Black History Month Series: Living Legends
Growing up, he used to intimidate me. He was so tall and intense all of the time. The tides turned one Thanksgiving. Someone said or did something that was hurtful to me and he came to my defense. The way he laid into that other person, I almost felt sorry for them; but inside I was secretly grinning. MY uncle had intervened. I remember him picking me up and placing me on his shoulders. I put my hands on top of his head and felt like I was on top of the WORLD. At the time, I didn’t realize that Uncle CurVie would make a career out of helping people…
Black History Month Series: Living Legends
I was sixteen years old when my parents divorced. My mother packed up her four children and we moved to Dayton, Ohio. It was my Sophmore year in high school. I was thrust into a new environment. I was worried about my mom and my siblings. I was heartbroken that my seemingly perfect life wasn’t so perfect anymore. But, most of all I was ANGRY at my father. One man stepped in and filled the immense void that was left when my father fell from the pedestal of my heart. This month I honor my spiritual father, Bishop Truman L. Martin. He took us out to MCL, inspected our report…
Black History Month Series: Living Legends
I met Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil at one of the most challenging times in my career. She was called in as a diversity consultant to help us in the aftermath of a series of racial incidents on campus. I’ll never forget picking her up from the airport in my red Ford F-150 truck. She and I shared a laugh about this bougie black woman driving a pick up truck (there is a sentimental story attached to my truck that I’ll share at a later time). I am eternally grateful for that first visit. She came in and cast a vision that compelled our diversity team to dig deeper and examine…