Best of BAB PODCAST - Throwback Thursday The Amazing Tei Street, "The Village Aunt"

The Amazing Tei Street was a guest at the Be a Baller Live Event. Tei  is a member of the Columbus (OH) Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Black Women’s Collective (BWC), She is a graduate of United Way’s Project Diversity, Leadership Columbus, and the African American Leadership Academy. 

Tei Street has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, curriculum development; training in sexual assault prevention, violence prevention; diversity & inclusion, as well as advocacy, education and youth leadership development.

Tei Street is a national motivational speaker, trainer, and education consultant. Her love and passion for positively affecting the lives of all young people and the adults who influence their lives, comes through each time she steps on a stage…or gymnasium floor. Tei’s masterful us of humor, coupled with her gift for storytelling makes her a crowd favorite. Tei challenges her audiences to take the knowledge they gain to move from motion to action; walking in what make them “amazing!”

Transcript

SPEAKER_03: 0:00

Today

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we continue with more great content from our recent Be A Baller live event.

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This young lady, I have the opportunity to hear her share a lot better, and she's always got an amazing story, an amazing story. She's back in town from the state of Washington, I think. She's in the state of Washington earlier this week, and I'm so glad that she made her way back to Columbus to be able to share today. And so I'm going to, she wants me to interview her. I didn't plan to do that. My voice is gone, but I'm going to make this happen for her. So let's give some love to the amazing T Street.

UNKNOWN: 0:51

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 0:56

T Street, you have a... Well, let's say it's a unique experience, a unique story of how you got to be where you are today. And since people see us in our glory, but they don't know our story. They see all these great things that people have done, but they don't know the story. Can you give us a little insight into your story to get to this glory moment?

