Dr. Oliver T. Reid reflects on the complicated journey of growing into his own name, sharing how "Oliver" once felt like a burden until he uncovered the powerful legacy behind it—a grandfather who rose from enslavement to reclaim the very land his family once worked. He traces the nicknames that marked different chapters of his life, the move from Concord to Charlotte in North Carolina, and the Boys and Girls Club that became a rare place of safety and belonging during a turbulent childhood. Through heritage, hardship, and the people who held him up, he tells the story of learning to take pride in the name he once rejected.

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