COCOA
09
Interview with Andre Davis Hurley Morgan
15
Leader's of the New School Leadership Leroy McKenzie
19
Hurley's Mental Note Hurley Morgan
23
"Independence" day 2020 Bryant Lewis
JULY/AUGUST ISSUE 2020
REAL LIFE REAL FAITH MEN OF FAITH
Editor in Chief Cheryl Lacey Donovan Publisher Elissa Gabrielle Senior Editors Hurley Morgan Columnists Leroy McKenzie Hurley Morgan Bryant Lewis
Designer Cheryl Lacey Donovan
EDITORIAL OFFICES P.O. Box 450121 Houston, Texas 77245 832-827-4438
SUBSCRIPTIONS (832) 827-4438
. realliferealfaithmagazine.net
Editor's Note Words from the Senior Managing Editor… Greetings,
Where is the time going!? We are already entering the second half of the year…can you believe t!? The first half of the year has been one for the record books. From the death of Kobe Bryant; to the constant injustices and murdering dealt to people of color; to the extreme racial divide that constantly is growing within this country; to a pandemic that has not only rocked this country but the world; to the uncertainty of the world’s future…there has been a lifetime of events that have occurred in a six month time. Despite everything that we are having to live through these days, I hope you all are well as can be as we take on the rest of 2020. We continue to be honored to bring to you content from the minds of some very dynamic writers. This issue of Men of Faith also features Brother A’ndre Davis, one very talented brother. Brother A’ndre Davis is a singer and songwriter as it pertains to being in the music world, and an actor, writer, producer, and director as it pertains to being in the acting world. Brother A’ndre Davis will talk to us about his great accomplishments and what has influenced him to be who he is today. As always, at MOF we strive to bring to you content that is very relevant to what is going on in the country today, especially those things that are important to our communities. From inspiration, to entertainment, to sports, to politics, to business, to mental health, and everything in between…we strive to educate, uplift, motivate, inspire, and provide you with a magazine that is by men for men. We seek to cultivate minds with insightful and entertaining knowledge that is meant to help someone in need of food for thought. Remember… knowledge is KEY! Our mission…is to address an array of topics that men not only want to hear about but also need to hear about. We will always cater to you! Happy Reading & Much Love! Hurley Morgan Senior Managing Editor
R E A L
M E N
P R A Y
A'ndre Davis
Infusing old-school and new-school R&B, singer/actor/songwriter A'NDRE exploded on the music scene. With a unique, modern flavor blended with a throwback sound, this performer draws his inspiration from artists such as Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and John Legend. This Newark, NJ native is claiming his spot in this industry. His old-school yet current flavor has landed him opportunities to perform with acts such as Anthony Hamilton, Mint Condition, Carl Thomas, Musiq Soulchild, Jaheim, Dwele, Boyz 2 Men, Mike Epps, Talent, Tamia, India Arie, Naughty by Nature, Wendy William's Dons and Divas 06'; and 07', The Temptations, Tank, Kem, Avant, Joe, Brian Mcknight, Frankie Beverly and Maize, Freddie Jackson, Regina Belle, and Patti Labelle to name a few. A'ndre can be seen playing at various venues with his band “The Spirit Makerz." In addition to singing, Andre's first interest in the arts was acting. He has landed roles in stage plays such as Dream Girls, Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places, After The Walk(Starring Kelly Price), Underneath It All featuring Kierra Sheard and many others. A'ndre is also the CEO of A-Diamond Entertainment. Under the company, he has stepped into the director's chair as the writer/producer/director/and star of several stage plays including “The BreakDown," “Is This What We Paid For," and The #1 Urban Stageplay "Man Of The House;" which also features R&B Singer Monifah, J-boog of “B2K”, and Willie Taylor of “Day 26”. ANDRE is truly an authentic, urban talent whose genuine and raw talent is sure to satisfy audiences of different genres. His love for Christ continues to keep him humble and his love for entertainment pushes him to strive to always become better at his craft. His Motto: "Going Till I Get It". www.adiamondent.com Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: adiamondent
