Hello everyone, my name is Benjamin Holland, a.k.a. Dr. B.
Can you imagine a little black boy who was tortured by his mother? He and his sister... Can you imagine a little black boy who didn't know how to read or write because his family was moving all the time? Can you imagine a little black boy who learned how to read and write from billboards and street signs because he was always on the road? But he overcame all of those adversities to work at the Boeing company and retire as a team leader. He graduated from Seattle Central Community College in 1978 after attending Olympic College and playing junior college football.
He remembers after graduating from Seattle Central Community College with a welding degree, his first job was at Bethlehem Steel. He worked there for two weeks, and they had him sweeping and cleaning out pits. He went to the supervisor and said, "I'm a journeyman welder, not a sweeper." One day, he got to work, was called into the office, and they told him that he was let go. He's been asked, "Am I laid off? Am I fired? What does 'let go' mean?" They said, "We're just going to let you go." He was upset, but he didn't give up. At that moment, he went straight up the street to Boeing. At that time, at Boeing, you filled out a card, and then they would call you. But before he got out the door, a man came out and called his name, saying, "We want to make you an offer." Three hours later, he was hired. Know this: He is a journeyman welder. His white counterparts were grade eight, and he was a grade eight. They couldn't stand it. He had to prove himself. Time after time, he welded on the Minuteman missile, the MX missile, and several other secret projects.
He remembers one time he had to take a test because, at that time at Boeing, there were Air Force inspectors. There was a man called Danny Polly; his brother was a supervisor, and his other brothers were supervisors. He took the test alongside him, and he failed while he passed. He thought in his mind, "That was unfair." So, he talked to his supervisor, and he wanted to have all of the Air Force inspectors there. He wanted his supervisor to be there when they took the next test. During that next test, he hand-carried his results to the lab, and he passed with flying colors. Mr. Danny felt really bad. With that said, he fought every single day at Boeing. He had to endure racism; he was called "Nigga" so many times that he thought it was his name. But the worst part was when he worked in Auburn, Washington, at the Boeing clinic. When he went to the bathroom, there was a racial slur written all over the walls. He was afraid, but he was still young. That said, he overcame everything.
At one point, his supervisor came to him and told him that they had to downgrade him from a grade eight to a grade one. That bothers him because they were laying off all the welders since the Minuteman and the MX program were over. So, he took the grade one as a sweeper. But he told himself, "If I'm going to be a sweeper, I'm going to be the best sweeper they've ever seen." And that's what he did. Then, he moved up from that to a coordinator and a team leader.
With that said, he never gave up because they were trying to break him, just like his mother and his grandma tried to break him. But he never gave up...
That little black boy was me!
