Strength Is Faith

I don’t care what it looks like, you gotta hold on, you gotta believe, you have to ask God is it his will for you to run your business, to start this project, to take on this responsibility and when he says yes, just know it is not gonna be easy because what you value, you fight for and if God makes it easy than you are gonna be lazy, slothful and entitled. You’re gonna be sloppy!

You have appreciate what you are given you have to utilize your gifts and talents to be fruitful, you must make an impact to help others, and you must give as Christ gave to us, and God will give you the Grace and Strength to carry on!

I cannot talk about strength and business and not talk about faith; you must believe that you can succeed, you must believe God will help you, like I said in the beginning no matter what it looks like, you gotta hold on, before you do anything must ask God: Is it your will that proceed?

In my life as I look back so many things have fallen apart and just a couple months ago I realized I did not ask God if it is his will, let it be done. I’ve been in church since I was a child, so I’ve had faith instilled in me but as a full adult I’ve come to realize that just because I want it doesn’t mean it is good that I have it; and it doesn’t mean it’s God’s will for me to have it.

Things will fall apart until God show me that it was never for me but keep going because something up ahead is greater and/or God meant for me to go about it another way but you can’t be mad about it, you gotta be okay with God leading in another direction, leading down a different path sometimes an unknown path! You gotta have faith.

Trials come to test your faith to see if God doesn’t show up when you want him to will you still praise and worship him, will you still go to church, will you still pay tithes and offerings, will you still believe him to come through for you in the nick of time when your back is up against the wall, when you have no more options, when you have no more strength. Is God still God in your heart and in your mind, this is the test!

Author,

Gigi King 5/22/2018

 

 

13 Prayers for your Business/Job Secure Your Bag

When you have a business or a job I consider it wise that you pray to obtain it, pray that God will secure your finances, the enemy is real and he is seeking whom he may devour and you will be tested and when you are tried you will come forth as pure gold, only if you have faith, only if you pray, only if you believe!

Secure your bag means protect your monthly income, make sure your bills are paid every month and that really starts with prayer. Pray over your wallet!

1. Verse: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Translation: The things we do not see do appear, you must believe that God will bring forth what you pray for, the things you do not see. Speak into existence the things you do not see, faith will bring you what you need. By faith shall you overcome!

2. Verse: A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. Proverbs 18:16.

Translation: The Lord place a gift on the inside of us, your gift will make room for you to move and prosper, God will place people, great men/women in your path that will prosper your business, advance you on your job, God will provide the opportunity and God will make people like you, God will make people see you and God will bring people to you.

3. Verse: Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. Luke 11:9

Translation: Everyone that ask in prayer you do receive it, and if you seek it, you shall find it, and if you knock the door shall be opened to you. God will give you as much as you need, when you need it, God will create the opportunities for you in your business or give you a promotion on your job; whatever it is you are looking for start with prayer, have faith and watch it manifest before your eyes.

4. Verse: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

Translation: God wants good to come to us, he wants us to have an expected end that ends well, we will come out on top, pray to God, he will hear you & he will answer you. God wants us to be established in business and be very successful in our job, believe it or not, God wants us to make plenty money.

5. Verse: Trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shall be fed. Psalms 37:3 & Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4

Translation: Trust in the Lord and you will remain where you are and he will feed you, the Lord will always make a way to sustain you right where you are and do no evil, just continue to pray and trust that he will provide and he shall give you the desires of your heart.

6. Verse: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21

Translation: The power of life and death of your business/job is all in what you say, speak life and prosperity over your business, and speak life and advancement in your job. The power is in what you say, before careful what you speak of, it shall come to pass!

7. Verse: He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Proverbs 13:20.

Translation: Surround yourself with people who know more than you, these are the people who can teach you something, get a coach for your business, and get a mentor at your job. Find someone whom you can look up to, a positive role model.

8. Verse: I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me. Philippians 4:13

Translation: I can do anything, I can accomplish any goal I set for my business and I can complete any task my job requires.

