today. 

This story also marks the first reference to my upcoming book, Traveling While Black Gen X, a reflection on what it meant for my generation — post–Jim Crow, pre-smartphone — to navigate freedom and fear on the same road. 

🎧 Listen now to hear how one warning became a lifelong reminder that awareness is not fear — it’s protection.

Call to Action 

If this episode resonates with you: ✅ Follow and share this podcast with someone who values real stories and honest reflections. 💬 Join the conversation by leaving a comment or message on my socials. 📚 Learn more about my upcoming book, Traveling While Black Gen X, and how these experiences shaped its creation.

🏷️  Hashtags / Tags

#BeCarefulOfTheKlanCounty #TravelingWhileBlackGenX #DrivingWhileBlack #BlackGenX #TheAnthonyReevesExperience #AmericanHistory #BlackExperience #TonyReeves #AwarenessNotFear #Storytime #RealTalkPodcast

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In this special Commentary on the Comments episode of IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves, I’m responding to a viewer who asked a simple but powerful question:

“Why do you keep talking about Black Generation X?”

My answer goes far beyond nostalgia. Black Gen X stands at the crossroads of history — the first generation to grow up in a legally desegregated world but still carry the weight of institutional racism’s shadow. 

In this reflection, I explore how history remembers other generations through defining moments like Prohibition, World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement — but rarely defines our generation by anything beyond pop culture and MTV. 

I discuss how that historical oversight shapes the way we understand progress, identity, and belonging — and why it’s dangerous to “delete” parts of our shared story in the name of moving on. 
✊🏾 Key themes:

• How history overlooks Black Gen X in favor of larger narratives
• Why we’re called the “transitional generation”
• The risk of erasing lived experiences in the name of progress
• Why remembering our stories is essential to understanding where we are today

💬 Join the conversation: Do you think Black Gen X has been overlooked or misrepresented in American history? Share your thoughts on YouTube or social media using the hashtag #CommentaryOnTheComments — I might feature your response in a future episode. 

🔔 Follow IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves wherever you get your podcasts for more reflections on life, identity, and the truth behind the stories we tell.

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Engage.

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At 7 years old, I thought I found the perfect friend. We played, laughed, and shared childhood joy—until one day, he told me we couldn’t play anymore because I was Black. That moment of rejection was my first real encounter with how quickly a welcoming space could become unwelcome.

In this episode, I reflect on the innocence lost that day and how it shaped my understanding of race, belonging, and adaptation as a Black Gen Xer. From childhood confusion to adult perspective, I explore what it meant to grow up in spaces where acceptance was conditional and rejection could arrive without warning. 

Tune in for a personal story about resilience, race, and the lifelong impact of a single childhood moment.


Do you want me to also add a short call-to-action for listeners (e.g., inviting them to follow, share their own experiences, or check out your e-books/memberships) so the podcast description doubles as both narrative and promotion?

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In this episode, I reflect on what it meant to be a Black Gen Xer navigating college life, cultural misunderstandings, and the loneliness of being “the only one” in spaces where I didn’t always feel welcome. From being told that HBCUs weren’t “the real world,” to living four years as the only Black student on my dorm floor, I share the raw lessons and coping strategies that my generation had to invent on the fly.

We didn’t always get it right—but we tried. Gen X carried the burden of learning to survive in a world that claimed to be equal but wasn’t, and we passed those lessons—messy as they were—on to future generations.

🎧 Tune in as I explore: 

• Why people “Monday morning quarterback” racism but rarely understand what it feels like in real time
• How cultural misunderstandings shaped my interactions and forced me to adapt
• What it meant to be the only one, and how safe spaces became essential for survival
• Why Generation X is the overlooked bridge generation between Baby Boomers and Millennials

📩 Stay connected beyond the podcast:
👉 Sign up for my mailing list:Mailing list signup 
📚 Explore my eBooks: https://mynameisreeves-shop.fourthwall.com/

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In this episode, I share my very first experience of being exposed to racism as a child growing up in the rural South during the 1970s. At just eight years old, an innocent invitation to play on a trampoline turned into a painful lesson about exclusion, bigotry, and the way prejudice is passed down through generations.

But this story is also about courage. When I was told I wasn’t welcome, one Cub Scout Den Mother stood up for me, making it clear that if I wasn’t accepted, none of the kids would be a part of it. That moment showed me not only what racism looked like up close, but also what it means to have someone defend you when you can’t defend yourself.
Join me as I reflect on:

• The innocence of childhood interrupted by racism.
• How generational prejudice poisons relationships.
• The powerful role of allies who refuse to stay silent.
• Why these stories still matter today.

👉 After listening, I’d love to hear from you: When was your first exposure to racism or bigotry?

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What was it like to hit the road in the late ’80s and early ’90s without cell phones, GPS, or streaming music? In this episode, I take you back to my days as a Black Gen Xer making 14-hour road trips from Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Tampa, Florida. From glovebox maps and pay phones to dodging sundown towns and planning gas stops, traveling was more than just getting from point A to point B — it was survival. I share the strategies, the risks, and the independence that defined an entire generation of travelers. 

If you’ve ever wondered how Gen X navigated long-distance road trips — or what it meant to travel while Black in the South — this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.

In this episode, I reflect on the unique reality of being part of Black Gen X—caught between two worlds that often felt at odds. Our parents, mostly Baby Boomers, grew up under segregation and faced open hostility, while we were the first generation to come of age in a fully desegregated society.
I share my story of growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas—a majority-Black town in a majority-White state—where I saw both the nurturing support of Black communities and the subtle hostilities that lingered outside of them. I explore the shift from “hard bigotry” to “soft bigotry,” the absence of a blueprint for navigating this new reality, and the ways both Black and White Gen X had to learn by trial and error.
This is a conversation about resilience, identity, and how Gen X forged its own path without letting the weight of the past hold us back.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/in-the-know-with-tony-reeves--5596987/support.