- PNC is proud to support "Business Forward," where local leaders discuss the challenges and opportunities in how we do business in Central Illinois.
(bright upbeat music) - Welcome to "Business Forward."
I am your host, Matt George.
Joining me tonight, Peorian James Agbara Bryson.
He's the man, author, leader, advocate for many.
James has a new book out called "The Hidden Story of Annie Turnbo Malone: The First Black Millionaire."
Welcome.
- Thank you so much for having me here, Matt.
- Well, you know, we've known each other probably 20 years and we're gonna get into what you do for kids in the community towards the end of the show because that's how we knew each other.
And a lot of times people, people don't understand.
So when I was at Children's Home, and then you look at what Marcellus is doing, you look at the Boys and Girls Club, you look at what you're doing.
It's the same kids.
- Yes.
- It's the same kids.
So if we're not collaborating and on the same page, it's useless.
- Yes.
- We'll get to that in a second.
So how did you come up with the idea of this book?
First of all, I love the cover.
- Thank you.
- But tell me where all of this came about.
- Well, when I was very, very young, I used to go out to my grandparents, out in Edelstein, Illinois, right?
Right up the road from Tanners Orchard.
- Okay.
- And I would visit there, I called it the farm.
And that's where my mother was raised, my uncles.
And so I would go out there, and from time to time, I knew my grandparents, they were farmers.
They're the only Black farmers in the area.
But also they were business people.
I would notice that they would be going to Chicago every now and then.
I would see little products, Poro products, didn't know what it was.
My mother and I, we lived in public housing, so we didn't really, she did, I didn't, I didn't understand all that.
And so as I got older, I would hear my grandparents talk about Aunt Annie.
We have to go to Chicago and see what's going on up there with the products.
And then my other uncles, they were from Chicago.
They would come down to the farm and they would talk about Poro.
Now what in the world is Poro?
- Poro.
- Poro.
"Nah, you're too young to know about that Poro."
Well, come to find out that my grandparents were the executive directors of Poro College.
Poro College is the college that Annie Malone founded with her products.
So after my grandparents died, they left my mother tons of stuff.
I mean, my grandmother was OCD.
I mean, she had little dimes and things.
But that came out to be quite as skill because the documents and pictures and everything she left had people's names on the back, who they were, the dates and things.
And she really left a treasure of photos, documents, brochures, artifacts, to my mother and I.
But Matt, there was so much of it, my daughter and my mother threw away tons of stuff.
But there was still a significant number of things that were left.
And I was saying, "Well, who was this lady?"
And come to find out, it was my great-grandaunt, Annie Malone.
- That is unbelievable.
And so the products you're talking about, she had hair products, right?
- She had, absolutely.
She got her wealth from hair products.
And those hair products and things were really developed, really had the starting point here in Peoria.
So Annie Malone was orphaned at a young age, maybe 11 or so.
And her sister, Ada, married my great-grandfather.
And so when Annie's parents died, she came to Peoria to live with her older sister, who was my great-grandfather's wife.
And so the Moody family, who were my grandparents, became Annie Malone's surrogate family.
And so that's the relationship that Annie Malone had with Peoria.
Now, Annie Malone's parents were escaped slaves.
My great-great grandparents were also escaped slaves.
Their names were Moodys, were the Moodys.
Her names were Turnbos.
But in the Moody family, I don't know, I look at their pictures, you look through that book, they were kind of aristocratic.
- Okay.
- Well dressed, pictures and things.
And there was, my great-great-great grandmother, whose name we called Mother Moody, ex-slave, she was a herbalist.
So Annie Malone at a young age she attended Central High School, but she couldn't complete because of illness.
And so it was Mother Moody who took Annie Malone, and Annie Malone also brought her younger sister, Laura, here with her, took 'em to the woods, and taught her how to put together these herbs.
And the herbs were originally designed for respiratory issues, but they also found out, and can you imagine, Mother Moody was a pharmacist.
She was a pharmacist.
You could apply it to your face but also to your hair.
Back in the day, there was a lot of scalp disease, weren't a lot of African American doctors.
So you better know what you're doing in terms of being an herbalist.
So this is how the formula came about was through these products and things that Mother Moody taught her.
That was the whole foundation of her product.