9. Verse: As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23: 7

Translation: What you think you are, you are! Whatever you set your mind to, you can accomplish. Think yourself out of poverty, think yourself rich, think yourself into a promotion, think happy thoughts and this will be your experience, think growth and prosperity for your business, think of a pay raise/promotion on your job, think bonuses and always think of achieving more!

10. Verse: 1 Corinthians 2:9 Eye have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Translation: Your eyes have not seen, your ears have not heard the things God has in store for you. God place a gift on the inside of us and we must activate it through prayer and supplication, and above all we must have faith in the unseen. You must wait on him, things you seek will be revealed to you by the holy spirit.

11. Verse: For who hath despised the day of small things?

Translation: Do not despise the day of small beginnings, just because business is slow does not mean bad things, God is preparing another blessing for you, know he will always spring you forward. Just because you had a bad day at work don’t get off track, don’t get discouraged, trouble don’t last always.

12. Verse: Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Proverbs 3: 13 & Proverbs 4:7.

Translation: You will be happy once you obtain wisdom which will sustain you as a business leader and once you understand your job well, you will be happy. What you do not know, take a class, go back to school, always stay abreast on the changes in your field, always be up to date in your business and in job training, wisdom is the principal thing!

13. Verse: Every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of his labour; it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13

Translation: When you get up and go to work, it is not in vain, you will enjoy the benefits of your labor, know that God sees you. Continue working hard in your business; continue working hard in your job, and know is the gift of God, hardwork is rewarded.

Author,

Gigi King 3/12/218

Sources Cited

http://www.biblegateway.com

The Holy Bible, King James Version

 

Trevor Otts

Trevor Otts is a Business Leader, Marketing Expert, CEO Guru, Motivational Speaker, Business Coach, Community Activist, Visionary &Thought Leader.

Trevor Otts was born January 13, 1973 currently 45 years old; Otts studied computer science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, went to Central High School in Capital Heights Maryland. He currently lives in National Harbor Maryland.

Trevor Otts is famous made for his morning radio show Black CEO which seeks to uplift, motivate and encourage entrepreneurship, leadership, educate & build self-esteem. The Black CEO Morning Show is also a platform where motivational speakers and business leaders come on as guest of the show and give listeners advice in regards to business leadership, motivation & self-esteem, practical financial tips, sale techniques, health, fitness & wellness, marketing and business strategies. The Black CEO is also a great networking place to advertise your business online, attract clientele and grow your business. A place where great minds think alike and collaborate! You will meet speakers, authors, coaches and experts.

Once a year Trevor Otts host the Black CEO Youth Camp for aspiring entrepreneurs topics include: Build My Brand, Business Marketing, Selling Tips & Strategies, Social Media Revenue Rockstars, Becoming an Authorprenuer (writing my first book) and Speakerprenuer (Speak to Sale).

Otts is also the COO at Peak Performers Institute since 2013; The Peak Performers Institute created the Evergreen Revenue Model as a way to help entrepreneurs put in place automated systems that produce revenue.

Otts is forming Black CEO Chapters in various cities in the U.S. and currently forming International Chapters in London and South Africa.

Once a year Trevor Otts host a Black CEO Conference where CEOs collaborate and listen to motivational speakers and network together. This is the place where speakers, speak, coaches, coach and authors, write.

Trevor Otts has also created a Black CEO Woman’s Council within the Black CEO Network, where women entrepreneurs reach out and network with other women coaches and speakers for training and development. Once a year Trevor Otts host the Womenprenuer conference where women entrepreneurs, motivational speakers and coaches collaborate and network.

On January 1, 2011, Otts also formed his marketing company B.R.O.K.E. Marketing That Makes Cents. The purpose of is you can market any business, any product or any service on any budget.

One of my favorite quotes by Trevor Otts is: I should apologize but when I see small business’s struggling to generate revenue it frankly just pisses me off. So yes I said it. I love this quote because Otts is doing all he can to get entrepreneurs exposure through the BlackCEO platform and he is making himself available on purpose, Otts is a change agent and is a positive influence shaping the black community.