interview with A'ndre Davis MOF: It’s an absolute honor having you…how are things going for you these days? Brother A’ndre Davis: Thank you for having me. All is well. You know, with the current state of the world, things that seemed like a big deal to me before, just don’t anymore. I realize even more so how extremely blessed I am. MOF: Brother A’ndre you are one talented brother. You can be found doing so much in the entertainment world. You’re a singer and songwriter as it pertains to being in the music world, and you’re an actor, writer, producer, and director as it pertains to being in the acting world. Tell about how all of this came about. Brother A’ndre Davis: Thank you. I’ve been around entertainment and music basically all my life. My Godmother used to take me to band practice with her when I was a baby. She tells me how I would sit the entire practice and never cry but just stare in awe of the instruments and dancers. My Grandmom made me sing in church all the time when I was younger. I did not like it…at all...but turns out she was onto something. In addition to that my Uncle Joseph Thomas was an accomplished saxophonist and my father also sings. Acting always intrigued me but I didn’t really get started until college. Very cliché but a young lady I was dating encouraged me to audition for a play she was dancing in. From there, a few directors saw me, and I caught the bug. In terms of writing, my grandmother is also a writer in addition to English being my favorite subject in school. The directing/producing came about as a result of frustration. After years of doing everyone else’s productions, I would always have people come up to me after shows saying “you should be on the big screen” but I never got that break. I knew I had the gift so instead of auditioning for everyone else’s productions, I decided to remove myself from that part of the rat-race and start my own. I was also always personally critiquing work that I’d been a part of. I felt they could be better if they were done a certain way. So, one day I told myself since you are such a critic, you do it and see how easy it is. Easy it is no but it was the best choice I could’ve ever made.
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MOF: Being that you are a singer and songwriter, who do you accredit as being your musical influence(s)? Brother A’ndre Davis: Artist wise, I love Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. I’m also inspired by artists such as John Legend, Darryl Coley, and Faith Evans. Family wise, it would have to be my Dad and my Uncle Joe. MOF: I take it that you can be categorized as a R&B artist. In your own words how would you describe the genre(s) that you associate yourself with? Brother A’ndre Davis: Absolutely. As an artist, I love soul music, especially, the vibe they classify as Neo-Soul. I’m from Newark, New Jersey so club and house music are also part of my go-to repertoire in addition to reggae. In the past few years, I have had the opportunity to perform at many weddings for people of various ethnicities and backgrounds, so my love of all music has definitely expanded to include rock, pop, and country. MOF: Music is totally different today than it was when some of those artists that have influenced your sound came out. How do you feel about today’s music, especially R&B? Brother A’ndre Davis: Yes, most definitely. It’s a tough business so I applaud anyone that takes a stab at this. I would love to see more variety. It does seem like a lot of the artists out have a similar sound. MOF: As before mentioned, you also work as a writer, producer, director, and star actor of several stage plays. What are your aspirations as it pertains to the acting part of the entertainment world? Brother A’ndre Davis: Yes. I have a few stage plays currently ready to go back into production as soon as we are able to perform safely. In addition to this, I am working on some online content and feature films. I will act in some of these so I can continue to sharpen that skill.