And the product was called the Wonderful Hair Grower.
So it made her millions.
- Well, I need it.
(Matt and James laugh) - Yeah, so do I.
Need it myself.
- Well, you recently earned a Certificate of Merit in the Best of Illinois History category from the Illinois State Historical Society.
We're not talking local, which is just cool in itself.
- [James] Yes, yes.
- The State of Illinois Historical Society.
That is unbelievable.
- Well, I'm gonna tell you, there's a strong, now I don't consider myself a writer.
I have several books out, workbooks and other books.
But the Annie Malone story is very, very spiritual.
Things that, connections and things, that Annie Malone, Annie Malone, just like being here, makes things happen.
I would've never dreamed in 100 years or a lifetime that I would be recognized in terms, or the book would be recognized, in terms of Illinois State Historical Society, but the products and the pictures and things, lemme tell you this story.
So I had, this is my second edition.
The first edition, it was okay.
But I called back and I said, "I need some more books."
And so my publisher, he said, I self-published that book.
He said, "Well go ahead and get back in touch with the guy that you had."
Guy never got back with me.
And so the publisher says, "You know what?
I have somebody else in mind, contact them."
So I contacted the guy.
He redid everything, the cover, the pictures, the font.
I mean, that's the way Annie Malone works.
- It's beautiful.
- It really is.
- It is.
- It really is.
But Annie Malone directs people to me to open up doors.
And that was just another example of how that happened.
- It's neat, I mean, I read probably an hour's worth of stuff on her.
- Wow.
- And what you don't really realize, like, so I take my kids to the museum and you walk in and there's that painting of her, but when you actually know the story, like the history, it's really, sometimes, you just think to yourself, there's so much history here just in Peoria.
- Oh, absolutely.
- But to become a millionaire that long ago?
- Yes.
Yes.
- And, female owner.
- Female.
- That's, you know, I just find the story just fascinating.
- African American.
- African American.
- She paid for that college, five story college, $4 million in cash.
- (laughs) I mean, think about how much that is today.
- 1914.
- Unbelievable.
- Unbelievable, cash.
And the other thing that's unbelievable, just the connections here on State Street.
Annie Malone lived about five blocks up on State Street.
- Really?
That is so neat.
So like, when did you find out, or really what age did you understand, who she really was?
- Well.
- Do you remember that?
- No, because I'm still fighting out.
- [Matt] Well, that's a good answer, actually.
- Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I'm still finding out.
I remember asking my Grandmother Moody, I said, "Grandmother, Aunt Annie, who was she?
Why don't we do a book or something about her or something?"
She said, "No.
No, you don't need to."
Prior to "Roots," African Americans really did not talk about their past, particularly in my grandmother's era, because the past was so traumatized with the emotions and things.
My grandmother, she was raised right over here in East Peoria, was one of 'em, as well as my other grandparents, but not as much.
But my grandmother would not talk about Annie Malone.
She didn't want anyone to really know about Annie Malone.
And this is what she said.
She said, "If you start talking about Aunt Annie, people will come out of the woodwork trying to claim some of the assets with their hands out."
One of the things that I did find, and I mean my grandma, she was something else.
When Aunt Annie died, that's exactly what happened.
There were probably about 35 Turnbos who were claiming- - Oh my goodness.
- Making a claim to Annie Malone.
We never even knew many of them.
And there was only about five or six Moodys, and that'd be my grandmother, who made claims.
So what she said really rung a bell and it was true.
- She was a smart woman.
- She was a smart woman.
It's really true.
Really true.
- Unbelievable.
So think about, too, going to Central High School, and I mean, you have to think back of all the brilliant people that have gone through the school systems here but this might be one of the most famous ones ever.
- It probably is the most famous one that has gone through there.
Unfortunately, she's probably the least known.
- Well, until now.
- Until now.
But even now, even now, I mean, information, it's getting out.
But yeah, I went to Central.
I talked to staff, do programs there, start tripping programs, staff come in, "Hey, you know Annie Malone?"
"Who?
Is she a student here?"
(laughs) I said, "Used to be.
You never heard of Annie Malone?"
"No."
And I said, "Each of you lineup."
And I said (mimics slapping) and slapped them all.
