Business strategists help HBCU students plan for a better future

By Ayesha Hana Shaji Texas Metro News Team

They teach the wealthy to be financially free, but who is there to teach the other end of the socioeconomic ladder, asked Marlon Dates, regional leader at Primerica, speaking to Paul Quinn College students at the Stand Out! The Live Tour business workshop for entrepreneurs, presented by Time to Heal America on Tuesday on the HBCU campus.

The event aimed to teach students about business strategies and the basics of event planning.

But one of the greatest events that one can ever plan on, is life, said Brendalyn Jackson, founder and CEO of Time to Heal America.

Jackson said she wants to use common event-planning techniques to help students use in their everyday life. A few topics she covered were time management, budgeting, stress-free timeline, self-branding and promotion.

“Taking care of yourself and living life is a full-time job,” she said. “[If] you don't plan, it comes and it hurts you eventually.”

Not everyone might be wanting to be an event planner, Jackson said. But the one thing she said that she would like for the students to take away would be how to plan better for their future.

Health and Wellness Freshman Semiyaes Gatlin said events like these are important to stu- ance to students and who lets professors teach while also encouraging them to become involved in the growth and development of the entire institution as well as themselves; instead of being content with taking home a paycheck.

I need a president who values alumni so much that they reach out more than just to ask for money and they hire staff and administrators who truly value the school, students and the campus.

My president has to be someone who has some juice, who is impressive and has street cred. I need them to be a leader in their field; someone who can pick up the phone and make things happen for their constituents (their students and faculty).

Am I asking for too much?

Well, that brings me to my truth.

I met Dr. Anthony before she became acting president of Jackson State University. She immediately impressed me because she is genuine and so dynamic. She was heading the Journalism and Media Studies Department and she was taking care of business with high expectations for her students and staff.

We talked at length as we sat in the press box in Miami, watching Jackson State hand my alma mater, Florida A&M University, the largest defeat in my lifetime.

I still keep telling myself, “it was all a dream!”

But I digress.

I enjoy the CW show, “All American: Homecoming.” The writing is honest, com- dents as they provide a free space for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to discuss finances and ask questions to professionals.

“My real life is starting to start, so I am just starting to pay bills and manage money and I was never really taught the correct way to do it,” he said. “So now I'm kind of seeking help on how to do it, or how to manage it.”

Dates introduced the 17 to 21-year-old student audience to the basics of managing finances through financial investments, pelling and thought-provoking. The characters are real and so are the situations they find themselves confronting, which are similar to those at JSU. debt management and income protection.

And yes, just like at Jackson State University, the president is a Black woman!

Now this week, I understand that there are listening tours going on in Jackson, MS and soon there will be a decision about Dr. Anthony’s future.

While JSU has been challenged in their selection process in the past, a vote of confidence for Dr. Anthony would be one of the best decisions for the future of this great HBCU.

She is compassionate, righteous, temperate, courteous, dedicated, pure, honest, friendly and loyal. She is smart, loving, meticulous, focused and strategic.

It was a pleasure to see her on JSU’s campus during the National Association of Black Journalists’ Region III Conference.

Dr. Anthony’s interaction with students, faculty, alumni, and all employees and guests was interesting to witness. The level of respect was heartwarming and should be a case study for college president boot camps.

And this woman has credentials, which are important, but equally important with the degrees are her life skills and ethical standards.

The selection committee shouldn’t waste any time on this choice. They should act and then move out of the way and let her get about the business of JSU.

“Wealthy [people] are taught to invest. Middle class and below are taught to save,” Dates said.

While debunking the common myths about financial freedom, Dates also made sure to start from the bare basics of differentiating between the different kinds of bank accounts and explaining interest rates.

Many from the Black community don’t get this type of advice or resources, Gatlin said. A lot of the advice comes from the trial

Now in case you’re wondering: Elayne Hayes-Anthony is an alumnus of JSU, graduating with her B.S. Degree and then later received her PhD degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Her impressive portfolio includes being the first African American female anchor, producer and reporter for WJTV-TV12, the CBS affiliate in Jackson, MS.

Here’s a snippet of her bio: She has served as Head of the Department of Mass Communication. Under her leadership the department received national accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). Because of her visionary leadership, she expanded the sequence offerings to include public relations and advertising.

She has served as Assistant Superintendent of Public Information and Staff Development for the Jackson Public School District and spokesperson for the Board of Trustees; an educational consultant and founding head of the Department of Communication for Belhaven University where she was also a tenured full Professor.

Currently a tenured full professor at Jackson State University, Dr. Anthony has served on over 15 accreditation teams for ACEJMC and has served as a consultant for the Florida and Louisiana Board of Regents on Journalism Education.

She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; the Jackson Association of Black Journalists; was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour and Governor Phil Bryant to the and error lived, or observed experiences of family members and peers.

“So I think it's great for us because now we have another perspective and this perspective is a little more beneficial… and it's professional,” he said. “It shows us that people actually care about us, you know, and people want to reach out to us and help us succeed.”

Jackson said her goal over the next two years is to tour HBCUs around the nation and teach students the basics of entrepreneurship. She will also give out $100,000 in scholarships.

Business Therapist Brandon Powell from The Business Therapy Firm also spoke at

State Department of Health where she also serves on the Audit, CON and Communication committees; and was also on the education task force for the state of Mississippi.

A member of the advisory board for I Heart Radio; former member of the Randolph Hearst national scholarship committee and a former member of the Board of Visitors for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Dr. Anthony is the first African American to serve on the Board of the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters MAB where she serves as Vice President. She will assume the Presidency in the fall; making this wife, mother and grandmother the first African American, female and educator to hold that statewide position.

A word to the wise: Don’t ACT like you don’t know. Vote Dr. Elayne Anthony in as PRESIDENT and let the evolution begin.

And PLEASE, keep the negativity to yourself and SUPPORT!