Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester
Lisa Blunt Rochester
1962 - PRESENT
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester is proudly serving our nation representing Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives. Lisa has a tremendous track record of working in the community with a principal focus to help people in need. Lisa's run for Congress became a historic election in 2016 as she became the first woman and person of color Delaware has sent to Congress. In this post, I will share some of Lisa's career highlights in honor of Women's History Month.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester was born Philadelphia, PA and raised in the small wonder of Wilmington, Delaware where she attended Padua High School. While in school, she worked her first job at McDonald's on the infamous Market Street in Wilmington. Upon completion of high school, Lisa went on to major in International Relations at Fairleigh Dickinson University and later completed a Master's in Urban Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Delaware.
Lisa started the early part of her career as a caseworker for then-Congressman Tom Carper, helping people with their Social Security benefits, disability insurance claims, IRS disputes, and housing needs. Lisa's historic career began, and she empowered herself to become Delaware's first African-American woman Secretary of Labor serving the cabinets of two Delaware governors. Lisa also became the first African-American Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Services and State Personnel Director. In these roles focused on connecting employers to resources and jobseekers, and commissioned to investigate the Delaware State Police for racial and sexual discrimination.
Lisa was also well-equipped to serve as the CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League - an action-oriented, public policy research think-tank focused on the inclusion of people of color. Not only did Lisa have a core focus on local issues, but also national security. She helped women enter the workforce in the Middle East, provided vaccines to children in Africa, and co-authored a book while living in China; THRIVE: 34 Women, 18 Countries, One Goal. The book contours women who reinvented themselves while living in a foreign country.
Congresswoman Blunt Rochester is all about education, a healthy workforce, and a thriving economy which is why she serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, as well as the Committee on Agriculture.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, thank you for all that you do for our community at home in Delaware and also for our beautiful Nation.
The Power of Communities
Back in the summer of 2016, I relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in California for a new position at my job, and I honestly didn't know what to expect. I did not have any friends or family in the area, and this was the first time I left the "nest" to explore the world on my own.
My first year in the Bay Area wasn't the worst experience that could happen in my life, but it turned out to be one of the most challenging experiences in my life. I was living in a one bedroom apartment that was above my means. Every day, I would go to work during the week and come home in the evenings. I hardly went out to have any leisure time. That was the first time I felt like a loner, and it was becoming depressing.
In the spring of 2017, I found myself contemplating if I should move back home or stick it out and stay in the Bay Area. I would complain to my parents and friends, but I had to realize that I haven't taken advantage of what this experience could be. I had a conversation with one of my mentors from back home, and she mentioned something that stuck out to me, and that was "You need to join a community."
What exactly is a community, and why is it so important? There are many variations to the definition of "community," here is the one that helps to share my idea the most:
"A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals."
Suddenly, I realized this is what I lacked in my life — a sense of community. Of course, when I go home, I have a variety of communities that I developed from years of relationships and experiences in my life. When a person moves to a brand new environment, then you have to rebuild yourself and find those communities that fit your attitude, interests, and goals. I was walking a clean slate.
Imagine you are entering your freshman year of college, as human beings, we naturally want to feel like we belong to something and that is what communities help us to do. When you enter your freshman year at a university, you have to declare your major, meet new classmates, and check out a variety of organizations to find your sense of belonging.
Today, I'm glad to say I've now found that sense of belonging out here in the Bay Area, and it is a pretty unique one. I now have roommates that I can connect and engage in interests that I enjoy, but most importantly they hold me accountable to be who I want to be. We do this is a communal way.
At the beginning of the year, we discussed how we go about setting goals. This discussion turned into us building a framework for us to achieve three goals every quarter of the year. We meet every Sunday and Thursday to share our updates on our desired goals we've chosen.
We start with someone from the group sharing something they've recently completed or something new they’ve learned that we can all benefit from. Once complete, we each share our goal progress: what was achieved, what we plan to do next, and what is holding us back. The group holds you accountable by asking questions to try to understand how we can help you succeed and to keep you on track if you're not progressing.
This structure is built to help you grow in areas that you want to see positive change. However, it is also a structure that allows you not to do it alone. We are supporting each other every step of the way and ensuring that we always balance it out with some fun.
