JONATHAN YOUNG/Daily Bruin Mr. T now pities the
university for not giving him enough time to speak and "dish" it
out.
By Kenny Chang
Daily Bruin senior staff
[email protected]
Fools beware ““ there’s going to be a whole lot of
pitying going on.
Known to many as B.A. Baracus, to some as Clubber Lang, but to
all as Mr. T, he came out to the thunderous applause of UCLA
students in Ackerman Grand Ballroom yesterday at 11:30 a.m. as part
of Campus Events’ speakers program.
Dressed in a camouflage jumpsuit, high-top Converse All Stars
with an American flag pattern and an American flag bandanna, T had
all the gold jewelry, in addition to a gold plate and spoon around
his neck.
“You know about my spoon, it’s not an ordinary
spoon, it’s a “˜T’ spoon,” T joked.
Speaking on his life, T brought to light experiences he felt
were pertinent in having the audience actually know him as more
than a tough-guy with a lot of jewelry and a mohawk.
“When you see me now, I’m nothing but a big
overgrown tough mama’s boy. And I speak with that glee
because the problem with society is we don’t have enough
mama’s boys,” T said.
Born May 21, 1952 on the south side of Chicago, T was a product
of the welfare system. His mother was a maid, and his father was a
minister. He is the youngest of seven brothers and four
sisters.
Central to T’s speech was how he wanted to focus on the
positive. In his trademark growl and outspoken gusto, T informed
the audience of the challenges he faced, how he came out of the
ghetto, and his mindset of keeping a Christian mentality throughout
all his ordeals.
“I tell people that I was born and raised in the ghetto,
but the ghetto was not born and raised in me,” T said.
Though his outward appearance may not make it apparent, T is
devoutly religious and his superficial looks, like his earrings,
stem from biblical references.
“I wear seven earrings. I wear three in my right ear, and
four in my left ear,” said T. “Three is symbolic of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The three wise men. The three
Hebrew boys: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The three parts of the
day: morning, noon and night. The three virtues: faith, hope and
love.
“In my left ear, the four is symbolic for the seasons:
spring, winter, summer, fall. The four directions: north, east,
south and west. The four gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John. Put three and four together and you get seven. It was seven
times that Joshua marched around the walls of Jericho. Samson had
seven locks of hair, There’s seven colors in the rainbow.
There’s seven notes in the musical bar. God made earth in six
days, he rested on the seventh. I am the seventh son. Now you know
why I wear the earrings,” he continued.
It was around the age of 18 that T decided to make himself more
identifiable by renaming himself. Seeing the social conditions that
surrounded his family was what drove him to become Mr. T.
“I think about my father being called “˜boy,’
my uncle being called “˜boy,’ my brother, coming back
from Vietnam and being called “˜boy.’ So I questioned
myself: “˜What does a black man have to do before he’s
given the respect as a man?’ So when I was 18 years old, when
I was old enough to fight and die for my country, old enough to
drink, old enough to vote, I said I was old enough to be called a
man. I self-ordained myself Mr. T so the first word out of
everybody’s mouth is “˜Mr.’ That’s a sign of
respect that my father didn’t get, that my brother
didn’t get, that my mother didn’t get.”
After graduating from high school, T went on to college, where
he was eventually kicked out for being outspoken in times of civil
rights protests. He then joined the army to be in the military
police, but was also kicked out for having conflicts with his drill
sergeant. From then on, T was a bouncer at a disco.
It was from being a bouncer that T got his claim to fame. He won
the America’s Toughest Bouncer contest, and was seen on the
news by Sylvestor Stallone, who had his people contact Mr. T.
However, his intention for the contest itself was not even to win,
but for a higher purpose.
“I won because my cause was greater than anybody
else’s cause,” T said. “I wanted to win to feed
the hungry people of my community. I didn’t want to win to
buy a diamond ““ I didn’t have no diamonds then. I
didn’t want to win to buy a car, I didn’t want to win
to bring a couple of chicks downtown to a hotel. I wanted to win to
feed the poor people of the community.”
After years of success with “Rocky 3″ and then the
“A-Team,” Mr. T was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, the
rare T-cell Lymphoma, CD 30. Regardless of this, T said he would
not let it hold him back.
“I wear my cancer like I wear my blackness ““
I’m proud, it’s one of those things you deal
with,” T said.
And he is still battling with cancer, though no longer on
chemotherapy. Continuing in his faith and perseverance, he knows
the path to take to overcome.
“Don’t quit. When life gives you lemons, make
lemonade. When life gives you crap, make fertilizer,” said T.
“If I wasn’t strong enough like I am spiritually, it
would’ve broke me. Me dealing with cancer, me dealing with
people suing me, me dealing with people lying. All that, still
standing strong.”
Unfortunately for many, the speaking event didn’t last
long enough for Mr. T to answer all the questions and to greet all
the fans that wanted to meet him. So of course, T is still
pitying.
“I pity the university for not giving T enough time. You
know I got all duded up, got dressed, the students were all ready
for me, then they gave me short time. So I pity them. So if they
want to be unpitied, they’ll invite me back and give me more
time.”
Currently Mr. T is working on his book, “Cancer Saved My
Life,” and continues to speak publicly. Though he
didn’t finish college himself, he believes that his life is a
lesson people can learn from.
“What adversities I faced, how I hung in there and
didn’t quit. That’s the message I want everyone to
leave with,” said T. “You’re going through
college, and you’re going to be faced with a lot of things.
You’re going to face adversity, the main thing is don’t
quit. For many people it’s easy to quit, but don’t.
That’s what separates the winners from the losers, what
separates the all-stars from the also-rans.”