Welcome to IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves – where experience meets real-world insight. This channel offers thoughtful commentary on trending news, cultural shifts, and legal perspectives, all shaped by over 20 years in the legal field and public service. Whether it’s something you saw in the headlines—or something important that almost slipped by—I break it down with clarity, context, and a dose of straight talk. 🎙️ Featuring a mix of quick takes, deep dives, and personal stories 💡 Grounded insights from someone who’s been there and done the work 🔁 New content added regularly—subscribe so you don’t miss out Stay informed. Stay grounded. Stay IN THE KNOW.

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.

Welcome to IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves – where experience meets real-world insight. This channel offers thoughtful commentary on trending news, cultural shifts, and legal perspectives, all shaped by over 20 years in the legal field and public service. Whether it’s something you saw in the headlines—or something important that almost slipped by—I break it down with clarity, context, and a dose of straight talk. 🎙️ Featuring a mix of quick takes, deep dives, and personal stories 💡 Grounded insights from someone who’s been there and done the work 🔁 New content added regularly—subscribe so you don’t miss out Stay informed. Stay grounded. Stay IN THE KNOW.

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 https://mynameisreeves-shop.fourthwall.com/. #BlackGenX #InTheKnowPodcast #AnthonyReeves #CulturalTrauma #CivilRightsLegacy #GenerationalHealing #BetweenHopeAndTrauma #SocialJustice #BlackHistory #GenXVoices

Welcome to IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves – where experience meets real-world insight. This channel offers thoughtful commentary on trending news, cultural shifts, and legal perspectives, all shaped by over 20 years in the legal field and public service. Whether it’s something you saw in the headlines—or something important that almost slipped by—I break it down with clarity, context, and a dose of straight talk. 🎙️ Featuring a mix of quick takes, deep dives, and personal stories 💡 Grounded insights from someone who’s been there and done the work 🔁 New content added regularly—subscribe so you don’t miss out Stay informed. Stay grounded. Stay IN THE KNOW.

Welcome to IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves – where experience meets real-world insight. This channel offers thoughtful commentary on trending news, cultural shifts, and legal perspectives, all shaped by over 20 years in the legal field and public service. Whether it’s something you saw in the headlines—or something important that almost slipped by—I break it down with clarity, context, and a dose of straight talk. 🎙️ Featuring a mix of quick takes, deep dives, and personal stories 💡 Grounded insights from someone who’s been there and done the work 🔁 New content added regularly—subscribe so you don’t miss out Stay informed. Stay grounded. Stay IN THE KNOW.

Welcome to IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves – where experience meets real-world insight. This channel offers thoughtful commentary on trending news, cultural shifts, and legal perspectives, all shaped by over 20 years in the legal field and public service. Whether it’s something you saw in the headlines—or something important that almost slipped by—I break it down with clarity, context, and a dose of straight talk. 🎙️ Featuring a mix of quick takes, deep dives, and personal stories 💡 Grounded insights from someone who’s been there and done the work 🔁 New content added regularly—subscribe so you don’t miss out Stay informed. Stay grounded. Stay IN THE KNOW.

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

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.

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 https://linktr.ee/anthonyreeves.

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 https://linktr.ee/mynameisreeves and join me on Patreon for behind-the-scenes access at https://patreon.com/TheAnthonyReevesExperience. 🏷️  Hashtags / Tags for Podcast Platforms #BlackGenX #TheAnthonyReevesExperience #LifeLessons #TrueStory #BlackMenAndPolice #CampLejeune #SurvivalStory #MilitaryLife #Awareness #GenXReflections

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 https://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.

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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