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MOF: What has been your biggest challenges to date as an artist and actor? Which do you find the most challenging to do? Brother A’ndre Davis: That’s a great question and the answer would vary depending on what part of my life I was actually in. In the beginning, I would say my biggest challenge as both an artist and actor were trusting my gift while still understanding and accepting that I did not know everything. In both singing and acting, the ability to be vulnerable and truly connect with what I was saying and/or singing was/is crucial. Now, I would say trusting God’s plan for me. Most days, I am right on target but there are definitely some days where I’ve had to ask God “Now, you’re sure this is what you want me to do, because...” LOL. I would have to say singing is the most challenging for me now because of the different genres I have to cover. With acting, I’m only doing roles that I write, so it makes it a little easier with connecting to the character. MOF: When it comes to being an artist and an actor, which one do you find to be your favorite to do and why? Brother A’ndre Davis: I am not sure I have a favorite at this moment. I love to do them both. MOF: Out of all the things that you have accomplished up to this point in your life…what do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment so far? Brother A’ndre Davis: The #1 Urban Stageplay “Man Of The House”. This was the first production that I wrote, directed, produced, and starred in under my company, A-Diamond Entertainment. It was and still is a labor of love. The titles sound good on paper but when you actually have to execute them, it becomes a lot different. This especially applies to the Producer title. Out of all four, by far, this is the toughest. The budgeting, marketing, and logistics alone are enough to drive you crazy as a beginner. But, it allowed me to learn all aspects. Now as the company is growing, I know what to ask for because I’ve done it. The on the job training has been invaluable. We started out in a black box theatre in New Jersey in 2014. I have been blessed to be able to run the show every year since then, still getting great feedback. This is definitely my baby. The show has toured various cities including some colleges where the play was brought in as Domestic Violence Education. I am looking forward to bringing this production back very soon.
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MOF: Are there any projects that you are currently working on? What do you have on the horizon as it pertains to your music and your acting/writing/producing/directing? Brother A’ndre Davis: Currently, I have “Man of The House” and this year, I mounted (2) new shows. “Is This What We Paid For” is a stage play that asks the question, If activists who perished during the civil rights era were able to come back present day to see how African-Americans currently live, would they feel their sacrifice was worth the fight or was it all in vain? The second stage play “The BreakDown” is a production that tackles the issues of substance abuse, bullying, and violence as it pertains to today’s youth. The premise of the play focuses on how the breakdown in the home is a direct catalyst for youth to become susceptible to any/all of the above issues. These productions will be mounted as soon as theaters are able to open back up safely. I am also working on new music and looking to release it 4th quarter of 2020 or 1st quarter 2021. MOF: It’s always good to be able to inspire others to see whatever they are trying to obtain through to the end, because we know the road is not always easy. What advice would you give someone that wants to get into the music industry? And what advice would you give to an aspiring actor/actress? Brother A’ndre Davis: The advice I would give to both is to really center yourself and go for it because you truly love it and feel this is what you were meant to do. The amount of rejection you may face in this industry is probably unlike any other. If you do not love this, it will be extremely hard to survive all that you may need to go thru. The second piece of advice would be to immerse yourself in the craft and find people who are doing or have done what you are trying to do. In doing so, you have to be open to learning and listening. I am still learning every day and although every piece of advice does not fit my situation, I like to hear it because there is a take away of what to do or what not to do. MOF: Outside of your work as an artist and an actor, what else can we find you doing? Any hobbies? Brother A’ndre Davis: Besides eating LOL, I’m kidding but I’m serious. I am working on doing a better job at work/life balance but when I’m not working, I really enjoy being at home and just relaxing.
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MOF: Of course, you know the title of the magazine is Men of Faith Magazine. With all the challenges that men face, especially men of color, what words of advice can you give any man that may be going through something in their life right now? Brother A’ndre Davis: Connect to a source higher than yourself. For me, that higher source is God, as I am a Christian. I know that is not the route for everyone, but I’d be lost without God. In the past two years, I have devoted more time to meditation. This really helped open me up to a better understanding of myself. MOF: We would love to be able to keep up with you in order to show support. Tell the readers how they can keep up with what’s going on with you? Brother A’ndre Davis: Thanks again for having me. Before I give my site info, I have to give a huge shot-out to Elissa Gabrielle for the referral and most importantly, to the woman that gave me life and is my inspiration to keep going so hard. Mom, I love you. Thank you for everything and I am looking forward to taking care of you very soon. You can follow me thru my website www.adiamondent.com and on all social media platforms @adiamondent
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LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY Leroy McKenzie jnfenterprises@yahoo.com We are halfway through 2020, and my what a six months it has been. If you had told me that 2020 would look like this I would have called you a liar. This year has shown me what makes a good leader and what does not make a good leader. In this article, I want to look at the different types of leaders that have been placed front and center in 2020 and what they are saying to the next generation of leaders and the lessons that they can draw from them in becoming what I call…..THE LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL. The 3 kinds of leaders that I will discuss are: -The Non-competent Leader -The Silent Leader -The StandUp Leader There have been those who are in leadership positions that have shown that they are not competent to hold the position of leadership that they are in. This kind of leader, the noncompetent leader, is someone who only wants the title and is not able to handle the responsibility that comes with the position. These leaders have a leadership style that is toxic
and
rarely
gets
things
done.