I said, "You should know who Annie Malone is.
She's the most famous student here."
- But think of this, all now Peoria Public Schools kids go through the museum.
- Yes.
- And now they're seeing it.
- Yes.
- And that's big - That's big.
That's big.
As well as the BH 365 curriculum.
Are you familiar with that?
- No.
Talk about it.
- So the BH 365 curriculum is the Black History 365 Days a Year.
It's one of the first, it might be a little bald with the racial controversy with the books and things, but it goes back to Ancient Africa to Contemporary Africa.
- Okay.
- And Annie Malone is part of what you would call the business solutionist.
But the school district, Peoria School District, is one of the first in the country to adopt the curriculum.
The book is about this thick.
So Annie Malone is part of that curriculum.
So they get that, additional education through that.
So I was contacted by Dr. Freeman and Dr. Matthews, Milton, Dr. Milton, and they put me on their advisory board for Annie Malone.
So now Annie Malone is traveling nationally.
Actually, we're gonna do a new book on Annie Malone to be like an encyclopedia, visual encyclopedia component.
But yeah, Annie Malone is getting national attention, thanks to Netflix.
Were you familiar with that?
- Yeah.
- Well, Netflix is, after seeing Netflix, Matt, that's what really motivated me.
- Okay.
- To write the book.
In there, there was character assassination, there was colorism in there.
It was just fiction.
And Annie Malone, I was excited, because hey, LeBron James, he's producing this, the executive producer.
- Yeah.
- I was so disappointed.
But it stimulated so much interest, and particularly as, "Who was this lady in the movie?"
Her name was Annie Monroe.
But that was Annie Malone.
Who is Annie Monroe?
So it stimulated a lot of things, but it created a lot of anger in me.
So I put everything together that I had and said, "I want to tell the truth.
The hidden story of Annie Malone."
- Well, you as a person have always taken, if there's ever been anger or disappointment, you've always channeled it and it's come out the right way.
You do that with the kids.
- Yes.
Yes.
- I mean, that's what you did with this project.
- Yes.
Yes.
- You took your, I don't know, I'm gonna say disappointment.
- Yes.
Yes.
- And you took that disappointment, and actually it was probably good that it was that way.
- Absolutely.
- Because now you get this.
- Absolutely, you know, I was just saying, those are the blessings that I've been finding.
Annie Malone was a very spiritual lady.
And even when I was writing the book, and still Matt, she visits me, 1:30, two, three o'clock, and just guides me.
And she enters my consciousness at that time because I'm quiet.
- Yeah.
- And so I have the ability to listen to what she says.
And so I just follow what she says and one thing leads to another.
And that's how we got at the museum, just by listening.
- Well, I think it's about as cool as can be.
- Thank you.
- I'm telling you right now, I love the art, or just the look of the book.
- Yes, yes.
- It's great.
- Yes.
Yes.
- So let's switch gears just for a second, because I know you as an empathetic, just an all around caring guy, and I always thought you were just wise.
- Thank you.
- That's the word.
When I think of you, I think of wise, and there's just, when you're around kids or you're around, you know, you work with people that have come out of jail, and I mean, people, you can just see it in their eyes the respect that they have for you.
And that doesn't happen, even though people mean well, because there's things I've done and you've done, and they look at you and they go, "I don't know what it is."
But there's just that softness in your heart that you're able to connect.
And that's a blessing but that's also a cool thing to have.
- Well, I always thought, man, thank you so much for that.
But I always thought that the things that I did in my life was me being self-directed.
It was me creating those.
But as I've gotten older, and now, I find out I'm just following the path of Annie Malone.
- Wow, I mean, that's a cool statement too.
And yeah, I can see that, just by the way you're talking, but I also know that you can't, not everybody can do what you're doing.
- It is, or you, Matt, or you, I mean- - I appreciate that.
- I mean, everyone is born with certain gifts and talents, but everyone doesn't know their gifts and talents.
You've been blessed to understand your gifts and talents, but not only that, you've been blessed to be able to teach others their gifts and talents.
And that's a blessing there.
And I think it's been the same way with me.
- Yeah.
- It's being able to, because I've seen a lot, though.
I've seen a lot.
Public housing, Warner Homes, Taft Homes.