 

Author,

Gigi King 2/28/2018

Sources Cited

www.brokesystems.com

trevorotts@brokesystems.com

www.findmysalescourage.com

www.blackceomorningshow

www.blackwomenprenuer.com

www.evergreenrevenuemeeting.com

Mary McLeod Bethune

Invest In The Human Soul. Who Knows, It Might Be A Diamond In The Rough.

Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was an American educator, stateswoman, and philanthropist, humanitarian as well as civil rights activist best known for starting a private school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida known as Bethune Cookman University.

She believed that education was the most important step for African-Americans to have better lives. She is also known as adviser to several different American Presidents. Bethune was born July 10, 1875 in Mayesville, SC and she died May 18, 1955 in Daytona Beach, FL. She was married to Albertus Bethune 1898 -1918; the couple had one son Albert Bethune.

In 1935 Mary Bethune founded her own civil rights organization National Council of Negro Women in 1935; she believed that education provided the key to racial advancement. The mission of this organization was to improve the lives of African American women and their communities.

Bethune founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls in Daytona, Florida, in 1904 and combined with the Cookman Institute for Men in 1923, the merged institution became known as the Bethune-Cookman College. The college was one of the few places that African-American students could pursue a college degree. Bethune stayed with the college until 1942.

Bethune also became involved in government service, lending her expertise to several presidents. President Calvin Coolidge invited her to participate at a conference on child welfare. For President Herbert Hoover, she served on Commission on Home Building and Home Ownership and was appointed to a committee on child health. But her most significant roles in public service came from President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 specializing on minority affairs.

The Black Cabinet, or Federal Council of Negro Affairs or Black Brain Trust, was the informal term for a group of African-Americans who served as public policy advisors to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt in his 1933-45 terms in office.

Mary Bethune was appointed head of the Division of Negro Affairs. She helped to organize a “Black Cabinet” of influential African Americans to advise the Roosevelt administration on racial issues. Bethune was instrumental in integrating the Red Cross, increasing public awareness of lynching, voter discrimination in federal elections, and segregation on interstate trains and buses.

She is remembered for her work to advance the rights of both African Americans and women. If I have a legacy to leave my people, it is my philosophy of living and serving. Mary Bethune died of a heart attack at the age of 79. She was buried on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University.

Author,

Gigi King 2/28/2018

Sources Cited

www.wikipedia.org

www.cookman.edu

www.blackpast.org

 

Black Panther Party

We are not anti-white, we anti-oppression!

On October 15, 1966, in Oakland California, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The Panthers practiced militant self-defense of minority communities against the U.S. government, and fought to establish revolutionary socialism through mass organizing and community based programs. The Black Panthers would patrol black neighborhoods and protect black citizens from police brutality.

The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, was based on ideas such as Black Nationalism and a staunch belief in the necessity of violence and armed self-defense in order to obtain freedom from white oppression – ideas which are strongly associated with Malcolm X’s life work.

Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton met at San Francisco School in California and met Bobby Seale at Merritt College in Oakland.

In the 1960’s at the peak of its movement the Black Panther party membership had exceeded 2,000 members with chapters in several major cities. Newton chose the name Black Panther because it does not strike first but if the aggressor strikes first then he’ll attack.

The chapter was formed because of the assassination Malcolm X and fought to set itself apart from other groups being formed at that time and pointed out that other African-Americans exploited the poverty, poor living conditions, and mistreatment of poor blacks for personal gain.

The Black Panthers beliefs are pretty much the same, these included the beliefs: that black people are the original people of the world, wanted blacks to set up their own schools, churches, and support networks. Encouraging race pride, black power and Black Nationalism, thus this built up the self-esteem, integrity and a strong mental mindset in the black race, have a strong sense of black pride and culture awareness.

In 1969, Director of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover considered the Black Panther party the greatest threat to national security and considered an enemy of the United States.

The Black Panther Party grew from an Oakland-based organization into an international one with chapters in 48 states in North America and support groups in Japan, China, France, England, Germany, Sweden, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Uruguay.

In 1971 Newton announced that the party would adopt a nonviolent initiative and dedicate itself to providing social services to the black community.

