May 14, 2013
My father is a karate instructor, and he has taught me self- discipline, structure and self-confidence. I relate to this because he works with children of color and he works on a no income basis. He has been doing karate ever since he was fourteen in Bronx New York. I know he likes Tae Kwon Do because the culture is of Asian decent, and they established karate to not only defend oneself but as a culture that will help you stay disciplined. I love this idea because my dad teaches all children in a predominantly black neighborhood and the kids love it. I think this is so awesome because children get exercise, discipline, and self-confidence.
Leotyne Smith: What motivated you to teach youth in the black community?
Sensei Mike Smith: Well, I have loved karate ever since I was a little kid. In the past I have taught many karate classes with adults. I started out as a white belt and moved up to a third degree black belt. A third degree black belt is a really high ranking for Karate, and you cannot teach a class if you do not have a black belt. Receiving a black belt is great and I wanted to share this feeling by starting to teach children karate in a predominantly black neighborhood. The reason why I chose to start teaching black youth in the African American Cultural Center across the street from the Banneker projects in the Fillmore was because of my instructor Sensei Larkin who also trained the Black Panthers back in the day. I had the idea in my mind to teach youth karate.
LS: Being African American, how did you come to interact with the Asian culture and embrace their principles?
SMS: These days it’s not about race and I am impressed with karate because it teaches discipline in a lot of different ways. For example instead of always sparring, you learn humility, strength, and peace of mind. Having these skills does not always have to be culturally Asian but just a simple way of life. In Tae Kwon Do you always have to bow to the person whom you are sparring with. This is a form of respect that a lot of Asians practice to honor each other and it is another form of humility. Even though I am teaching African American children it is good to teach them to embrace different cultures, because we are a universal race. Black people are all around the world, and they do not teach children this nowadays. I want to be different and I really want to teach children something different.
LS: Do you think teaching karate to at-risk youth can help release emotions from witnessing domestic violence?
SMS: I sincerely believe karate helps kids from hard experiences because it takes your mind off of problems and has you concentrate on the now. I taught two kids karate in the morning and their parents dropped them off, but the parents got into a physical fight and the two sons were bent out of shape because of what happened. I got them to start karate and they automatically got their mind off of the problem and concentrated on karate. These problems that some of the children have makes me want to help even more, because I can ease their problems and teach them something positive.
LS: How do you feel about Sensei Larkin’s theme of exercise and eating right in the sense of her being a man, who promotes these ideas and principles?
SMS: Not only does she break barriers in politics for women, he uses examples from his own life. A lot of people think exercise and sports are only for men. For example basketball, hockey and etc. He is a man and it does not stop him from presenting a change. I also think his role model will be strong with young girls because of his focus.
LS: Well, Mr. Smith in your opinion who do you think promotes exercise the most: men or women?
SMS: In the past women weren’t even allowed to join a professional basketball team or any other sport. In reality people had the mindset that women shouldn’t work and they should be domestic, meaning staying home and being a housewife. Men even created high heels that women wear. Men were dominating but nowadays women are independent and play professional sports.
LS: Have you ever heard of the nonprofit organization called Dream for Kids? Is this similar to your vision and your nonprofit?
SMS: Yes, the nonprofit organization is specifically for kids with physical disabilities. They created a Hockey Day and a Basketball Day. Though this is awesome, the kids I work with do not have physical problems but hardship with life. These kids are considered at-risk youth, which is philanthropic terms to categorize people of color different and less and usually people are scared of these children but I love it.