Just Me Magazine by Just Me Magazine

JANUARY 2017 FREE

JUST ME MAGAZINE You don't have to be a celebrity to be a star!

Star of the Month David Gibson

B-Side Settling for the Symbolic Journey To Wholness New Year, New You Find The Way I Am Mindfulness Meditation

Coming Next Month Elegant Behavior He Said/She Said

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FROM THE EDITOR An old " friend " gave me a call this month...he wanted to reconnect and take me out. At first I thought it would be fine, until he kept talking and belittling what I am trying to accomplish. If you want to know what success looks like. Stand in a mirror and look at you. It starts with you and only you. If someone comes along and not supporting what you are doing. Believe me. It ' s best to leave him or her right where they stand. You will have enough to go through without someone making each step harder. LOVE you and you will LOVE what you doing! This is my 2nd print! ALICE Y. BOSWELL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SETTLING FOR THE SYMBOLIC

Journey to Wholeness

2017 THE YEAR OF TRANSFORMATION Star of the Month

DAVID GIBSON, MOTIVATOR

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B-SIDE

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CONTENTS

Settling for the Symbolic Bernard Creamer, Jr.

I remember in 2008 exactly how I felt watching the election results and watching Obama take the helm as the Commander in Chief of the United States. Even as an Afro-centered teacher of History, Political Science, Sociology, Financial, and Media Literacy, I got caught up in what the moment represented. I’ve always known that it doesn’t make much of a difference who the POTUS is, as America’s foreign and domestic policies tend not to change, and I teach this to my students. In general, America’s foreign policies are anchored in Manifest Destiny/Imperialism, and it’s domestic policies are firmly entrenched in exploiting the poor and people of color for profits. All foreign and domestic policies are children of America’s economic system, capitalism. Profits over people. The evil deeds required to bolster capitalism are generally carried out through America’s powerful media and it’s political system which provide Americans with the illusion of inclusion; we get to vote, so we therefore believe that it is us, the people, who elect our leaders. Nothing is further from the truth. Corporations, banking interests, and lobbyists select this country’s Presidents. We reside in a “corporatacracy”, not a democracy. Even firmly rooted in what I’ve long known about American politics and it’s elections, I still got caught up.