The Black Panthers launched 35 survival programs included free breakfast for school children in every city there was a chapter in January 1969. They also gave free shoes, provided education classes, medical clinics and transportation assistance.

Huey P. Newton received a PhD in social philosophy from the University of California in Santa Cruz in 1980.

The Black Panther operations ceased in 1982, due to government pressure, in 1982 Newton was guilty of misappropriating of public funds from his Black Panther organization and was sentenced to six months in jail, the funds were suppose to go towards building a school in Oakland, California. In August Newton was found shot dead on a street in Oakland.

I personally think the government assassinated him or the crooked police because the Black Panthers had so much trouble with the FBI which at that time in the 1960’s was racist and openly admitted the Black Panthers was an enemy of the state, even when they were doing good. During the peak of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s little value was placed on African-American lives when little value is placed on others  perpetrators see no wrong in seeking to control or destroy.

Huey Percy Newton was born February 17, 1942 and died August 22, 1989 (age 42).

Bobby Seale was born Robert Seale was born October 22, 1936 was also a U.S. Air force veteran, he enrolled at Merritt College. Bobby Seale renounced his violence in 1970 and ran for mayor of Oakland in 1973 he came in second place. He worked to improve social services in black neighborhoods and improve the environment.

Seale published several books and several programs to improve Oakland. Civil Rights Activist, Air force Veteran, published author, Politician, founder and chairman of the Black Panther party, and public speaker. He is 81 years old and is still alive today selling his books, posters and speaking engagements talking about the 49 chapters of the Black Panther chapters that were established throughout the United States.

Author,

Gigi King 2/26/2018

Sources Cited

www.britannica.com

www.wikipedia.org

www.bobbyseale.com

 

Betty Shabazz

The widow of Malcolm X, was born Betty Dean Sanders was born May 28, 1934 in Detroit Michigan and she died June 23, 1997 in New York, she was a Civil Rights Advocate, Educator and Nurse.

After she graduated from high school, Sanders left her foster parents’ home in Detroit to study at the Tuskegee University a historically black college in Alabama, She intended to earn a degree in education and become a teacher. Sanders’ studies suffered as a result of her growing frustration. She decided to change her field of study from education to nursing and attend Brooklyn State College School of Nursing in 1953.

Betty Shabazz moved to New York City to become a nurse because she was unhappy with the racism in the south of Alabama. She met Malcolm X in 1956 and joined the Nation of Islam; they married January 14, 1958. She too, left the NOI in 1964 in support of her husband.

Shabazz began to accept speaking engagements at colleges and universities. She often spoke about the Black Nationalist philosophy of Malcolm X, but she also spoke about her role as a wife and mother. After the death of her husband Malcolm X, the widow Betty Shabazz devoted her life to raising her 6 girls, working full time and completing her education, receiving her highest education a PhD in 1975 from the University of Massachusetts in Education.

As a single mother of six girls, Shabazz was working at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York to support them. By 1980, Shabazz was overseeing the health sciences department, and the college president decided she could be more effective in a purely administrative position than she was in the classroom. She was promoted to Director of Institutional Advancement until they day she died.

In 1984, she hosted the New York convention of the National Council of Negro Women. Shabazz became active in the NAACP and the National Urban League.

From what I gather Betty Shabazz did not want to fully continue to carry the legacy of Malcolm X because his strong views at that time was radical and motivated by violence—self defense and only in the end promoted peace because so much damage was already done, only Malcolm X could have set it all straight, Betty Shabazz was a stellar college student, housewife and mother to six girls.

For many years, Shabazz harbored resentment toward the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan for what she thought was their role in the assassination of her husband Malcolm X, especially after Louis Farrakhan made a remark in a controversial speech in 1993.

Following the arrest of her daughter Qubilah for allegedly conspiring to kill Louis Farrakhan; her grandson Malcolm was left in her care and he set fire to the apartment when he was 12 years old, that caused first degree burns over 80% of her body, she was hospitalized for three weeks and died as a result of her injuries in Yonkers, New York. Betty Shabazz was 63 years old when she died. Malcolm Shabazz was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile detention for Manslaughter and Arson.

