Old School Rules: Words of Wisdom from "Back in the Day"

Uncle Old School was born and raised in Bronzeville, in the “baby boomer” years following World War II. His grandmother taught him to read at age three; as a child, he enjoyed listening to grown-ups’ discussions, until one of them (usually his mother) would say, “This is adult conversation – you may be excused!” At an early age, his grandmothers, great aunts and uncles, and other elders in the community started dropping their “pearls of wisdom,” filling a treasure chest in his mind and heart. These Old School Rules have guided Uncle through six decades of exciting and turbulent times, and they’re just as relevant in the 21st century – maybe moreso! “In a world where it seems so important to know the cost of everything, we seem to forget that the best things in life aren’t things,” he says. “Common sense is pretty uncommon these days – this little book is filled with the ‘motherwit’ – the guiding words of ‘Nana’ or ‘Big Mama’ in our heads at that critical moment, the fork-in-the-road.” Uncle Old School started writing professionally at age twelve for a weekly community newspaper. He’s been a radio deejay, print journalist, writer and producer of nationally syndicated radio shows, urban planner, marketing and public relations manager, public information officer, college instructor, health educator, and trainer. Documenting and sharing the rich cultural history of the Black/African American community is his passion. “I didn’t create Old School Rules,” Uncle Old School reminds us, “my goal is to re-create them in a way that’ll remind us of the values that brought us this far from slavery.”