FROM THE PUBLISHER PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rich Black EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Janet Pal VICE PRESIDENT Deidre “Dee” Parker MANAGING EDITOR D. Shenell Reed, M.B.A. SUBSCRIPTION MANAGEMENT Rose Love ASSOCIATE EDITORS Gayle Andrews Laura Dorsey Kristen Glanton Sharon Fletcher Jones Trina Ryan Nancy Port Schwalb
RICH BLACK MARCH/APRIL 2023 Dear Family, Welcome to the women’s empowerment issue of ONYX Magazine. March is Women’s History Month — an opportunity for us to recognize the significant impact women have on societies all over the world. From the board room to the living room, women continue to play important roles that bring strategic growth across the globe. To date, we have recognized 167 sheroes who are shattering glass ceilings in business, education, sports, health and more. This month, ONYX Magazine celebrates 24 additional women during ONYX Magazine’s Women on the Move, “Telling HERStory.” In this issue, we honor Trisha Bailey, Ph.D., M.B.A., as the Woman of the Year. Dr. Trish Bailey, a former University of Connecticut (UCONN) track athlete and reportedly one of the richest women in America and the richest woman in Jamaica, her native home. Black Enterprise has listed Bailey’s net worth as $650 million to $700 million. In her story, she shares how she is creating and passing down generational wealth. Our 2023 ONYX Magazine’s International Woman of the Year is Mercy Gilbert, a native of Zimbabwe, Africa, and a citizen of the United Kingdom, (UK). She’s considered to be the most influential Black women in London, England. President and CEO of Gilbert Media Group and Public Relations, Inc., Gilbert has worked to organize high-end and political events for her “A” list clients. She “crosses the pond” to share insights from the United Kingdom. All these women are awe-inspiring and their stories tell you why. Read about them in this issue. Also, are you looking for the next read for your book club? We give you some tips that could get the group talking. Another story tells us why African American history is important to keep in school curriculum around the nation — no matter who tries to take it away.
MAGAZINE DESIGN TEAM Design2Pro GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jon Burton BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Matt deJager CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Yolanda Baruch Catherine Day Patricia Brown Denis Salma Elakbawy Lakeisha Fleming Victoria Jackson Ebony Kenney Jaleesa Robinson Ellen Terrel Kevin Washington, Ph.D. Brittani Williams
NURTURE WARRIOR HEALERS RISE BY MWATA KAIRI (KEVIN WASHINGTON, PH.D.)
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Melissa Ortiz Remy M. Pugh
ONYX ADVISORY COMMITTEE Nancy Port Schwalb, Chair Deidre Parker, Immediate Past Chair
Dick Batchelor Bob Berryhill Dr. Lavon Bracy Bryon Brooks Sherri Brown Marva Brown Johnson Hon. Mable Butler Yolanda Cash Jackson
Dr. Cynthia Chestnut John Crossman Quibulah Graham Gary Hartfield Barbara Hartley Ann Jenkins Eugene Jones Connie Kinnard
Larry Lee, Jr. Brenda March Gail Thomas-DeWitt Hon. Alan Williams Carla Williams Dr. Samuel Wright
FOUNDERS
As you pore over these pages, we hope you glean inspiration from their words. As always, we are happy to bring you stories that entertain, inspire and inform. Thank you for following us. Sincerely
Rich Black
6 ONYX MAGAZINE
HONORING DIVINE FEMININITY:
Lester and Lillian Seays ONYX Magazine is published by ONYX Communications and Media Group, Inc., Address: P.O. Box 555672, Orlando, Florida 32855-5872. Phone 321-418-7216. Subscription rate is $19.95 for six issues. For subscriptions and notification of address change, contact ONYX Magazine at the above address or e-mail us at info@ onyxmagazine.com. Letters to the editor are encouraged. Copyright 2023 by ONYX Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the writer or interviewee and not necessarily those of the publisher. Manuscripts, photos and art should be submitted with a self-addressed stamped envelope. The publisher does not assume responsibility for any materials not submitted in manner advised. Unsolicited materials are not subject to payment from ONYX Magazine.
T
he full potential of a society is not realized until the women of that society are elevated and allowed to express their divine essence. This was common knowledge in ancient Kemet (Egypt). When examining the various iconography (statues, drawings, etc.) one will see that no aspect of that society moved without women. One has only to reference the headwear worn by Kings in the middle Kingdom. The Nebety Tawy (two ladies), a symbol of protection, was at the center of the head piece worn by Kings. The feminine energy was seen as a great source of protection. Also, there were sacred Queens such as Amanirenas, Nefetari and Tiye among others guided the society. Their divine insight Ancient Kemet represents a great society of high culture and great accomplishments. Women were essential of the ancient civilization’s elevation to such a position. Ancient Kemet, which is the home of the earliest universities such as Ipet Isut, is where one can see how women were revered as being sacred and divine. In the ancient schools one went to learn how to be more Divine. These ancient schools, which gave birth to the seven Liberating Arts (Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Astronomy, Arithmetic, Geometry, and Music), were seen on sacred places. The liberating arts existed because a student was to study them and become liber-
ated from the bondage of ignorance of one’s divinity. Women did not go to these schools because it was believed that women were divine. Men went to school learn what women already knew. Women have the capacity to allow life to gestate within their bodies, pass life through their bodies and then sustain that life with substance from their bodies. Women are seen as a God on earth in ancient Afrikan society. The Warrior women spirit has been alive in the U.S. in women such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. Dorothy Height, Mamie Till, Sabrina Fulton, Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks. These women have advanced and continue to advance the cause of Afrikan liberation. These spirits of these women address the inequities of a society. Like the Goddess Maat Of Kemet they seek to uphold righteousness in our society. It is the Divine feminine that allows a society to experience the best aspect of itself. The Western society has to relegate women to being the weaker sex, however societies that rise to their greatest potential always place a high value on the sacred woman. We need divine women now more than ever. Black women, ascend into the highest aspects of yourselves.
• Know your worth and value in the world. You are essential society being great. Make a commitment to honor yourself by developing yourself mentally, physically and spiritually daily. • Read content that elevates your mind, engage in exercise and eating rituals that fortify the body as well as meditate and pray daily. Yoga is a good activity to engage. • Pass on what you know about life and living to the others. Share insight and enlightenment that will elevate the spirit of others. • Fight for and defend the peace and sanctity of our community. If you are a parent, be active in your child’s Parent Teacher Association/Organization (PTA/PTO). Involve your children in music, dance and art classes. Make sure they know how to swim as well as communicate well with others. Inform them of the beauty and power that they divinely possess. • Be an example of sacred women daily. Be an active agent of change within your family and community. Live like you know you are sacred and divine. Never allow anyone to move you from your position of sacredness. Respect others. Honor all and be divine. Rise up, Warrior Healer. Your light is our Life. Kevin Washington, Ph.D., is the head of Sociology and Psychology at Grambling University in Grambling, La. ONYX MAGAZINE 7
