Joe Charles: Where is He Now?

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And when Joe Charles says give it your best because you owe it to yourself, you cannot help but listen. He speaks from the heart, even in times of tragedy. Today, Charles is still dealing with the fallout from the murder of his son, Shamor, eight years ago.

“He was into the music industry, and in his poetry, he wrote that some shady guys would take his life. And one of those guys took his life,” Charles says. “We don’t know if they were fighting over another woman or if it was a random drive-by. It’s an unsolved mystery.”

Shamor’s three children -- two boys, ages 15 and 11, and a 13-year-old daughter -- are being raised by Charles, this after living with his sister, who passed away a year and a half ago.

“My sister moved into my mother’s house, and when she passed away, she told me, ‘The only person I know who’d do the right thing and raise them the right way is you,’” Charles says. “So they are my focus now. They’re striving to be better. They want to make mistakes now and then. The biggest thing is when they want to cuss or fight, I bring out a book and make them read that book aloud to me. And then the other ones have to comprehend and read the story along with them. It’s my moment of peace. It teaches amazing tolerance.

“With my grandkids, there was always talk of ghetto this, ghetto that,” he adds. “They came into life with guns and a mouthful, wanted to show me how [things were done]. I’m gonna learn this and that. When I first met my grandkids, I wanted to beat them up and knock them out, but this has taught me I have to go back and be who I am. I have love and respect. I was, like, ‘I have to start teaching my grandkids that this negative energy and stuff,’ it’s got to go. They need a strong role model, someone who understands what direction they’re going to go. I let them know I believe in myself.”

Confidence Builder

Self-belief is the fuel behind Charles’ business, “GI Joe Boot Camp.” Campers are treated to a motivational workout, beach runs and the kind of motivational training that kept Charles going in the toughest times. His “Pushup Challenge” is a perfect example of how he turned a negative into a positive, and it’s something he shares with his campers and anyone else willing to hear him out. It even landed him a stint on Steve Harvey’s radio show.

Charles’ “Pushup Challenge” may sound simple, but it has become a serious deal. He discovered it after holding the mid-pushup motion in Manhattan Beach.

“First, you drop halfway down in the push-up position. Hold it there,” he says. “Here’s where the love begins. Count to 30, then shift and move your hands to the right side. Make a quarter turn. Count to 30, then make a quarter turn to the left and count to 30. Then back to the middle and halfway down and count to 30. That’s how I celebrate my birthdays now. On my 50th birthday, I did it 50 times.

The challenge has become both a staple and a refuge.

“Something kept telling me, ‘This is a blessing. You need to start preaching to people. This is an opportunity,” he says. “Somehow, it became what I’ve been doing for past eight years. I’m a motivational speaker. When I lost my son, I was having all kinds of issues with what happened. I got a phone call the night before; they told me my son was dead. I still had to take care of business with my students the next morning. It made me drop down and do my own pushups.

“My dudes came up and gave me a hug, and we dropped down and did the pushups together for a solider we lost,” he adds. “So I found out like the grappling bash. We need to drop down and do that pushup, out of respect for that other fallen soldier and still be that soldier that lived for that other day and help another soldier push up his game. It became a serious message to me.”

A producer for Harvey’s radio show heard about the Pushup Challenge and brought in Charles to put the challenge to the comedian, live and on-air, in December 2004.

“I walked in, and Steve Harvey said, ‘I know that nig-a,’” Charles says. “I’m gonna sit in my chair and behave myself. We made his producer do the pushup. He was crying like a baby, and Steve narrated it.”

Pushing Through Pain

The key to the challenge remains simple for Charles. It is not about the pain; it’s about the willingness to push through it.

“Don’t let these things bother and stand in your way and bother you another day,” he says. “The pushup meant something to me. It made me stronger, and I can believe and keep going.”

Charles still keeps wired into the community and, on Nov. 13, held his “Pier to Pier Run,” taking participants from Hermosa to Manhattan Beach -- in the sand.

“People say to me, ‘Joe, you ain’t making any money on that run.’ I said it wasn’t about the money,” he says. “It was about the love I’ve got for the community, about giving and sharing the love. It’s the kind of thing people don’t do enough today.”

Charles has also given away money to people for each of the pushups they could do.

“I’ve given away $8,000 in cash, given away 50 five dollar bills, to inspire another person, to make them want to come out and pass this along to other people,” he says. “People need to get away from the negative things in their life. Whether it’s art, work, fighting, dancing, everyone needs to find their diversion and their dream, to release the negative things about them. I had mine, too. Once you find that release, it’s like, damn! Welcome to the other side. You got past the dark side.”