Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn with Black Perspectives IE, a show where we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is Dion Taylor, founder of H.O.P.E Foundation and Thrift Store. Thank you so much for being here.
Dion Taylor
Thank you so much, Maya for having me. I really appreciate it's really an honor. Thank you.
Maya Gwynn
It's an honor already talking to you and we already talked about this, but you first came on my radar through a TikTok that your daughter made that went viral. It was amazing. I went through the comments and just seeing all the positivity. And I was like, this is amazing. And then I said, San Bernardino, need to get him in here. What inspired you to start a H.O.P.E Foundation and Thrift Store? Was there a community need you were responding when you launched it that you weren't seeing out there?
Dion Taylor
Yes, yes, this is how it all started about. I was driving through San Bernardino, and I see all these kids doing nothing, and I know being a kid myself back then, what happens when kids do nothing.
Maya Gwynn
Not good stuff.
Dion Taylor
Not good stuff, right? We get in trouble. And I remember as a kid my mom, we never had money. I always wanted to play football. So I said, you know what, I got with a friend of mine - he's no longer here, Greg Battles - so he had me working with the district. And I said, you know what, we can start a flag football program. Well, so many kids that came, and I'd got a friend of mine, and I'm like, Hey, we can't leave the girls out. So I said, we're gonna do some cheerleading too. But we had no money, so I would sell dinners to those different schools to raise money, because we had no nonprofit.
Maya Gwynn
Is that how you got from there to H.O.P.E Thrift Store?
Dion Taylor
Yes we actually purchased a building from my church. We were put in this position to do that, and we have a learning center as well. What we do is we work with at risk youth, because a lot of the kids, we want to address the issues of homelessness, you know, we go get kids wherever they are. There's just an independent study. You know, it's what we do is we partner with independent learning study. You know, homeschooling, we have laptops, everything they need, and we create a safe space for the kids to come. We give them breakfast, lunch. They're waiting on turkey dinners right now. I've been doing this every day with the community. Doing that, my pastor's like, hey, we got the store, and all of a sudden, we do the thrift store. It helps the students. They don't have to pay for clothes. They get their shoes, they get, you know, food, things like that, resources that they need. And being that I know different partners, Community Action Partnership, I can lead them to different resources. Hey, Mr. D, I get so many can you help me with this? Can you help me? And I'm free to do that, because that's what I love to do.
Maya Gwynn
Your passion comes through, and we kind of already talked about this. But can you speak to the specific needs in the Inland Empire and how your story is uniquely positioned to meet them and help them?
Dion Taylor
I don't turn away nobody. What we do every year before school, every kid can come in, get five pairs of pants, five shirts and get some shoes, because I understand how important it is. When I was little, they used to call me Dirty D. See, I'll tell you all the good stuff. The kids get talked about and things like that, and some little kid, and I don't want them to feel like that. Their hair is not combed, because they may not have a comb. They may not have a toothbrush. So we supply toothbrushes for them. So those things come in, the donations that come in, they go right back out to the community. We got feminine products. I got eight daughters, so we gonna make sure they got some feminine products. We gonna make sure - you see what I mean. Little stuff like that is so, so valuable in the community that a lot of people never think of. You know, those are essentials that we keep supplies in our house all the time. That's what the thrift store does. We get Depends for elderly people, the family and culture and the house burned down, we sent clothes over there, you know. We also partner with the handicapped, and they come in work. Do the racks, different things. They give them a sense of, hey, I'm working, and things like that, you know. So it serves the community and its purpose in what it's doing.
Maya Gwynn
Absolutely, what role do you see in thrift stores and secondhand culture playing in supporting the Black community and not just always seeing it from like, a sad point of view, but also in, like, a resilient point?
Dion Taylor
You know, what Gen Z, they are bringing out - my daughter shops thrift. I love it, right? She’s not in the Jordans. And I love to see it. So what that does is also it helps the other kids. I don't see kids, you know, falling into that. You got to have this, name brand this, and that's really important, and you could be fashionable. Now it's not like what the name brand is like. I like the way you dress, I like your style.
Maya Gwynn
How did you put that together?
Dion Taylor
Yeah, you see what I mean. And that's what you learn to do with thrifting.
Maya Gwynn
Definitely. We're gonna move to our rapid-fire portion. If your work had a theme song, what would it be?
Dion Taylor
Never Would Have Made It. Donnie McClurkin, right? Yeah, I Never Would Have Made It Without You.
Maya Gwynn
I love that. And if you had to teach a master class or give a TED Talk on a random skill you have, besides the skill that you do for a living, what would it be?
Dion Taylor
Class on love.
Maya Gwynn
I love that. And I'm as someone who's lived in the IE for over 20 years, what's your favorite IE restaurant? Or just a landmark that reminds you of the Inland Empire?
Dion Taylor
Molly's.
Maya Gwynn
It's that a restaurant?
Dion Taylor
Yes, it's a diner. It's actually been here for years. It's a diner. And me and my daughter - we got some pancakes there, and they still got, like, the old-fashioned booths.
Maya Gwynn
Okay I'm gonna check it out. And how can people keep up with you and support your work? What's the address of the thrift shop?
Dion Taylor
Oh, we're located at 840 North Sierra Way, here in San Bernardino, right close to downtown. Okay, so come see us. We also accept donations. If you need something, let me know, and we'll try our best to get it. If you're a family in need, you can look at us online as well, and you could also follow us on Facebook. And also got a YouTube called Dion Taylor speaks.
Maya Gwynn
Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate this conversation.
Dion Taylor
Thank you so much, Maya, and I appreciate you.
Maya Gwynn
Dion Taylor is founder of H.O.P.E Foundation and Thrift Store. Find this segment and others at kvcrnews.org/bpie. Support for the segment comes from the Black Equity Fund at IECF, advancing racial equity and supporting long term investments and black led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives IE. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn, thank you.