In 1997 the community healthcare network renamed one of their clinics in Brooklyn, New York Dr. Betty Shabazz Health Center and The Betty Shabazz International Charter School was founded in 1998 in Chicago, Illinois.

Shabazz was buried next to her husband, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

Author,

Gigi King 2/22/2018

Sources Cited

www.malcolmx.com

www.biography.com 

http://www.wikipedia.org

 

Malcolm X

If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.

Born Malcolm Little changed his last name to the letter X, was born May19, 1925 in Omaha, NE and died February 21, 1965. Malcolm X was an African-American Muslim minister, human rights activist and a key spokesman for the Nation of Islam, epitomized the “Black Power” philosophy.

By the early 1960s, Malcolm X had grown frustrated with the nonviolent, integrated struggle for civil rights and worried that Blacks would ultimately lose control of their own movement. He urged followers to defend themselves against white aggression “by any means necessary.”

In Ghana Maya Angelou joined a community of “Revolutionist Returnees” exploring pan-Africanism and became close with human rights activist and Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X. In 1964, on returning to the U.S., she helped him set up the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after Malcolm X’s assassination the following year. Malcolm X was assassinated February 21, 1965.

Malcolm X promoted the Nation’s teachings. These included the beliefs: that black people are the original people of the world. The goal Malcolm X envisioned the Nation of Islam wanted blacks to set up their own schools, churches, and support networks. Malcolm X made great a contribution to the black community encouraging race pride, black power and Black Nationalism, thus this built up the self-esteem, integrity and a strong mental mindset in the black race, strong sense of black pride and awareness.

Muhammad taught that white society actively worked to keep African-Americans from empowering themselves and achieving political, economic, and social success.

It was while Malcolm X was in prison that he was introduced to the ideas of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Fundamentally, the group believes in the racial superiority of blacks. It was the great Elijah Muhammad instructed Malcolm to drop his last name, which his ancestors inherited from a slave owner and replace it with the letter X which symbolized that his true African name had been lost.

Malcolm X advocated black pride and financial self-reliance. He ultimately rose to become a world-renowned African American and human rights activist. In the 1960’s when racism was still prominent. Malcolm X believed in separatism – blacks living separate from whites in USA.

Elijah Muhammad also charged him with establishing new mosques in cities such as Detroit, Michigan, and Harlem. Malcolm utilized newspaper columns, as well as radio and television, to communicate the NOI’s message across the United States. His charisma, drive, and conviction attracted an astounding number of new members. Malcolm was largely credited with increasing membership in the NOI from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963. All this gained Malcolm media attention and some say more than Elijah Muhammad.

When Malcolm was 6, Earl died from a streetcar running over him; whether it was an accident or a murder is disputed. In his autobiography, Malcolm blamed his father’s death on the Black Legion, a white-supremacist group similar to the Ku Klux Klan. Rev Earl Little (1890-1931).

He learned that his mentor and leader, Elijah Muhammad, was secretly having relations with as many as six women within the Nation of Islam organization. As if that were not enough, Malcolm found out that some of these relationships had resulted in children. His faith was tested and this angered Malcolm very much. He admired and respected the great Elijah Muhammad and adhered to his teachings and remained celibate until his marriage to Betty Shabazz in 1958.

Malcolm X did not want to help Elijah Muhammad cover up his affairs or the secret children, Malcolm in fact, left the NOI and started his own religion organization Muslim Mosque Inc. doing so angered Malcolm X even angered the leaders of Nation of Islam (NOI) and he left the organization in 1964 and formed his own movement.

The Nation of Islam has repeatedly denied any involvement in Malcolm X’s assassination. Hagan, then known by the name Talmadge X Hayer, was in his early 20s and a radical member of the Nation of Islam the day he entered the ballroom armed and ready to kill; Malcolm X was 39 years old, murdered by members of the NOI.

On Feb. 21, 1965, the former Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X was shot and killed by assassins identified as Black Muslims as he was about to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem. His wife, Betty Shabazz, and four children were in the crowd.

