In The Know with Tony Reeves

In this episode, I dive into a powerful reminder that what’s normal for you isn’t always normal for everyone else. A recent conversation with a friend sparked this reflection on how people often become fascinated—or...

What does it really mean to be first generation?Not the version we celebrate on paper — but the hidden reality behind stepping into a world your family has never seen. In this episode, I share my personal journey...

WHat does it really feel like to walk away from everything safe?In this episode, I share one of the most pivotal moments of my life — the day I resigned my commission in the U.S. Navy, packed my entire world into a car...

When you turn 21, the club feels like arrival. It’s the symbol of adulthood, freedom, identity, and validation. But at some point, the music, the crowd, and the performance stop aligning with who you’re becoming — and...

In this episode, I break down one of the most overlooked realities of growing up Black as a member of Generation X — the confusing part of racism. Not because racism itself is confusing, but because the presentation of...

This 20-minute audio reflection pulls back the curtain on my IN THE KNOW video “Sign of the Times.” I share personal insights about the realities Gen X faced growing up between parents divided by the Jim Crow...

In this episode, I take a hard look at what we mean when we say something was just a “sign of the times.” For generations, that phrase has been used to excuse racism, discrimination, and hate — as if time alone could...

For many of us in the Black Gen X generation, the N-word wasn’t something we were supposed to hear anymore. We were told that the world had changed—that the battles of our parents and grandparents had been fought and...

Have you ever walked past a building and felt its history? For many of us in Black Gen X, we live among reminders of what our parents and grandparents endured. The homes, parks, schools, and even restaurants we move...

In this episode, Tony Reeves reflects on how a simple kindergarten classroom in 1974 became the backdrop for one of the most profound social transformations in American history. Born in 1969 and starting school just two...

In this episode of IN THE KNOW with Anthony Reeves, we take a deep look at what it meant to be Black Generation X — the first generation to grow up in a multicultural America while still carrying the emotional weight of...

(00:00:00) Lessons from the Past: Why Black Travelers still move differently (00:00:08) Intro: Moving Differently for a Reason (00:00:32) The Myth That Time Erases Danger (00:02:00) The Generational Warning System...

In 1987, I was just 18 — a college freshman at the University of Tampa and a brand-new Army Reservist trying to earn a $4,000 bonus. What should’ve been a routine weekend drill turned into one of the wildest, most...

In 2008, I had just started my own law firm in Central Florida and was commuting daily through the quiet backroads of Polk County. One day, a young woman in my mentor’s office pulled me aside and said, “Be careful...

In 1996, I was a 27-year-old Black naval officer stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. One late night, I was driving home from Jacksonville along a dark, two-lane rural road — no lights, no traffic, just me and the...

In this episode, Tony Reeves takes listeners beyond the viral video “Beware of the Klan County” to unpack what it truly meant for Black Generation X to grow up after the fall of legal segregation. The Civil Rights...

In 1995, I arrived in Jacksonville, North Carolina — a young, proud Black naval officer reporting for duty at Camp Lejeune. Like anyone new to a duty station, I was trying to find my way — where to live, where to eat...

In this special Commentary on the Comments episode of IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves, I’m responding to a viewer who asked a simple but powerful question: “Why do you keep talking about Black Generation X?” My answer goes...

At 7 years old, I thought I found the perfect friend. We played, laughed, and shared childhood joy—until one day, he told me we couldn’t play anymore because I was Black. That moment of rejection was my first real...

In this episode, I reflect on what it meant to be a Black Gen Xer navigating college life, cultural misunderstandings, and the loneliness of being “the only one” in spaces where I didn’t always feel welcome. From being...

In this episode, I share my very first experience of being exposed to racism as a child growing up in the rural South during the 1970s. At just eight years old, an innocent invitation to play on a trampoline turned into...

What was it like to hit the road in the late ’80s and early ’90s without cell phones, GPS, or streaming music? In this episode, I take you back to my days as a Black Gen Xer making 14-hour road trips from Pine Bluff...

In this episode, I reflect on the unique reality of being part of Black Gen X—caught between two worlds that often felt at odds. Our parents, mostly Baby Boomers, grew up under segregation and faced open hostility...

IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves dives deep into the intersections of law, life, and lived experience. Hosted by Administrative Law Judge and storyteller Tony Reeves, this podcast explores the realities of navigating...

Black Gen X grew up with no blueprint. Mainstream TV and movies didn’t reflect our lives—until the arts began to open the door. From The Cosby Show to Hip Hop, from BET to School Daze, representation transformed how we...