SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS

Resources and Opportunities for African-Americans

1. Wake Forest University has an opportunity for minority students to attend its MBA program for FREE, and so far, the response has been very poor. Please pass along this opportunity to your friends, families. This is a great school and a tremendous opportunity to attend a top graduate school. See the details below, the contact person is: Derrick S. Boone, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, Rm. 3139 Worrell Professional Center, Babcock Graduate School of Management – Wake Forest University_ WINSTON_SALEM N.C 27109-8738 email: derrick.boone@mba.wfu.edu or visit www.wfu.edu phone# toll free (866) 925-3622

2. Black Male Teachers needed. Do you know any Black Males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for FREE? The CALL ME MISTER program offered by 4 historical black colleges in South Carolina, Benedict College, Chaflin University, Morris College and South Carolina State University – visit the www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htl details online application or call 1.800.640.2657

3. Harvard University is offering free tuition to families of HONOR STUDENTS and their income is less than $125,000 per year. Visit www.fao.fas.harvard.edc or call 617.495.1581.

4. Syracuse University School of Architecture is desperately seeking young women and men of color interested in pursuing a 5 yr. professional degree in Architecture. Contact: Mark Robbins, Dean School of Architecture, 201 Slocum Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244-1250 (315) 443-256 www.soa.syr.edu/indes.php

5. A free pair of eyeglasses from Target for any child ages 12 and under brings a valid prescription for glasses from their doctor. You can find stores with optical departments at www.target.com

6. APPLY NOW - If you have/know young adults between the ages of 18-31 with a High School Diploma. Can earn up to $100,000 and earn benefits. The Federal Aviation Association is taking application for Air Traffic Controller School visit the website www.faa.gov/

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Epiphany Essential

TROY ANTHONY DAVIS: I AM FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT BUT...

If you asked me was I for or against capital punishment, I would have to say that I am for it. How as a Christian can I say this? Ecclesiastes 3 "A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

So yes the good book says there is a time to kill. More importantly God works through you and I just as Satan does. Many people said that who are they to kill a man, they are not God. This is true no one on earth is God but God cannot move in the land and act on earth without people. He needs you and I for his will to be done. It took David to slay Goliath, it took Moses to free the Israelites, it took Joshua to bring the walls down in Jericho, it took Jesus to free us from our sins. They were all mighty men of God, God's grace was upon them, they were able to do the supernatural in the natural because of God's omnipotence that he worked through them.

So as people, citizens, Christians we have to take a stand. Is it enough to put a convicted murderer behind bars and let them rot in jail? Maybe. Is it ok if you know someone has murdered thousands and thousands of people to take their life? Maybe. The one thing with death row and execution is that those who are on it have the choice and the ability to ask for forgiveness and make a mends with God. So it is not a situation where one cannot right their wrongs.

Now do I agree that Troy Davis should have been executed? Absolutely not. There was reasonable doubt surrounding his conviction. There are plenty of cases where people spent years in jail only to be exonerated by DNA and other evidence and later freed. So it is not far fetched to believe that Troy Davis did not commit the murder and was innocent.

We as people have to think about when someone is murdered or a crime is committed how we desire and want justice, we want someone caught and convicted of the crime partly so that we can feel safer knowing that a murderer or criminal is no longer out on the loose. So we have to question and examine ourselves and our motives. We have to be less emotional and more logical in our thinking and stand for justice for ALL.


Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials

Who's Right Who's Wrong?

This blog is inspired by the recent execution of Troy Anthony Davis:

Right vs. Wrong, Justified vs. Unjustified, Kill vs. Murder, what side you are on and the stance that you take will differ and vary based on the situation. Before you say no it won't I am on the side of justice allow me to prove my point. If you have a differing view point please share, I am open to contrary view to my opinion.

Someone breaks into your home, you own a gun, you feel your life is threatened, you cock your gun and you shoot and kill the person whom intruded your home. Chances are you will go to court but you won't be tried or convicted of murder you will get off and be back at home in no time.

On the other side of the coin, the intruder was someone's relative, friend, lover, etc. They may have suffered from mental illness and missed taking there medication. They may have been in desperate times and felt they needed to steal to provide for themselves and their families. To somebody, somewhere their loved one was murdered.

Who's right and who's wrong? Who's justified and who's unjustified? Who killed and who murdered?

The answer depends, what does it depend on? It depends on you and I and our ideals. Some people on both sides will be for and against. People will bring God into the situation and quote scriptures to support their point of view. So again who is right?

I guess we all won't know until judgment day!

Be a blessing and blessed,
Epiphany Essentials

Resisting Troy's Planned Execution with Every Moment Left | Human Rights Now - Amnesty International USA Blog

Resisting Troy's Planned Execution with Every Moment Left Human Rights Now - Amnesty International USA Blog

TROY DAVIS #TOOMUCH DOUBT

If you are reading this and asking who is Troy Davis but you know what is going on with JLO, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, etc. I encourage you to expand your horizons on what you read and take in on a regular basis.