SPEAKER_05: 1:20

Good afternoon. First of all, thank you so much, Coach, for the invitation to be here. Pastor Bishop Clark, he just set it off this morning. And I thought it couldn't get better than that until we got to the father-son panel. And in a culture that is screaming for men to mentor, not just their sons, but also their daughters, it was so powerful to be a part of that. And then to sit at tables and hear other people's experiences of legacy. I'm grateful to have been in the number. And the old saying, she used to sing that song, I want to be in the number. I'm so grateful to God that I was in the number today. First of all, I am the legacy of Alvin and Teresa Street. My parents raised three children, Tanya, T, and Monty, and we grew up. My sister says, stop telling people we were poor. I'm like, I'm not ashamed of that from which we came because it is proof positive of who God is and what he can do. We grew up poor on the south side of Columbus, but we had two present parents. Their roles were a little different in our family until we were all in school. My mother worked at home because taking care and raising children is work. My mother worked in the home because she believed that no one could give her children her values like her. My father was a construction worker who, if you know construction, you know sometimes it's intermittent and so sometimes there's no check coming in. But my dad was the natural nurturer. I'm a daddy's girl. I love sports. I knew when I was nine I was going to be a Buckeye because my dad loved the Buckeyes and I wanted to please him and so I have two degrees from The Ohio State University. I'm a Browns fan I'm a Browns fan because my daddy is a Browns fan. And what I know about Browns fans, you should all have one in your life because we are the most loyal people on the planet. I am a Cavaliers fan and an Indy, oh, I'm sorry, a Guardians fan because those are my daddy's teams. But my daddy was the one who read and told us bedtime stories. So I get my storytelling ability from my father. My dad is the one who took us to ballet. My dad is the one who coached my baseball team and my brother's baseball team. My dad took us to all of those things. My mother was present. But my mother carried our spiritual seed because it was my mother who first found Jesus. And of all the things that my mother left me, the greatest legacy that she left me was a knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and what he can do when you simply say yes. My father is still alive. My mother died two years ago. And prior to her death, they had just celebrated 59 years of marriage. And so while we didn't have money, we didn't know we were poor. I didn't know I was poor until I got my scholarship and had to submit my parents' tax forms. And I called my sister. I'm like, yo, did you know that we were poor? She was like, girl, we're not poor. We just poor. We can't afford to be poor. But what we lacked in money, we didn't know because because we always had everything that we needed, and pretty much most of what we wanted. We had the first Atari in the neighborhood, y'all, the year that it came out. My mother sacrificed, and so she taught me the importance of sacrifice. So I have a legacy, and I'm the mother of two sons who are my legacy. But many people would say that I'm also the legacy. I'm also leaving other people's children as legacies as well, one of which is on your staff, Chris, Chris. Chris was in a program that I ran called Village to Child. But I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that I'm also the legacy of a woman who's sitting right here, Dr. Jean T. Harris. And I tell this story all around the country. I don't know if you all remember a skit on Martin that said, nobody but not ever say nothing bad about Ms. Jenkins. Nobody but not ever say nothing bad about Dr. Jean T. Harris. Not in front of me. I was a juvenile delinquent. I had two present parents who made great decisions, but But one of the things that my mother and I am always clear about is that we are not our children's only influencers. And I made some decisions as a juvenile and as an adolescent that landed me locked up for a period of time during adolescence. And when I finished that stint, that long stint, I got to Mifflin High School and I was way behind. And I was turning 17 at the beginning of the school year. My birthday is September 25th. So a few weeks after school started, I turned 17 with no credits. And I encountered a woman named Emery S. Hill, who was to become part of my destiny. And she was my English teacher. And I was obstinate. All my trouble was in school. I didn't sell drugs. I didn't do none of that. I was a fighter. I would fight everybody. When you're five feet tall, you got to learn how to fight. So I could fight everybody. And I always won. I only lost one fight in my life. And when I got there, I met this teacher. I hadn't been in school for three and a half years because kids in different systems no matter what they tell you there's no formal education happening when we lock our kids up which is a part of the conspiracy to destroy black kids that's real talk when we keep talking about the how many what the what the lock-up rate is what we don't understand is we're not just locking them up we're also taking away education which we all know is a bridge to success and destiny for kids in our community and so it's not lost on me that I was there and with no education no formal education but my mother when she would visit me always bought me books math books books to read I taught myself algebra and geometry I got to Mifflin and I encountered this teacher and I remember bucking up against her that was the worst mistake I ever made in my life because she caught me by my collar in the hallway and jacked me up against them ugly blue lockers at Mifflin high school and she's uttered some words to me it's in my first book she said let me tell you something little girl why is it when we want to talk to our kids we always got to call them little and put a little in front of it you'll little friend. She said, if you let me, I'll be as good as gold to you, but don't you ever cross me, because if you do, I'll become the biggest bleep you have ever encountered. I'm standing there like, now I've called people names that would make your head spin, but I'm like, oh, is what I'm thinking. She said the B word. She didn't back down. A few weeks later, I took her test that everybody failed, and I got a 100. She called me and asked me, did I cheat? I'm I'm like, I am a thug. I'm nobody's cheater. And so she asked me the question. Somebody asked the question. I was sitting at a table earlier. What is it that it takes to reach our young people? She asked me the question. What's your story? And I told her my story. I said, look, I'm not going to cause you a hard time. I will do whatever you ask me to do. I'm just not trying to get locked up again. They told me a condition is that I got to go to school. I got to go to school and I'm trying not to get locked up. But next year I turn 18, I'm going to drop out and go make some money in the streets. But I'm just trying to stay cool for the next year. I'll sit in the back. I'm not going to talk. She's like, oh, that will never do. She said, do you realize that the closest score in any of my classes to your 100 was a 69? It was on a book called Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. And she took me to the counselor's office and quickly discovered that they never intended for me to graduate either, because I had lunch, four study halls, and four classes in a nine-period day. She took me to the office to a woman named Dr. Jean T. Harris, who was our assistant principal, and she said, this will never do. And what you all talk about is credit recovery today. That put it in place for us, except we didn't have no apex where you could cheat. We got two set of syllabi, your freshman year and your sophomore year simultaneously, and You will do one of them is independent study and you will have the other one in class. Long story short, I graduated from Mifflin High School. I went on to The Ohio State University where I earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. In May of this year, I received a master's degree in ministry. So that's a part of my story. And for the last however many years, I've been a national speaker and trainer and education consultant. I'm blessed to be able to say I've spoken in 49 of the 50 states and a couple countries. But the most humbling thing for me is to be in the city of Columbus. So in the summer, I don't make money. I don't go off to speak. I run a youth leadership development program. My good friend, Dr. Sandy Womack, is here today. And I had his daughter two years in a row. And I run a program here because what does it profit me to save kids all around this country as we continue to lose kids in our backyard? And so I take the intentional time off in the summer to sow into kids in Columbus and host a program at Ohio State for 100 kids. And they come from every background you can name. I have kids whose parents make$300,000 a year. And I got kids whose parents make$300 and everything in between. And all of them are looking for the same thing, which is to know that we care about them and that whatever choices they make, it does not disqualify them from love. I don't know about you, but that sounds a whole lot like God's love for us, that no matter what we do, it does not disqualify us from God's love. And so our young people are looking to know if you legit. And they don't test your legitimacy by the cars that you drive. They don't test your legitimacy by how much money you out there flashing. They test it by how consistent you are in being who you say that you are. And so that's my story. But I'm so humbled today to be here in the midst of giants like Dr. Harris. And I tell people all the time, three teachers and one administrator who allowed God to speak into me what I could not hear from my parents. They didn't have a different message. They were just different voices that I could hear. And I'm so grateful to God, Doc. And I never get to tell you in public even though I speak about you all over this country, there's not a person that I've spoken to that doesn't know about you. I'm humbled today to be in your presence to say thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 12:18

Hey there, Clark Kellogg here. Building a legacy usually involves meeting the unique needs of others and being part of something bigger than yourself. That's why I love First Merchants Bank. First Merchants believes that helping communities prosper means more than just providing banking services. It means offering accessible financial education, expanded access to homeownership, and partnerships with local nonprofits to help raise up neighborhoods and lift families out of financial hardship. For resources and tools available to you, visit www.firstmerchants.com. Member FPIC Equal Housing Lender.

