Uncle James Presents: Basic Automotive 101
- unclejamestv
- Feb 1
- 2 min read
I have decide to do a automotive class in partnership with my local arts/community center , Briarwood's arts center. They do awesome work in our local Jackson community. They have tons of events and it was a no brainer to work with them when I came up with the ideal for the class.
I guess I should probably talk about how and why i came up with the ideal to teach a class. If you know anything about me i am a bit of a jack of all trades, or a "Renaissance Man" of sorts. I do everything. If I were to list all the hats i were that would be more lengthy than id like for this post to be, but all of my hobbies and skills surround self reliance, working with my hands , and making the most from little resources. Car repair is one of those skills, which i honed in college after countless break downs between Jackson MS and Tuskegee AL, but I digress.
I was scrolling through facebook and a post came across my feed , a black man late 20s to early 30s, who was teaching young black boys basic car skills. These skills included parts of the car, the components within the engine bay. After watching his videos I was inspired but i was also unimpressed, maybe it was my ego . I believe is was my innate ability, in knowing that i could give a better class , because i have a lifetime of mechanical experience and i am quite literally a mechanical engineer.
Despite my skills there is a deeper issue, there is a disproportionate amount of fatherless homes in the black community as well as single parent households. I was blessed to be the product of a strong black family and I had a father who taught me a majority of my blue collar skills namely how to work on cars. I feel its my duty to pass this knowledge to my community so that those less advantaged will have the knowledge to empower themselves.
As a Tuskegee University graduate I would be remiss if I did not drop some Tuskegee ism in this post. I am in my own way "Lifting the Veil of ignorance" a famous quote of Booker T Washington in reference to a statue which depicts a slave getting the veil of ignorance pulled from over his eyes. One of the foundational metaphors in my philosophy to pay it forward to those who did not have the opportunities that I was blessed with.
This class is directed toward young black children but this is a useful skill for everyone. With the current political landscape as well as an unpredictable economy, I foresee that more people will not be able to afford new cars or car maintenance and will be forced to make do. This class could be the difference between being stranded on the side of the road and making it to work on time or the difference between having a family car or walking. I am happy to provide this essential survival skill to my community.
Register for class:https://form.typeform.com/to/TpbDwfXh
Connect with Briarwoods at the link below:
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