A Georgia parole board has denied clemency to Troy Davis, the death-row inmate whose case attracted international attention amid what supporters say are significant doubts over his guilt. With the failure of Davis' last-ditch appeal, announced Tuesday morning, he appears all but certain to be executed by lethal injection Wednesday at 7 p.m.

"He's guilty," Joan MacPhail-Harris, the widow of the Savannah cop who Davis was convicted of killing, told reporters Monday before the board announced its decision. "We need to go ahead and execute him."

Davis, 41, was convicted of the 1989 murder of Mark Allen MacPhail, an off-duty Savannah, Ga. police officer. MacPhail, who was running to the aid of a homeless man being pistol-whipped, was shot three times in a Burger King parking lot before he could draw his weapon.

Davis has always maintained his innocence, and several witnesses who testified at his trial have since recanted or backed away from their testimony, alleging they were improperly pressured by police.

The case has generated worldwide attention, with opponents of the death penalty depicting Davis' case as a perfect example of the inherently flawed system of capital punishment. Davis' supporters have sponsored a series of protests and fundraisers for his case in New York, Washington D.C., Paris and Oslo. Last week, supporters delivered petitions with about 650,000 signatories calling on Georgia state authorities to free Davis.

"We're just praying for a good outcome," Davis' sister, Martina Correia, told reporters Monday, before the board's announcement. "We believe in our brother's innocence."

Monday's eleventh-hour appeal marked the culmination of a lengthy effort on Davis's behalf. In 2008, the same parole board rejected a bid for clemency (three of its five members have since been replaced). The following year, the U.S. Supreme Court took the rare step of ordering a federal judge to convene a hearing to consider new evidence. But in 2010, a federal court ruled that Davis had failed to prove his innocence, and denied him a new trial. The Supreme Court declined to get involved a second time, which meant that Monday's hearing represented Davis's last lifeline.

A Friday rally in support of Davis involved civil rights figures including NAACP president Ben Jealous and Martin Luther King III. "The only thing left to decide is whether you have the courage to do the right thing," the Rev. Al Sharpton said, addressing members of the parole board.

One witness who testified at Monday's parole board hearing said she once heard another man who was at the scene of the murder, Sylvester "Redd" Coles, say that he fired the fatal shots. Coles was the first person to implicate Davis to the police. Another of Monday's witnesses was a juror from the original 1991 trial; she had voted to sentence Davis to death but now says she has doubts. Two other jurors signed affidavits asking the board to spare Davis' life.

Former FBI director William Sessions called for Davis' sentence to be commuted to life in prison, writing in an opinion column Thursday in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the case is "permeated in doubt." In addition to the witness recantations and allegations of police pressure, Sessions pointed to a "lack of relevant physical evidence."

But Spencer Lawton, the former district attorney who prosecuted Davis and was seen at Monday's hearing, wrote in a 2008 op-ed in the same paper that the witnesses who recanted their testimony were "not believable." Lawton added that shell casings recovered from an earlier shooting linked to Davis were fired from the same gun found at the scene of MacPhail's murder. (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/troy-davis-executed-parole-board-denies-clemency-131916604.html)

If you tweet use the hash tag #toomuchdoubt, if you can sign a petition this is of course if you believe in the cause.

Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials

HOLD ON TO YOUR DREAMS!

Last night I watched Unsung on TV1, the episode was about The Spinners. As I watched there were a number of ideals that popped in my head, determination, drive, faith, good ego and resolve to succeed.

In 1954 a group of men came together and formed The Spinners. There first song hit the charts in 1961 at #27. In 1963 the label The Spinners was on was bought out by Motown Records. They wouldn't see a song hit the charts again until 1970 at #14.

The best part of the story for me however, was that one of the singers in the group stated while signed to Motown, since they weren't making chart topping top 10 hits, they had to survive and make ends meet. So they all did odd jobs at Motown Records, one member worked in the shipping and receiving department, another member worked as a driver for the label. That is were drive, determination and a willingness to succeed entered my thoughts as well as good pride. I saw these characteristics in these men because they did not have what I call bad pride. Bad pride would have said I am a singer/musician I am not a driver, I didn't come to Motown for this I came to Motown to make records and make money. The Spinners could have thought to themselves its been over 10 years and we have yet to make a top 10, we are obviously not cut out for this, let's just part ways and pursue other things. They could have but they didn't, they held on to their dreams. There is a scripture that says humble yourself and let God exalt you. (James 4:10)

Finally, in 1972 they got their break. Their contract with Motown ended, they signed to Atlantic Records, Thom Bell came along to produce for them and their first album with Atlantic was a hit! Not only that, they dropped single after single and they were hits after hits. They dropped album after album, all hits!

It took almost 20 years after they formed as a group for them to see success on the charts and be recognized as one of the top groups of their time but it happened. It happened because they all stuck together, held on to their dreams and believed. Not only that Thom Bell believed in them, he told them your next album will be a hit.

So I dare to ask you what dreams do you have that you feel have been on delay or you have simply giving up on? What type of attitude do you have right now about those dreams? Are you looking for immediate gratification or are you willing to put in the work necessary to fulfill your dreams? Do you view obstacles or set backs as God's way of trying to tell you, you are going the wrong way?

