Elijah Tucker-Carter uses his past as motivation to help others in similar situations. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series that highlights groups and people worth knowing in Milwaukee. To nominate a person or a group, email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “Spotlight” in the subject line.
Elijah Tucker-Carter always wanted to do good.
Growing up, his father was in and out of prison. As a result, his mother was left to raise the kids on her own. Tucker-Carter saw the stress his mother was under and did what he could to help – from walking the family’s two pit bulls after school to changing dirty diapers and making dinner for his younger siblings.
“I took on a lot more roles than I expected as a child,” he said. “It forced me to grow up a lot faster.”
But things took a turn for the worse when he turned 18.
Tucker-Carter was working for the Milwaukee County Parks system when desperate to get out of a bad situation, he stole some money.
He was arrested and accepted a plea deal.
“Because I came clean about the situation, they gave me three months and two-and-a-half years on probation and extended supervision,” he said.
These days, Tucker-Carter, 24, finds himself in a more positive place. He owns his own barbershop, Crisp EE Cutz, 3271 N. Holton St., and is trying to get his record expunged.
He gives free haircuts at church events and participates in Safe and Sound’s Barbershop Mondays, a program to help groom youth inside and out. He also has plans to attend MATC.
Because of his arrest, Tucker-Carter had to work hard to prove to people that he has learned from his mistakes. He worked for community groups such as the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and became a mentor for young boys at his church. These days, he said, most people don’t know about his past unless he tells them.
Elijah Tucker-Carter owns and operates his own barbershop, Crisp EE Cutz, 3271 N. Holton St. (Photo provided by Crisp EE Cutz Barbershop)
A strained relationship
Although he had a good relationship with his mother, Erica Tucker, the same could not be said about the one with his father.
In many ways, he resented his father for not being the male presence he needed. Almost everything he’s learned in life, Tucker-Carter said, he’s learned from the women in his life.
Angella Redd, Tucker-Carter’s former teacher at Thurston Woods elementary school, is one of them.
He considers her his godmom and said their bond began when he was in summer school. Redd said she and Tucker-Carter clicked instantly.
“Elijah has a big personality,” she said. “He was just real, and he would say the same about me.”
Redd offered the support he needed in the classroom and beyond to succeed. She never ceased letting him know how proud she was of him.
He recalled in eighth grade bringing home his report card with a 3.9 GPA. Instead of acknowledging his accomplishments, Tucker-Carter’s father said that if he hadn’t brought him a 3.9, he would’ve been beaten.
When getting good grades became more of a threat than an accomplishment, Tucker-Carter stopped caring. By his freshman year, at Rufus King High School, his GPA had plummeted to a 1.6. Eventually he was kicked off the football team.
Georaldo Rivas, Tucker-Carter’s youth pastor, said the young man’s relationship with his father took its toll. There was a lot of internalized resentment, he said.
“I always told him you can control your actions,” Rivas said. “I tried to be a listening ear for him and be a leaning post.”
Tucker-Carter’s father had been in prison since his son’s freshman year of high school. He was released his senior year and on Valentine’s Day 2014, he and his father got into a fist fight. It was the last straw. For three weeks, Tucker-Carter walked around with a black eye, sleeping on his aunt’s couch and wearing the same clothes to school each day.
After high school graduation, Tucker-Carter was determined to get out from under the same roof as his father.
“Ultimately, I was faced with the decision of whether I wanted to do good or bad, and I chose bad first,” Tucker-Carter said.
Tucker said after the incident, she noticed a change in her son. His motivation changed, and he gained a focus he didn’t have before, she said.
“He was totally motivated to do whatever he could to stay on the right path,” she said.
“Elijah is the kid who learns from his mistakes,” Redd added.
As for Tucker-Carter? He says he’s learned his lesson.
“That is the only time I went to jail, and that is going to be the only time I go to jail,” Tucker-Carter said.
Ana is the community engagement reporter and beat reporter for neighborhood groups and nonprofits. As the community engagement reporter, Ana is known for writing five things to know/do for the week and weekend, how to articles and spotlight articles. Ana attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduated in 2017 with degrees in Spanish and journalism.
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Your story is true to heart and to the black communities … Please consider being a motivational speaker to our high school children.. let them know that even in the worst of time you can still overcome the bad for good… All the praise to God for showing you a very different way of lifestyle and motivation to helping others… Congratulations on becoming your own owner we need more Black positive Men that hasn’t turned there back on out black boys .. Yes black communities do matter but we have to make it matter
I had the privilege of meeting Elijah about 2 years ago when I joined the church he attends Mt. Pilgrim MBC under the Leadership of Pastor George Jolly, and it was something about his spirit such a humble young man with a Great Love for Children, He shared his story with me and I’d always encourage him to stay Focus because I Believed God was going to do some Great things in his Life and he’s doing just that, He Gives back as God continues to Bless him.
I have watched you grow from a baby to a man over the years rather pictures, word of mouth, face book etc. You have done well and your mom have as well. Keep pushing forward nephew. You are the TRUE epitome and example of letting your light shine before men. Im proud of you and keep up the AMAZING work.
Aunt Kathy
Keep up the good work, donot let nothing turn you around .love you great aunt Hattie.
Good Job Cousin. More Heroes are needed that we relate to as a people, nation, color or as a Human BEING. Proud of you young man…..
To Elijah Tucker Carter, I don’t know why this article appears to me to be somewhat misleading, and part of White America’s historical agenda to destroy the overall image of African American men and women. It appears to me you chose to do good first and then chose to make a ‘bad decision’ secondly as this story is written.
More importantly, your personal experience with encountering a ‘crossroad of life’ (The choice to do good or do bad) is years behind you. And only you know what really impact your decision to chose bad at a crossroad in your life. This story is written to suggests your father’s ill parenting behavior influence you to make the decision to steal that money.
You nor any child has a natural choice of the biological parents. It appears your father was a horrible parent to you which is not your fault, young man. But he had no immediate role in you making the “bad decision” to steal money. Especially, after you had attained employment with Milwaukee County Parks.
You made that decision as an adult, not as a child, and on your own while not living with your father. Did the judge or the law you were found guilty of violating place blame on your father for being an ignorant man and absent of love for you?
I hope the best of what life presents to you but remember the next time you might find yourself tempted (And you will like all) to do bad to attain whatever measure of life missing or find yourself in great need of at any given time. The choice will be yours not your father, mother, teachers, or pastor.
Forgive your father for being an underdeveloped ignorant man and that is not to suggest he deserves your love. Forgive him for all the harm he did to you as a child and young man. Realize for your soul to be at rest and peace in your skin exclusively requires taking self-agency over your life. Outsider empathy is not a requirement to be a man in a world that despises our skin and god-given humanity status.
Peace.
Great job…..proud of you for showing the way for the next generation. In turning your life around for the good.