The
people
that
work
for
them
tend
to
be
very
disgruntled because the work environment is usually chaotic and full of mayhem. These leaders are not really leaders, they just want to be told that they are and that they are perfect in everything that they do. They accept no accountability for what goes wrong and want all of the accolades when things go right. Truth be told their mindset is that of me, myself and I and no one else matters. They want all the glory and praise. The second kind of Leader is the “SILENT LEADER”, now this could go one of two ways but the way that I am going with this is this is the kind of leader that is so worried about what people think and say about them that they refuse to say anything about how wrong things are. They have no backbone and are not willing to speakup, standup or even stepup!!!! These leaders have been silent through all of the chaos and turmoil that we have either seen
or
experienced
in
2020.
This
silence
in
leadership
has
been
in
the
Family,
Government, Education, Business and the Church. These individuals are so worried about their position that they create an even greater problem then the non-competent leader. Their silence is deafening and they are of no benefit to those that they are in charge to lead. SILENCE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!!!
KThe 3rd leader is the kind of leader that is very much needed and the one that the next generation of leaders should seek to imitate and pattern themselves after. The StandUp Leader is one that is in position and knows how to handle the situation and can get others to a positive outcome. The StandUp Leader is one that will say what is needed to be said not just what everyone wants to hear. In 2020 there have been those who are StandUp leaders and have given us hope that we will get to the other side of all that we are going through in 2020. They have shown us how to navigate through this shift and have given us a plan for how we will get through it. StandUp leaders may not have all of the answers but they have the resources to get the answers that are needed in order to get the desired results. Leadership is about how you stand in times of trouble and chaos, not in times of ease and calmness. Great leaders show themselves when they are counted on. They do not run and hide, they do not keep their mouth shut either. All they know how to do is L.E.A.D. Leaders put the right people in the right place, to get the right results. Leaders of the New School should make sure that they are in the right position and around the right Leader!!!!!
#ChasetheImpact2020 #Impact
#BeUnstoppable
#Leadership
#Equip
#Enlighten
#Empower
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Hurley's Mental Note Getting to Know Your�Self� 2020, before this past January 1, it meant perfect vision. It also meant for me, a near perfect year was in store, since 20 was my favorite number. Well, as we are at the halfway point of 2020, and the vision has become quite blurry, the incompetence from the top on down has blinded our country with uncertainty, sadness, and rage. I don't have to go over everything, we have watched the news, followed social media, and have been personally affected. I want to specifically focus on the pandemic that is the assassination of Black lives. Sadly, we know the names here as well. For me, in NYC, it starts in the 80s with the name Eleanor Bumpers, Google her name, you'll see a familiar pattern nearly 40 years later. When I was younger (I';m 59 today), I've always been both flabbergasted and appalled that the Civil Rights Act became law in my lifetime. Imagine my horror and disgust today as my son, 8 years ago at the age of 12, as we lived in the NYC suburbs in our quaint house, playing football with his white, and black friends, have his innocence shattered by the news that a young black male, Trayvon Martin was killed by a white degenerate, because of the color of his skin and the style of clothes he wore. So where are we in 2020? From the first wave of Africans, brought to this land from Goree Island 400 years ago to Minneapolis, Louisville, Atlanta in recent weeks, when will the humiliation and extermination cease?? When will the constitution be for our rights?? When will white people stop trying to be like us and just simply ACCEPT US!!! When will the U.S. allow US to live our lives like white America live theirs? Have I been encouraged by the protests, and people of all ages, ethnic groups participate in them, no doubt, but the battle for our freedom is far from over. Police, still tasing, violating, shooting us, even with cameras squared in their faces. The racists, white supremacists standing in front of their homes with shotguns.