In 1964, Malcolm went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, which proved to be life altering for him. For the first time, Malcolm shared his thoughts and beliefs with different cultures and found the response to be overwhelmingly positive. He returned to the United States with a new outlook on integration and a new hope for the future. This time when Malcolm spoke, instead of just preaching to African-Americans, he had a message for all races. During this time of spiritual enlightenment Malcolm changed his last name to Shabazz.

Malcolm’s assassins, Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson, were convicted of first-degree murder in March 1966. The three men were all members of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X is buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York; Malcolm X left 6 children with his wife Betty Shabazz. The names of their children are: Qubilah Shabazz, Attallah Shabazz, Ilyasah Shabazz, Malikah Shabazz, Gamilah Shabazz, Malaak Shabazz.

I admire Malcolm X for his bravery, his bold stand and his strong sense of culture awareness and authenticity. At first I found his comments bold and refreshing because all anybody ever wanted for Blacks was freedom, liberty and respect. The fact that we had to fight so hard as black people saddens me but the other side was just as radical and motivated. Racial Hatred, Prejudice and Bigotry saddens me that’s why I was glad Malcolm X turned over a new leaf in 1964 and embraced the ideology of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which is the non-violent movement, the peace initiative, which led to his spiritual journey in Mecca.

Too many lives lost on both sides because of the fear of the known. My favorite quote by Malcolm X is:  Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. Being educated helps everybody make intelligent, informed decisions and when communicating this aids in solving so many problems and education creates unity, collaboration, which enlightens the entire community and is vital to growth and sustainability. The future belongs to us all, everybody, everyday we prepare for it.

Malcolm X Day is an American holiday in honor of the civil rights leader Malcolm X which is celebrated either on May 19 (Malcolm’s birthday), or the third Sunday of May. The commemoration has been proposed as an official state holiday in the U.S. state of Illinois in 2015.

Author,

Gigi King 2/22/2018

Sources Cited

www.history.com

www.malcolmx.com

 

Maya Angelou

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Born Marguerite Annie Johnson Angelou, Maya Angelou was April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, MO; she died May 28, 2014 in Winston-Salem, NC, at the age of 86. She was a poet, singer, author, actress and civil rights activist.

As an African American, Angelou experienced firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination in Arkansas.

Angelou spent much of the 1960s abroad, living first in Egypt and then in Ghana, working as an editor and a freelance writer. Angelou speaks five different languages. She will enjoy speaking French, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, or Fanti.

She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.

In Ghana she also joined a community of “Revolutionist Returnees” exploring pan-Africanism and became close with human rights activist and Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X. In 1964, on returning to the U.S., she helped him set up the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after Malcolm X’s assassination the following year.

In 1960, after meeting civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and hearing him speak, she and Killens organized the legendary Cabaret for Freedom to benefit the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and she was named SCLC’s Northern Coordinator. Her contributions to civil rights as a fundraiser and SCLC organizer were successful and eminently effective.

Martin Luther King Jr., a close friend of Angelou’s, was assassinated on her birthday (April 4) in 1968. Angelou stopped celebrating her birthday for years afterward, and sent flowers to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, for more than 30 years, until Coretta’s death in 2006.

My favorite poem by Maya Angelou is Phenomenal Woman, this poem liberates me, uplifts & inspires me, it makes me feel so good to be a woman, it makes me feel sexy, and it makes me feel phenomenal. I love this quote by Maya Angelou:

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

She was found by her nurse. Although Angelou had reportedly been in poor health and had canceled recent scheduled appearances, because she was suffering from respiratory failure, she was working on another book, an autobiography about her experiences with national and world leaders; in 2015 a United States Postal Service stamp was issued commemorating Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou had one son his is name he was born Clyde Johnson but later on changed his name to Guy Johnson.

Author,

Gigi King 2/21/2018

Sources Cited

www.mayaangelou.com

www.wikipedia.org

Coretta Scott King

Born Coretta Scott, Birth April 27, 1927, Marion, AL, Died January 30, 2006 in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. She was an author, activist and civil rights leader, and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1951, Coretta Scott enrolled in New England Conservatory of Music, in Boston and while she majored in voice, she met Martin Luther King, Jr. who was attending theology at Boston University; the pair got married in 1953 and had four children.