This is what community has been defined for me in my 3rd year in the Bay Area. I came here to surround myself with incredibly smart individuals, driven to succeed, and loves to enjoy life. I'm lucky to have that community in the home-place and with friends. It is vital for you to find out what community means for you. There's a famous quote that says:
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."
This quote is a disclaimer for good and bad communities you choose to spend your time. If you spend time hanging with people who are not making positive decisions, then you should expect adverse outcomes to transpire inevitably.
Communities are how we develop a society that supports the ideals that we wish to promote. Everyone either creates communities or joins them because it is the natural thing to do. Ultimately, that gives you the power to decide the people you want around you for a certain length of time. Is it worth it?
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
1942 - 2018
As we approach the late Aretha Franklin's birthday on March 25th, I'd also like to make this post in honor of her iconic career and oh-so-inspiring voice that has touched people across the world.
Aretha Franklin was born March 25th, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee to Baptist Preacher Reverend Clarence La Vaughan Franklin and Barbara Siggers Franklin, a gospel singer. After her mothers passing at the age of ten years old, Aretha's father moved the family from the "Home of the Blues" to the "Motown Sound" (Detroit, MI) where he became a distinguished preacher across the country.
Aretha was born with her musical talent, and it was apparent from the very beginning. As a self-taught child prodigy, Aretha's skills on the piano and powerful voice granted her the opportunity to perform at the church, and record her first album at the age of fourteen years old. Aretha's path to stardom began, and she never looked back.
Aretha has received offers and worked with many big-name record labels like RCA, Motown, Columbia, and Atlantic Records over her career. Her pure talent grew over the years affording her the chance to work with some of the top artists in the 20th and 21st-century music industry like Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Otis Redding and more.
Her experiences through the music industry awarded her 18 Grammy's and counting, sold millions of copies, and performed in some of the most publicized events. In 2014, after being active in the music industry for over 50 years, Aretha Franklin released an album named "Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics." It reached No. 13 on the pop charts and No. 3 on the R&B charts.
She decided to retire her music career in 2017 and plan for life after such a memorable journey. In 2018, Aretha chose Jennifer Hudson to play her in a biopic named Respect which is set to release soon. Sadly, later that year, on August 16, 2018, Aretha Franklin had become extremely sick and passed away from pancreatic cancer. Check out just a small taste of her music below, and remember how influential and special we are to listen to such a natural talent.
Lena Waithe
Lena Waithe
1984 - Present
Lena Waithe has always been extremely passionate about screenwriting since she was just a little kid. Growing up watching star-studded family shows like the Cosby Show, Good Times, and many more, only fueled her dreams of the endless possibilities awaiting her. Once she graduated college with a degree in Cinema and Television Arts, she swiftly made her move to the world-renowned city of Los Angeles to make her dream a reality.
Lena is now a triple threat: writer, producer, and actress. She is a trail-blazer working her way to the top starting out as an assistant for the hit show Girlfriends to now being a creator of her show The Chi. Her impact on the entertainment industry will be everlasting, and you should expect to see more from Ms. Lena Waithe for years to come. Why?
Not only is Lena an Emmy award-winning role model in the industry, but she is also a massive supporter of mentorship for those following her footsteps. Lena developed an organization named the "Hillman Grad Network", designed to assist emerging artists navigating their way into the entertainment industry. The Hillman Grad Network thrives on three main pillars:
Inclusion - Strive to increase diverse representation in front and behind the camera
Opportunity - Valuable resources are given to mentees to grow their skills through classes, writing groups, networking, and career opportunities.
Success - Each group will feature a limited number of mentees to focus on helping them achieve success.
To cap off why Lena is so valuable to the industry: she was the first openly queer black woman to be featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, and was mentioned as someone who's "disrupting the hell out of Hollywood."
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
(1939 - 1984)
Marvin Gaye is a legend for his soulful hits, and you cannot forget his "Sexual Healing" slow jams. "What's Going On" and "Inner City Blues" are a classic work of art that you can't dismiss once it encapsulates your mind. His words of choice are perfect as it attempts to spread boundless love and understanding to your ear's. These songs were released in 1971, and still remain with rich meaning to the real problems many people face today around the world.
Parents are grieving from terrible loses to their children with violence in the streets, police brutality, disease, and so on.
Marches across the globe with people fighting for their rights as a human being!
We all just need to come to a common understanding. We are all people, with many flaws.