And of course, the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Showing white power videos and his vice president saying the BLM movement is some far-left political agenda, so the fight is far from over. So where do we go from here?? I believe that we keep pounding the pavement, we keep making our presence felt, our voices heard, from the microphone and social media. I've written about having our white brothers and sisters involved in conversations. I recently had zoom meetings with friends that included White, Asian, Hispanic and they heard stories from the black members of the group, including one of my sisters, and both of my sons, that really sent shocking reactions, including my, at the time, 16 year old son being threatened by a white policeman. The discussions were very well received by everyone, and it may be something I continue if there's an interest for it. Most importantly, WE AS BLACK PEOPLE, MEN & WOMEN, must become that unbreakable chain. We must stand together as one. I don't care where you're from, what your political affiliation is, right now none of that matters. What we all should agree on is this........BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!! God's got us. I close with this message: I AM HELPING YOU REACH YOUR DESTINY Psalm 138:8; Isaiah 52:12; Isaiah 46:10 The Holy Spirit says Have confidence in me. Have faith in Me. Have trust in Me. Know that I have your back. I am your rear guard. Put your hope on Me Expect Me to protect you. Keep your eyes on Me. Set your thoughts on Me. If you do these things, you will completely slam the door on voices that are contrary to Father's plan for your life. I am helping you reach your destiny. PRAYER Spirit, You go before me to make a way for me. You are behind me to watch my back. You are everywhere all the time, and I am thankful. Help me to sense Your presence as I walk through each day. Help to be steadfast, unmovable and stay on the path toward my destiny. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
"Independence" Day 2020 Bryant Lewis July 4 th : It’s the hot dog eating, fireworks lighting, red, white & blue wearing day American people everywhere celebrate freedom and bask in the independence that 13 colonies won from their British oppressors nearly 250 years ago. However, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and so many other African American men, women, children won't be around to celebrate Independence Day 2020, or any other year because their independence wasn't recognized by their murderers. As I've done the last couple of years, I wore black this July 4th, in recognition of the wrongful deaths of MY PEOPLE!!! So, I can't in my consciousness wave "Old Glory" and say "yay red, white, and blue" because I'm not recognized or respected as a visionary, a viable or valuable member of these so-called United States. This hurts me and hurts me deeply on so many levels. While I have had the opportunity to live out some amazing experiences that most could only dream of, including both my sons going to college, and me going to Africa for 2 weeks, I know that God put those opportunities in front of us, and I refused to not take advantage of them. I also wanted to show White America that yes, don't lump all of Black Americans into one bucket, because we aren’t a monolith, just like all people shouldn't be lumped into one bucket. Unfortunately, the life of a Black Man has never been that simple. So, inevitably when white men witness the rise of black men, ways to knock us down rise as well. However, this year more than any other time in my life, I will be in deep prayer for the freedom of US!!! Praying that those who aren't of our hues, RECOGNIZE and RESPECT the wrongs of their ancestors, and of themselves. Understand that we African Americans DESERVE to enjoy FREEDOM as it is written in the Constitution. That we want to be recognized and respected for the remarkable contributions we have made, and the uniqueness that we bring to the table. And we should be able to sit at said table, and ultimately enjoy the uniqueness and similarities of all that we are together. So, until that happens, I will be shunning the red, white, and blue, and all the gala that goes with July 4th, because we are not truly Independent, because we are not truly free!!!!
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