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THIS STORY TAKES PLACE IN THE YEAR 1973 ON MAY THIRTIETH .MOTHER DEBRA CLEVELAND AND FATHER REVEREND JAMES CLEVELAND, GAVE BIRTH TO THE ONE WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE ,A MAN CALLED BLADE. BLADE GREW UP IN THE SMALL TOWN OF MANSFIELD TX THE YOUNGEST OF FIVE KIDS .BEING THE YOUNGEST HE WAS ALWAYS PUSHED AROUND BY HIS OLDER BROTHERS AND SISTERS ,WHEN ASKED DID HE EVER GET EVEN HE WOULD LAUGH ,AND SAY ONLY WHEN THEY GO TO SLEEP .

BLADE ATTENDED S.S. DILLOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN FT.WORTH TX HE TOLD US THAT HIS MOTHER AND FATHER WANTED THIER KIDS TO LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE REAL WORLD ,THE MEAN BAD STREETS ,AND BEING A YOUNG BLACK MALE THATS JUST A PART OF LIFE YOU HAVE TO KNOW ,BLADE WOULD SAY . GROWING UP IN THE COUNTRY IS GREAT I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR NOTHING IN THE WORLD SAID BLADE , BUT MY BROTHERS ,SISTERS AND I COULD NOT STAY IN THE COUNTRY FOREVER WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE CITY TO SHOP ,VISIT FAMILY AND FRIENDS SO WE NEEDED TO KNOW HOW TO PROTECT OURSELVES, SO THATS WHY WE WENT TO SCHOOL IN FT.WORTH .

AFTER SCHOOL I WAS SO HAPPY TO GET BACK TO MY COUNTRY TOWN OF MANSFIELD BLADE SAID WHILE LAUGHING MAN IT WAS ROUGH ,IT WAS LIKE NIGHT AND DAY ,SOMETHING THAT I WASN'T USE TO ,TALL BUILDING FAST CARS PEOPLE HANGING ON EVERY CORNER IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT.GROWING UP IN MANSFIELD BLADE WAS USE TO BEING AROUND FARM ANIMALS, BLADE GREW UP ON A FARM AND HIS FAMILY MADE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES IN THE RODEO ,THEY BROKE ALL BARRIERS WHEN BLADE'S COUSIN BILLY (BUD) FORD JR ,WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO EVER WIN THE CALF ROPING FINALS AT THE FT.WORTH STOCK SHOW AND RODEO IT OPENED A LOT OF DOORS FOR COWBOYS OF COLOR.BLADE STARTED RODEOING AT THE AGE OF SEVEN TRAINING WITH HIS LATE GREAT UNCLE ,BILLY FORD SR. HE SHOWED BLADE THE ROPES OF BECOMING A GOOD CALF ROPER ,BUT THAT WASN'T BLADE'S CALLING EVEN THOUGH HE STILL RIDES IN THE RODEO HIS HEART WAS SET ON SOMETHING ELSE . PART 2