Coretta Scott King helped lead the civil rights movement in the 1960’s alongside her husband; she was an active advocate for African American civil rights and helped to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Montgomery Bus Boycott with Rosa Parks.

She founded in Atlanta the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change also known as the King Center which is led by her son Dexter King. After Martin Luther King, Jr assassination she sought to make his birthday a national holiday in honor of his life works and his contribution to society.

Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, The King Center is the official memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy and ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of a nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace. Two days after her husband’s funeral, King began planning $15 million for funding the memorial. She handed the reins as CEO and president of the King Center down to her son, Dexter Scott King.

In 1986 she wrote a letter to the U.S. Senate opposing Jeff Session as a Supreme Court judge because in Montgomery, Alabama he was using his power to block black voters while he was Southern District U.S. Attorney for Alabama.

I had a growing sense that I was involved in something so much greater than myself, something of profound historic importance. I came to the realization that we had been thrust into the forefront of a movement to liberate oppressed people, not only in Montgomery but also throughout our country, and this movement had worldwide implications. I felt blessed to have been called to be a part of such a noble and historic cause.

It was a sacrifice for Coretta, who had to give up her dreams of becoming a classical singer. Her devotion to the cause while giving up on her own ambitions would become symbolic of the actions of African American women during the movement.

Her daughter Yolanda Denise King, motivational speaker died at the age of 51, in Santa Monica California, cause of death unknown but some speculate it was due to heart failure she collapsed and died after making her speech. She was the oldest daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King.

Coretta Scott King died at the age of 78, In August 2005, King suffered a stroke which paralyzed her right side and left her unable to speak; five months later she died of respiratory failure due to complications from ovarian cancer. Coretta Scott King died on the late evening of January 30, 2006, at the rehabilitation center in Rosario, Mexico, In the Oasis Hospital where she was undergoing holistic therapy for her stroke and advanced-stage ovarian cancer. The main cause of her death is believed to be respiratory  failure due to complications from ovarian cancer.

Coretta Scott King never remarried!

Author,

Gigi King 2/21/2018

Sources Cited

www.kingcenter.org

www.womenshistory.org 

www.cnn.com

 

 

Rosa Parks

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement, whom the United States Congress called “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement”. Born February 4, 1913, Tuskegee, Died: October 24, 2005, Detroit, Michigan.

Mrs. Rosa Parks the black seamstress started a bus boycott and fought to change the rules to equal rights on the buses and public facilities. She fought to change the segregation laws. Parks was a long-time member of the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which she joined in 1943.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days, placing a severe economic strain on the public transit system and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

Throughout the boycott and beyond, Parks received threatening phone calls and death threats. In 1957 she, along with her husband and mother, moved to Detroit, where she eventually worked as an administrative aide for Congressman John Conyers, Jr., and lived the rest of her life.

My favorite quote by Rosa Parks is: The only tired I was, was tired of giving in. I totally get it, when you know you have something to do, the vision you have commands action, you must take a stand. You cannot give in when your passion demands it you press on, no matter how hard, when your vision is clear and plain, stand on faith and watch God move.

In 1987 she cofounded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development to provide career training for young people.

Another one of my favorite quotes from Rosa Parks is: Each person must live their life as a model for others. We should live by example, people we don’t know are watching us, we inspire and motivate the people around us, but it is the people we do not know we make the greatest impact. We have to be the change we wish to see in order to change others.

In the Browder v. Gayle case that resulted in the Supreme Court ruling bus segregation unconstitutional.

After Parks died at age 92 on October 24, 2005, she received a final tribute usually reserved for statesman and military leaders when her body was brought to the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. More than 30,000 people filed past her coffin to pay their respects.

Parks died of natural causes on October 24, 2005, at the age of 92, in her apartment on the east side of Detroit. She and her husband Raymond Parks never had any children.

Author,

Gigi King 2/16/2018

Sources Cited

www.rosaparks.org

www.history.com