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What it truly means to be a leader
DAYTONA TIMES — According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word leader is defined as one who commands a country, organization or group. Growing up, it was crucial to have positive role models and community leaders to keep us on track and to make our communities safer and more efficient. As the Executive Director of Community Healing Project Inc, I truly believe being a leader and a positive force in your community should be an obligation for every able-bodied citizen. As well as influencing the youth to gain knowledge, self-respect and self-worth.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word leader is defined as one who commands a country, organization or group. Growing up, it was crucial to have positive role models and community leaders to keep us on track and to make our communities safer and more efficient. As the Executive Director of Community Healing Project Inc, I truly believe being a leader and a positive force in your community should be an obligation for every able-bodied citizen. As well as influencing the youth to gain knowledge, self-respect and self-worth.
Being a leader is an enormous amount of pressure and it takes a person with dedication, compassion, empathy and a very forgiving heart to be great at it. After collaborating with some of the most influential activists and politicians around the nation, I’ve finally discovered the key and cracked the code of not only being a true boss but also being an influential and motivational leader.
Remember your roots
Understanding your community and the families who live there are the most important part of becoming the best leader you can be. In every city in America there is a low-income, urban and minority-focused set of apartments and complexes who truly struggle every single day. Take a second of your time to get to know and understand those that are suffering the most around you.
With poverty and illiteracy rates in urban communities resurfacing to an all-time high, its truly time to invest not only economically but spiritually and physically as well. Putting the love back into the community with programs, events, and cookouts promote positivity and unity and gives us a chance to discuss serious issues that plague our communities. No matter how far you make it, never forget your roots!
Never compromise
Staying grounded and humble will maximize your influence and the way others respect you. When it comes to fighting for a cause or movement you must know when to “hold em and when to fold em”. Sometimes it’s best to analyze a situation before instantly reacting and making things even worse. I’ve had the displeasure of dealing with this way too many times as I was so eager to make a difference.
I was so focused on getting results and seeing action, that I would act on my emotions instead of my logic. Once you get the hang of voicing your opinions in a respectable and impactful way, you’ll attain a level of balance and peace of mind that will only improve your skills as a leader and boss. Stay true to yourself and never compromise your morality for the benefits.
While the attention and success will always captivate you, you must always remember that not everyone will be a fan of what you do. And as history has shown, some of our greatest and most influential leaders were strangely taken before their time, due to mysterious circumstances.
By any means necessary
Being a social activist, you must understand that an open target is always on your head and sometimes it’s better to silence someone than to try and understand their truth. You should always prepare yourself mentally before you strive for greatness. Great leaders make sacrifices, and you must truly be ready to fight to keep your integrity, by any means necessary.
For centuries, we’ve been told our heroes wore capes and hide behind masks. These heroes are fearless, brave and would give their life to prove their integrity. From the radical efforts of Malcolm X, to the psychotic world of Charles Manson, we’ve always been able to identify powerful leaders in society, whether they had positive or negative influences on the culture. Ironically, these men not only dominated culture in the 1960s, but they influenced a whole new generation of followers who would emulate their footsteps.
No matter which side of history these leaders decided to stand on, they all had one very powerful trait in common. They were natural-born leaders, and they truly changed the world, one community at a time. Being a great leader takes patience, understanding, passion and a true heart for the greater good. The world needs more incredible, positive, intelligent leaders and it’s time to seize that moment more than ever before.
Rell Black is an award-winning activist, blogger and the founder of Community Healing Project Inc.
This article originally appeared in the Daytona Times.
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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.
Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.
Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”
Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.
“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”
The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.
Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.
President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.
Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.
Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.
Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.
Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.
Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.
Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.
The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.
In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.
The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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