I bought the narrative of the bi-racial kid who came here and met the Chi-town sister of his dreams, who was by most accounts, already “first lady material”. I bought the background that included Obama being a community advocate and a liberal teacher of law at the very conservative University of Chicago. Mostly, I got caught up in the historical relevance, the first Black POTUS, a POTUS for us, the long awaited savior of Africans in America. I attended the inauguration on that cold, blustery day with some friends, moistened eyes, and that warm feeling of euphoria as we stood out among the throngs of thousands to greet the new Oval Office resident. Cautious Optimism. Again, as an Afro-centered teacher, I KNEW that this was all a show, but it was a great show, and as a human being, like most, I would rather be optimistic and HOPED that all I had come to know would be proven wrong under President Obama. I gambled against what I’d taught hundreds of Black students, that our freedom will not come through American politics or elected leaders. I’ll never second guess mySELF again in that arena. 2008 was the last year I voted for a POTUS, and it will probably be the last. symbolism (noun) – the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In 1964, we got the Civil Rights Act, a federal law that outlawed discrimination, a law that ushered in integration. In addition to losing our autonomy and self-sufficiency, we lost many an esteemed and honorable ancestor, fighting for the right to be treated as equal human beings here. Marches, dogs, high-powered hoses, beatings, and assassinations. The Civil Rights Movement was largely led and funded by others, European so-called liberals and Jews. The leading organization within the Civil Rights Movement was the NAACP, an organization founded, funded, and led by others, European so-called liberals and Jews. We invested a lot of blood, sweat, energy, and emotion into the Civil Rights Movement and the passing of that law in 1964. It has proven to be nothing short of symbolic. It represented the idea of freedom. Freedom to live, shop, work, and socialize among Whites. However, with it being symbolic in nature, that law never afforded us freedom to be treated as equal human beings. We bought the illusions though. An exceptional few as representative of the struggling whole, well-compensated athletes and entertainers, Black judges and politicians, Black CEOs, and Blacks being allowed to consume crazily, but not owning a single neighborhood in the U.S.A., not a single neighborhood in 50 states. Ownership is evidenced by owning and controlling the majority of the banks and major stores in our own communities, ownership of the police and politicians, ownership of schools and how our children are educated, and the right not to be re-gentrified every 3 or 4 decades. But the illusion feels good. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 The year after the Civil Rights Act went into effect, we got the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which basically gave teeth to the 15th Amendment (Black Suffrage). It cleared the way for Africans in America to vote unimpeded. There have always and will always be built-in voting irregularities when it comes to suffrage for poor people and people of color. Most call it rigging, I simply call it part of the game, a default. We hear about them from time to time, but nothing is ever done to alleviate them. Anyway, Black people have been voting for alderman, for mayors, for governors, for senators, for representatives, for judges, and for Presidents since even before 1965, yet the status quo in this country has not shifted one iota. Somehow the rich have managed to become richer, and if you can believe it, the poor are actually becoming poorer, as we’ve witnessed, watching that “Black middle-class” evaporate over the last few years. We voted for the greatest “hope merchant” to date. “Yes We Can!” But we didn’t. The last 8 years have proven to be a very psychologically impactful time for Africans in America. Our emotions ruled for the last 8 years as pretty pictures replaced potent policies as priorities. We pardoned the killing of Gaddafi and the drone bombings all over the Middle East and Africa. We pardoned the privatization of education, prisons, and many other public sectors, as unions were dissolved while political cronies got paid. We pardoned the bank and big business bailouts while millions watched their homes and jobs disappear. We pardoned trade agreements that saw jobs deported and GMOs and other toxic, dangerous foods and goods imported. We pardoned the padding of the Patriot Act which saw privacy and whistle-blowing become relics. We pardoned the obvious crooked alliances which saw a member of the Zionist lobby become the diminutive, heavy-handed mayor of the country’s Midwest hub, Chicago, campaigned for and supported by the POTUS. Most ominously, we pardoned the President as he stood impotently by while Black people continued to be literally lynched by law enforcement and those under the guise of. Crooked killer cops walked away with impunity, while the justifiably livid youth were labeled by the President as “criminals and thugs”. Not the bullying, state-