I've seen how things, consequences, for certain behaviors, certain decisions.
So for me, I've just been guided.
And it's through Annie Malone, who's really guiding me.
- Pretty cool stuff.
You know, you're certified in mental health first aid, right?
And you take that behavioral health approach, that piece of understanding the mental health of anybody really, kids or not.
And so a lot of your programs really focus around that mental health, educating piece.
Am I right?
- My program focus around a, about 30 years ago, I got a whole workbook curriculum.
Back in the day when I started that, there wasn't anything that was called social and emotional learning.
- That's right.
- It didn't exist.
- Right.
- And I worked in workforce development with the city and I was also a mental health counselor at the Human Service Center for years as well as the juvenile probation officer.
But I started seeing people come in to our office.
We would pay for everything, man.
If you wanna be a nurse, hey, just tell me, tell us, bam, we'll pay for everything.
And then you wanna be whatever, whatever.
But there was a phenomenon that I was seeing that you wouldn't show up, neither would the other people.
But you would come back, oh, two weeks later.
Matter of fact, even got you a job.
You wanted a job.
I called the employer.
"Matt's coming in at nine o'clock."
Matt would not show up.
- Yeah.
- So I started seeing that and I said, "What is this?"
Well, as I did my research, and there was not and still isn't very much research on it, it was a phenomena called self-handicapping behavior and self-handicapping behaviors now is really associated, 30 years ago, we didn't hear too much about trauma, but self-handicapping behavior, one of the main stimulators and triggers is trauma as well as the sense of feeling incompetent.
So my program, when I used to come to you and work with you, it helps individuals identify, overcome their self-handicapping behaviors.
Many of that behavior is unconscious and it's due to habit.
People who have a history of failure expect to fail.
And so we had to change those mindsets to help people self enhance instead of self-handicapping.
Back to the mental health component.
Yeah, certified Mental Health First Aider.
However, a good program, intense program, but I ventured off into the Annie Malone Mental Health Initiative.
Now, the Annie Malone Mental Health Initiative isn't as long as the Mental Health First Aiders but it concentrates upon what we call community actors.
So you don't have to have a college degree, you don't have to have an associate's.
All you have to do is be connected to the community.
If the community knows you and they trust in you.
So you an ex-alcoholic, you know, drug guy, now you're going straight, you're going straight.
You got out of the joint, you straight now.
People come to you for advice and they listen and respect you.
So the whole Annie Malone Mental Health Initiative focuses upon low income and people of color, but we train individuals who are trusted community members.
And right now, our biggest mental health providers are our barbers, our cosmetologists, and people in service like that.
They just haven't been trained into mental health.
So that's what I do.
- I mean, how cool is that?
That's pretty cool stuff.
- And then you get a three hour CEU from the state, from that training.
So not only does it help individuals, community actors deal with other individuals like myself who need services, but it helps 'em deal with themself.
- Yeah.
So mentors in your life.
You've had a lot of 'em, haven't you?
A lot of people that you've looked up to and it sounds like your grandparents, maybe.
- I tell you, my mentors, primarily my mentors, no, I haven't had a lot.
- [Matt] Okay.
- Because I'm from public housing, so I haven't had a lot.
But I'll tell you what I did have.
I had a good family and I was blessed to have, now my mother and father got got divorced at an early age, but I had my uncles who were great men, they was nuts.
- But they're mentors.
- They're mentors.
They're mentors.
I mean, I couldn't, myself and my cousins, we couldn't go very far without uncles and the community.
That's when the community was a family.
"Boy, I heard you been up at Miss Johnson's house.
What was you doing up there?"
"I wasn't do anything."
"Well, you better not."
And I had eight uncles.
- Yeah.
And I think that's what I was getting at is doing this.
Well, I'll tell you what, "The Hidden Story of Annie Turnbo Malone: The First Black Millionaire."
This is a great book.
I can't wait to read the actual book, 'cause I don't like reading things online.
So I actually like holding the book.
- Yes.
Yes.
- So thank you so much for coming on our show.
- Thank you for having me.
Thank you for having me.
- [Matt] We are so proud to have you in our community.
- Thank you.
- And thank you so much.
I'm Matt George and this is another episode of "Business Forward."
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