I liked Bill Winston preaching this morning he said "you can be in the perfect will of God and encounter a storm". God didn't send the storm, Satan did, Satan sent the storm to steal you faith so that you don't reach the other side or get to your land flowing with milk and honey.

So if you have dreams, go for them and pursue them with a vengeance. If you have given up on your dreams, go back pick them up and move forward with a vengeance.

Hold on to your dreams and keep the faith!

Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials

BUILD THEM UP....

As I thought about writing this blog post today, I began to think about my post from yesterday and how they actually intertwine. Building our children up is essential to them becoming well adjusted, productive members of society.

The bigger issue is that there are ways in which we tear our children down and we don't even realize it. Often times we say we are just joking or playing but we must realize that words or the tongue is sharper than any 2 edge swords and words cut deep. While we think we are only playing and move on, the words we have spoken become engraved in that child's subconscious and it can cause doubt, fear, feelings of inadequacy, shame and the list goes on and on well into their adult lives.

I think about growing up as a dark skin child. My mother and sister were lighter than I. One day I told my mom, "mommy you are brown and Chris, my sister, is white". My mother had to explain to me that we were all black people just different shades. Growing up I was told I was beautiful, I was always complimented and uplifted by my family about my dark skin. There was never a day that I hated being dark or wanted to be any lighter.

Unfortunately, that is not true for all people in the African American community. Some people despise their dark skin. As many know during slavery, the dark slaves were in the field, the light slaves were in the house. Some freedmen were so light that they would pass for white people. So the nature of African Americans had been programmed in us from slavery to hate our skin, our color, to really hate ourselves. To this day their are still articles about light skin vs. dark skin.

So why, why would we as parents with all of the negativity in the media, with most history classes overlooking our complete existence choose to tear our children down instead of build them up?

What am I talking about?

There are parents who say things like this to their children you're:

• fat


• ugly


• stupid


• dumb


• never amount to anything


• just like your trifling daddy

The media already does a great job of depicting African Americans in a negative light. We need to not perpetuate it as well in our homes. What we need to do in our homes is teach them their history and show them the positiveness of black America and let them know that every race, nationality, and even religion has positive and negative stereotypes/ideals. That black America is no different than anyone else on the human level and that we all matter, are successful, educated, smart etc.

You may think, I am not the type of parent that tears my child down. There are subtle ways we tear our children down. Yesterday my son started swim lessons. The lessons seem a bit aggressive to me but none the less the point is to teach him how to swim. So, the instructor had them jump in the pool. The first time my son was reluctant and he did it half way, the next time he jumped right in. Then, the instructor took them to the deepest end of the pool and asked them to jump in onto a floatation device and then he would hold them as they swam the length of the pool. Oh my, my son was afraid, he began shaking and even started crying. I was up in the stands and I just yelled out its ok, you can do it. The instructor spoke with him and talked to him, he didn't jump in but he did get into the deep end and complete the task. When the lessons were over, I told him, you did a great job this week and next week I am sure you will be ready to jump in the deep end.

Now the conversation could have went differently, I could have yelled, fussed, and even demeaned him about crying like a little baby at swim lessons and told him that he needs to toughen up. However, that would not build him up, that would have only tore him down. Now his ego may have wanted him to prove me wrong nevertheless the words I spoke would have someway crept into his subconscious and replayed themselves at a time where he was experiencing doubt.

So I think about instances where people call themselves using reverse psychology. If you were smart you could do it, you aren't bright enough to figure that out huh, see I knew it, I knew you were a quitter. While in the moment it may cause the person to do the opposite of what we are saying, it can and will become detrimental to them in their adult life.

Imagine if we as parents spoke to our children the way that God spoke to us. That when they had fears or doubts we were in their corner telling them they could do it. If we simply recited scripture to them when they said things like I can't? Yesterday my son told me I can't tie my shoe. I told him can't was worst than any cuss word in our home. I told him that He can do all things through Christ that strengthens him! Then I told him that he is more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. That is a way to build children up.

Am I a perfect parent? Heck no! Will I ever be a perfect parent? Heck no! Am I truly making a conscious effort to build my son up from this day forward? Absolutely!

How does building our children up help them succeed in school? It helps because we give them a can do attitude, a faith attitude, we fill them with a belief that anything is possible. We build them up by supporting their wildest dreams, ideals, and thoughts understanding that God will bless us exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ever ask for or imagine. Just because we have experienced dreams deferred, are full of fear and doubt and not walking by faith we cannot place that burden on our children.

We build them up by always encouraging them to do their best and supporting their best efforts even if there best efforts lands them a C on their report card. The best doesn't always means straight A's, the best means that they can truly say that they tried, put forth their best effort, that they tried and tried and tried again and they never gave up.

There are others ways we can build our children up feel free to comment. The best way to build them up is to only speak the promises of God to them and into their lives. Edify your childern, instruct them morally and spiritually, build them up, uplift them.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,..." I Thessalonians 5:11a

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things build up." I Corinthians 10:23 (WEB)

Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials