The Anthony Reeves Experience

When people talk about college, they often focus on the success story — the dream school, the scholarships, the 4.0 GPA. That wasn’t my story. I didn’t attend the University of Tampa because it was my first choice. I went there because I wanted to prove something — to a high school professor who didn’t think much of me. I turned down opportunities that made more financial sense, including a potential ROTC scholarship, for a private school that offered me just a small leadership grant. I told myself I’d make it work. What I didn’t realize then was that this wasn’t just a college experience. It was the first crossroad in my life — the one that taught me how to keep moving even when confidence was nowhere in sight. Surviving, Not Thriving When I got to campus, my finances were a patchwork of faith and luck — a Pell Grant, a leadership award, and a loan co-signed by my grandmother. I didn’t have backup. I didn’t have a plan. By the end of my first semester, I was already debating whe...

You Can’t Ignore History When You’re Living Through It Have you ever walked past a building and felt something — even if you couldn’t explain why? That’s what I call living history. It’s not just the stories we read in books or the anniversaries we celebrate once a year. It’s the kind of history that surrounds you every day — the kind that’s still standing, still breathing, and still shaping how you see the world. For those of us in Black Gen X, we grew up moving through places our parents once experienced very differently . The schools, parks, restaurants, and theaters that became part of our everyday lives were often the same places where they faced exclusion, humiliation, or even danger. We were living in the same spaces — but not the same experience. The Symbol Never Dies: A Plantation Home in Mississippi I can still remember the first time I saw a real plantation-style home in Mississippi while visiting my father. It was beautiful — the tall white columns, the wraparound p...