sanctioned police who kill unarmed children, but the angry protesters, who I’m certain were just expecting more from the Black President of the U.S. We got less. We pardoned much that we held other POTUS’s fully responsible for, because we thought he was us, emotions overflowing. We’re so protective. “Obamanites” tend to dismiss his politics and claim that these things weren’t problems a Black president could fix for Black people, but they give him credit for a universal health plan without reading its pages, and love for reduced gas prices, which no President has control of, with the U.S. being an extreme minority producer of the fuel we consume. Our emotions get in the way. Obamanites also tend to dismiss the fact that he used his pen to sign bills into laws protecting gays and the very police officers killing Black people, but nothing in that federal cookie jar for Black people. “Little Black boy and girl, you can be President too.” It’s time to STOP telling our young Black men and women this. It’s time to stop using achievement of the Oval Office as the optimal standard to attain, that carrot to be captured. Since the building of the seat of this nation, the White House, by our enslaved ancestry in 1792, that domicile has represented nothing but the inhumane for Africans. Its represented policies that saw African nations on the continent colonized and “neo-colonized”. Its represented education policies that continue to see our children languishing in last with no identities. Its represented social and political policies that continue to see our communities suffer. Its represented economic policies that have seen us garner less than 1% of the wealth of this nation, no real wealth beyond what we can wear or drive. Its represented the assassinations of Black leaders here and abroad and the total eradication of Black organizations who simply sought to advocate for us. Its represented drug and crime policies that have seen profound disparities in the numbers of Black men and women who are disproportionately in cages and disenfranchised. Its advocated for legions of lobbyists with toxic interests. Its represented the impotent, disinterested body of government that has stood idly by as Black people are erased from existence. Its been that key body that’s made certain the last place trophy is reserved for the continuously enslaved. Nope, the White House never ended slavery, it simply rendered it more palatable to the population, easier to swallow. Same dire effects though. No freedom, and it’s even more dangerous cousin, the illusory version. We tell our kids they can and should be President because we don’t know any better, because this is part of our indoctrination here, the embracing of systems that have never served us, love for positions and politics that have only served to oppress us. Head slave is STILL a position to be coveted. Your son or daughter can be the next African in America to oversee that foot pressed firmly down upon our backs if they play their cards right. This is the epitome of blind patriotism. Extreme and profound loyalty to a country that has NEVER been loyal to us. Once the dust that is our rabid emotionalism settles, the facts will still be there. It’s time to stop telling our children to achieve academically so they can become the “head negro in charge”. We gave it 2 terms, 8 years. We so badly need leaders of us in our own communities. We so badly need advocates for us from among us. We so badly need leaders who understand the importance of group economics. We so badly need business and bank owners who look like us, provide for, and do for us. We need Black leaders who are unafraid and unashamed to help build for us here and to help bridge the gap with Africans on the continent and around the world. We need leaders who understand that knowledge of our history and ancestry is the key to moving forward. We need leaders who truly understand the depth of their innate gifts and talents and choose to lend these attributes to their own in a manner that edifies the collective. Where’s OUR leader? It’s funny, I often hear apologists assert that “Obama isn’t the President of Black People”. So I ask, beyond the obvious symbolism, what good is he to us then? Why send your brilliant son or daughter to an office where they are unable to help their own people? Oftentimes, these questions answer themselves. Oftentimes, that symbolic is toxic.

New Year, New You 2017 The Year of Transformation This is your year; your moment in time to define who YOUare, what YOU want to create and how you truly want to experience YOUR life. It’s all about YOU! As we leave 2016 behind, we honor the year for awakening us to the need for change. The tumultuous year required us all to question our sense of security, stability and perceived comfort. We watched the political madness of our presidential election in disbelief. We were bombarded by the heartbreaking news of so many loved ones both celebrity and family that transitioned. Emotions for the most part of the year were on overload. However, pain, discomfort, and discontentment are the greatest catalyst for powerful change. It is time for our communities, nation and planet to evolve. Collective evolution begins with YOU! Take inventory of what you have created – family, friends, children, home, career, job, health, community etc. Are you pleased? Are there aspects of your life that you would like to recreate or change? Now is the time and YOU have the power. Embrace 2017 as a year of Transformation. Empower yourself with the necessary tools to make the life changes you need to live your best authentic life - one filled with love, confidence, peace, creativity and void of fear. Below is a checklist of 10 activities that will guide you on your transformational journey of creating a New You in 2017: *Set 3 Attainable Intentions (major goals for the year) *Keep these intentions in a journal and review them daily before going to bed *Maintain a gratitude journal *Incorporate meditation, mindfulness and/or a stillness regimen into your life *Incorporate a daily Yoga practice and/or a Physical Fitness regimen into your life *Increase intake of fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet *Read one book per month *Travel *Learn, understand and balance your Chakras *Make Conscious Choices (based in love, not fear) The Journey to Wholeness Center is offering New Year, New You workshops during the month of January that feature all the tools and techniques that you will need to get started.

