I started my legal career as an entrepreneur CEO with a desire to serve the constrain consumer in a under-served market. With over 20+ years of services, our office grew to be one of highest volume office in the State. A household name some would say. I later began to franchise to different attorney that shared the same core value. Our motto “We are the People we serve�.
Besides building businesses and leading people, I have also been passionate about traveling. My most memorable trip was to Johannesburg South Africa. I spent several weeks with Nelson Mandela and his family. I will never forget, the afternoon at Nelson Mandela home, when he told me, “Young lady never let a man outshine you.� I have held those word near and dear to my heart ever since. I have been lots of places, visited many different countries and have immensely enjoyed learning the culture of others.
Yet, the time spent with Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela and their entire family, right there, in their home was priceless. Winnie Mandela shared so many stories about how she received death threats, how she was mis-treated, even banished to Brandfort by the apartheid government. Having the opportunity to go back and visit a place once known as her home, where she reared her children was like walking on sacred ground. The entire experience was beautiful.
See from a young age our negative perception of Africa has been dominated by the narratives of others. Many African American are ignorant in regards to the motherland. Some may simply not care because they do not know their exact roots within the continent, but just because you don’t care does not take away the fact the continent of Africa is a part of our ethnic make-up. Many African American are dignifying the American part of our ethnicity that the African is beginning to just represent the color of our skin. My magical journey to the “Motherland”, was truly awe-inspiring and has instilled a rich appreciation for our history and culture.