I was born in Wilson, NC and came to Washington D.C. in 1972 when I was 8 years old. I went to Terrell Jr. High School and graduated from there, and then I went to Phelps Career Center. I took welding for three years at Phelps and graduated in 1982.
After I graduated, I got into boxing as an amateur. I fought professionally as well. My record was 11-6 with 5 knockouts, and in four years I won the Welterweight Championship Belt for Baltimore, MD. It was a state title. When I was boxing, I started going to church. I needed to be with God. I needed God in my life because my life wasn’t going right when I was doing drugs. So I got baptized.

After I got the belt, I heard that Sugar Ray Leonard, my idol, snorted cocaine, so I started “tooting” cocaine before fights. In 1986 I got locked up for something like putting my mom’s license plate on my car. This beautiful woman helped bond me out of jail, so I didn’t do any time. I asked her out and she said yes. She got me into crack cocaine. I was gone after that. I was with it for 5-6 months, still going to the gym and smoking crack, but then I got lazy. I wanted to smoke crack more and spend more time with the woman. Then I ran out of money, and as soon as the money was gone, she was gone. With my money and my woman gone, I turned into a criminal. If it wasn’t chained down, I took it.
These men from the neighborhood started teaching me how to work on cars, so I became a mechanic. I’d work on cars on the street. I was cheap! They’d call me Bob Barker, because the “price was right.” Younger guys called me the Dollar Man because I was always making a dollar. I did that from my late twenties to my late thirties. During that time, I was still stealing things off people’s cars, so I was in and out of court and I got incarcerated twice. I did a little over 4 years in prison total. That second time I was incarcerated I said, “I’m getting too old for this,” and that saved my life. If I hadn’t been incarcerated, I’d probably still be out there doing drugs.
I came home from prison the second time and I was in a halfway house. The halfway house sent us out 3 hours a day to look for jobs, so I put applications everywhere. When asked if I was ever convicted of a felony, I checked “Yes” and I’d never get called back. They didn’t want to hire someone who had committed a felony. I needed a job bad because if I didn’t get a job in a certain amount of time, they’d send us back to jail. That’s where I found out about Jubilee Jobs. A guy gave me the phone number and told me to call, so I did.
At that first orientation, I just kept praying, “I hope they can get me a job. I don’t care what kind of job it is, I would take it!” I went on a few interviews and I got hired as a dishwasher at AV Italiano. They needed somebody bad, so they hired. I made minimum wage, $6.25. I worked there for 10 months and then I came back to Jubilee Jobs, and they helped me get my career job. My career job was welding, and they helped me get a welding job with City Iron. The first interview I went on, they hired me. I remember that day when they hired me, he said, “I’m hiring you because I like your attitude,” so your personality means a lot on an interview, so you can’t be talking like you’re on the street. I’ve been there for two years. I was making $9 when I started and now I’m making $12 an hour.

What do you like most about your job?
The work, the welding, is interesting. When I finish, I feel like I’ve accomplished something. And when the customers are happy, I’m happy. We don’t get too many complaints. I can get along with the guys I work with. I love working outside, seeing people, seeing life, happiness. They’re out there taking care of their business and we’re there taking care of our business.

What do you like least about the job?
There’s a whole lot of lifting! Metal…some is heavy, some is light, but we’ve got to lift it up. That’s part of the job, though. And working the dip tank (dipping metal I’ve welded in paint). I hate getting paint all over me, but I don’t have to do that anymore. The new guys get the dip tank.

Are there ever days you don’t want to go to work?
Never! If I don’t get up and go to work on a weekday, I’m miserable. I need to work! I get enough rest on the weekends. If it rains, we can’t work and they send us home, but we don’t want to go home. We stay in the shop and clean up.

Describe what kind of worker you are.
I’m a good worker! Guys love to work with me. I’m easy, kind, friendly kind of guy. I can get along with any style, any kind of music…I get along with everybody. I’m there at work every day at 7:30 a.m. and we don’t start work until 8:00 a.m.
What are your goals, your next steps?
I’m working on getting my own apartment because I’ve been staying with my niece and her four kids. As far as the job goes, I think I’m going to be here for a long time. Ever since school I’ve wanted to be a welder, so this is a career job for me. I can live it up on this job! The salary keeps going up!

If someone asked you if they should go to Jubilee Jobs, what would you say?
I’d say, “Go for it, man! I’ll give you the phone number!” I gave a couple of guys the phone number, too. Jubilee will get you a job. It doesn’t matter what kind of record you have, they’ll help you get a job. You don’t need to have no experience, you just need to want to work. Jubilee Jobs works! I’m living proof.

What advice would you give to a new applicant?
Listen to what they’ve got to say. If they tell you to come in, you come in, and make sure you’re on time, too, because that shows you want to work. Watch your attitude. Don’t blow up! Control your temper and you’ll get a job.

What would you say to people who contribute money to Jubilee Jobs?
Whoever gives Jubilee Jobs money to help get this going, they’re an angel from God. They are a blessing from God. That’s all I can really say. Jubilee Jobs got me a job and blessings come to me every day. Every day I go to work is a blessing!