Check out our website, www.journeytowholeness.org or contact us at 708.634.3664 to reserve your spot now. Classes will fill fast. Saturday January 7- 2017 SETTING SMART GOALS: 11:00am -12:30pm Saturday January 7 - WHAT IS THE ALKAINE DIET: 2:00pm to 4:00pm Sunday January 8 & January 22– FREE GUIDED MEDITATION: 12:00pm to 12:45pm. Sunday January 8, 15, 22 – ENERGY 101: THE CHAKRAS: 1:00pm to 2:30pm. Sunday January 8, 15, 22, 29 – RITUALS FOR ABUNDANCE & PROSPERITY: 3:00pm to 4:30pm. Friday January 13- DRUM CIRCLE: 6:00pm to 7:30pm Saturday January 14 -HIP-HOP YOGA: 11:00am to 12:30pm Saturday January 14 – EMOTIONAL EATING: 1:00pm to 2:30pm. Saturday January 14 - AUDIOPHARMACOLOGY® GONG & SOUND MEDITATION: 3:30pm to 5:00pm Sunday January 15 – February 5 - BEGINNERS YOGA WORKSHOP: 9:00am to 10:00am Saturday January 21 – DETOXIFY OR DIE: THE SECRET TO ANTI-AGING: 11:00am to 1:00pm Saturday January 21 – LAWS OF ATTRACTION: 2:00pm – 3:30pm Saturday January 28 – CREATE YOUR LIFE VISION-BOARD: 11:00am to 3:00pm Sunday January 29 – NEW YEAR, NEW YOU RESTORATIVE YOGA: 12:30pm to 2:00pm

Kimberly J. Davis is the Founder & Owner of the Journey to Wholeness Center, a holistic healing and wellness center located in Oak Lawn, IL.

David Gibson Motivator

One day I had this “crazy” idea to become a professional speaker who would empower others and inspire the ambitious to live their dreams. When I first had this idea come into my mind I instantly rejected it. I thought, “I’m not good enough!”, “I have never done it before.”, “You are not cut out for that!”…all types of negative assumptions began to run through my mind. On top of that, I had aspirations to encourage others to live their dreams and I was in a place in my life where I found it difficult to barely encourage myself. I had recently graduated from college and received my bachelors degree. Being the first to graduate from higher education in my family, I was debt free after paying for my tuition out of pocket. I was working full-time in sales and I was also an active competing boxer…but still, I knew that I wasn’t utilizing all of my gifts, leveraging my talents, and tapping into my full potential. Behind closed doors I was lacking confidence in myself but deep within I knew that there was greater in store for my life. …but, I was afraid to move forward. I was afraid of the unknown. I was intimidated by the uncertain. I wasted all of my focus on what could go wrong instead of investing my focus on what could go right.

Instagram: @d2gibson www.elevationisamust.com

There was a tug of war going on inside of me. I had this uncomfortable feeling of knowing that I wasn’t doing what I loved. I started to develop a desire for greater. This feeling was trying to pull me out of this “stuck” position in life. Then, I had this feeling of fear that was attempting to push me in this complacent position in life and force me to throw away my dreams. I knew that it was time for a change. I made a decision. I was unhappy with where I was at in life and I decided to build a life that was more fulfilling. I decided to break the rules of my limited thinking. I stopped trying to predict the future and instead started focusing all of my efforts on creating the future. Instead of believing in “I can’t”, I started believing that I can do anything that I set my mind on. More importantly, I made the decision that I was no longer going to waste any more of my life doing things that did not express my heart. What started as an idea began to shape into a dream, and every single day I strive to build this dream into a reality. I had no idea that some of the smallest steps in the right direction could end up being the biggest steps of my life. Now, I’ve committed my life to being the best person I can possibly become. I am on a never-ending search to become the greatest version of myself and I am aiming to inspire and empower others to do the same. I realize that fear, insecurities, and having a lack of belief are things that every human being deals with. I also realize that everyone has something great within them, so I’ve made it my personal mission in life to help others activate their greater potential and live their dreams. Just image a world where everyone is living their dreams… That is my vision and ever since the day I made the decision to pursue my dreams…I have never looked back! From my humble beginnings in Indianapolis, IN, I have started two businesses and influenced youth and adults on stages in schools, universities, and conferences…as well as inspired dreamers worldwide on a daily basis with my messages that empower them to live their dreams. I am an ordinary person with an extraordinary dream, and my dreams have influenced me to stay committed to being a better person. I’m here on this earth to serve and to help others realize their true potential…so as I’m catching and living my dreams, I am inspiring others to do the same.

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