SPEAKER_03: 12:58

Let me know that God has some ordained moments, that it's not by accident that T Street is here and Dr. Harris is here. I have this saying that I say all the time, that I'm fool enough to believe. I am that foolish to believe that God set all this up. You know, I am fool enough to believe that God put this together. Also, knowing that what the Bible says is that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord. are called according to us, and that back end says purpose. See, once you figure out your purpose, you can look back at your life and say, oh, that's what God meant. That's why I went through that for a purpose. And T Street, the amazing T Street is people describe you as being a great speaker, a great friend, a great mentor. How would you describe yourself?

SPEAKER_05: 13:52

Whoa. The most important label that I wear. is child of God. Because there was a time in my life when I didn't wear that label. And so kids ask me all the time, Miss T, why you love us like you do? Yours is with no judgment. And I say to them, I'm grateful to God that I live the kind of life that doesn't afford me the ability to be judgmental. So I would say that God taught me over the years humility that my story had to be what it was so that my head didn't become big and so that he stays paramount in my story and in my life so I would say that I'm humble that I do my very best to be a servant because I believe that Christianity the hallmark of it is service and so I like to think that I I'm a servant, and I learned that from my mother. Two years ago, when my mom died, she had asked me to preach her funeral. She had a pastor, but she wanted me to preach her funeral. And I was sitting there, and I became ever cognizant of what real legacy looks like as people got up and as people were reaching out to my family in the days preceding her funeral to tell us what she had done. And one of my good friends, who I've known forever, call her little sis, got up to tell the story of how when she was growing up, my mom would donate, we were poor, would donate clothes to their family because they didn't have a lot either. But the church clothes were always new. The clothes they wore to school were the clothes me and my brother and sister passed down, which were always in good shape. But the clothes that they wore to church were new. And that the reason for that was we all went to church together. And if they wore hand-me-downs, people would know that they were hand-me-downs and that when you serve people, you still have to do it by giving them dignity. What a powerful lesson to learn. A girl reached out to me to tell me that she worked with my mom at the state who was just a receptionist because my mom only had a high school diploma. But she worked with her and she, my mom made her go back to school and she went to Columbia state and the whole time she was in school we were poor my mom was buying this kid a bus pass to go to columbus state so she could get to work and every day she bought her lunch for her and when she finished columbus state she went to the ohio state university and my mother continued to do that she holds a bachelor's degree today but she wanted me to know i didn't know this girl from a can of paint that this is who my mother was we grew up watching my mother serve my mother i said mom we don't have much she said but guess what there are people who are all worse off than we are. I asked my mom, what gave you, how did you raise us on that little bit of money and make it not look hard? She said, because Jesus is a multiplier. We read the Bible stories. You do know that our kids believe that Jesus died for them. That's not the part that our kids aren't believing. You all know that, right? If you talk to kids who've been raised in the church, they will tell you, we believe in the whole Jesus We believe that he died. We believe he loves us. We just don't believe all them stories in the Bible. And I remember being one of those kids. And can I stand up? I remember being one of those kids who didn't believe that. And one day, me and my son were having the same conversation. My youngest son were having the same conversation. He said, Mom, you know, I believe in Jesus and all that stuff. Y'all be praying for him. And all that stuff. He's like, I just don't believe the stories. And I said, you know, Christopher, I'm going to tell you like Grandma told me. When I asked her the same question, she said, you know, when you read the Bible story about Jesus feeding 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread, you didn't believe the story. I might not have believed the story either if I didn't watch God feed a family of five with no welfare, with no food stamps on$10,000 a year. I might not believe that Jesus is a multiplier either. And so for me, watching Jesus walk out, when I adopted my son, I was making$42,000. You all look at me today. But when I adopted Christopher with no understanding of how I was going to raise this kid, because the two things I never wanted to do, work with young people and have children. My aunt, she'll be 95 Christmas Eve, and she tells everybody, T always says she didn't want to be nobody's mama. So to have two sons. And to be what folks call a village auntie to thousands of kids. That's why you say, the Bible says, for I know the plans, and I believe I heard Bishop Clark say it earlier, for I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. That's my litmus test. I know it's God that's prospering me and not harming me. Plans to give me hope in a future when I saw none. So I describe myself as a sinner's Saved by grace and the recipient of provenient grace. That's how I see me as a recipient of grace, which is that which I could not earn on my best day. Period. With two T's. Thank you.

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Let the church say amen.

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Amen.

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Let's thank T Street, the amazing T Street, for that awesome testament, just being real. Let's thank her. Yeah, let's thank her.

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Thank you all so much for your time.

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If you enjoy our show, please share this podcast with your family and friends. Be a Baller podcast is available on all major podcast stations. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown. It was edited by Teron Howell and produced and recorded by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School.