R aleigh, Nort h C aro l i n a (9 19 ) 964-4113 www. t hebossmagazi n e.n et Happy New Year from The Boss Maga zine. The Boss Magazine is a men’s editorial that shines a light on men in business, ministry or simply making a difference in the com munity. This magazine will be a platform for men building empires and succesful businesses. Thank you for visiting our magazine. Be sure to share it with your friends, family and co-workers. Martin Dawkins
For General Ad verti si ng I nq ui r i e s Pl ease emai l or c al l us at : ubossm agazi ne@ gm ai l . c om (91 9) 964-4113 Disclaimer: The Boss Magazine is published bi-monthly. No reproduction of any part of this publication without written permission from the publisher prior to doing so. The Boss Magazine does not accept responsibility for statements made by individuals featured or advertisers. Comments concerning this publication should be submitted to the editor by email at ubossmagazine@ gmail.com The Boss Magazine’s publisher, staff and other persons involved in the creation, production or delivery of the magazine (in whatever format) or it’s content, do not assum e any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information provided in the maga zine, nor shall they be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, conse quential or punitive damages arising out of the magazine.
www.thebossmagazine.net
D r . E ve a n g e l S a vag e R e s e a r c h e r , A ngel Investor, F a c i l i t a t o r , & S o cial Enterprise St r ate g is t Aud a c it y Gr o u p S o cia l En t er prise w w w . a u d a cit yg r o upso ci al e n t e r p r is e . c o m
P r i so n pi pe l i n e to th e Boa r d r o o m … P r o b l e m a t i c i s s u es like that of o f f e n d e r r e e n t r y have been at t h e f o r e f r o n t o f the American age nd a f o r de c ad es. In the p a s t , i n t e r v e n t i on programs h a v e b e e n b a s e d on the beliefs o f p o lic y m a ke r s w it h t h e a t t i t u d i na l b e lie f s o f o ffen d er s un k n o w n . W h a t c h allenges does an of f e n de r f a ce upo n r een t r y ? E x - o f f e n d e r s are expected t o b e p r o d u c t i v e citizens with t h e g o a l o f a v o i dance through i nt e r ve n t io n p r o g r a ms. H o w eve r , a t t h e e n d o f the day there a r e f e w w h o w i l l achieve above s u b s t a n d a r d e m ployment. We t u r n o u r r e s e a r ch lens to Mr.
Jer ma ine McN ai r, an amazi ng fa ther, community activist, outreach specia list and nonprofit leader to unders tand his journey blazing the trail from the prison pipeline to the boardroom. Mr . Jermai ne McN ai r, i ns pi res the co mmuni ty dai l y through hi s s tory and understanding of addressing the community needs. Mr. McNair h a s o vercome mul ti pl e fel ony convictions and federal incarceration t o fin d purpos e, pas s i on, and professio nal s ucces s . “I am the prod uct o f v i ol ence, s treet cri me, hus tling and everything that embodies our troubled neighborhoods. The environment trained us to survive. I approach my professional life knowing that no matter how far I h a ve t o wal k al one, I was trai ned t o sur v i v e” s ays , Mr. McN ai r. A lthough the cultures are different, the leaders that come out of those cultures are tempered for the test t h ey w i l l endure. Today, he is a College Outreach S pecial i s t for Pi tt Communi ty Col-
lege, “Commu n i t y ” Column Wri ter for Substan ti al M aga zine, Mayor’s ap p o i n t e e t o t h e Greenville Polic e C o m m u n i t y Rel ati ons Committe e an d C o mmunity Organize r & F o u n d i n g Di rector of “The C o mm u n i ty & Industry Value Interactionist League” better k n o w n a s N C Civil. McN ai r unders tan ds th e n o rmal pitfalls of u r b a n i n n e r - c i t y neighborhoods and realizes the chal l enges y o u w i l l f ac e striving to get o u t a s w e l l . H e i s dedi cated to i mpl e m e n ti n g pathways for you t h s u r v i v a l . H e l acked the appro pri ate gu i dance to steer hi m i n t h e r i g h t di recti on. In retro spe c t, i n th e midst of chaos, he w a s t a u g h t b y thos e before hi m an d h e k n e w nothing greater. T h e s t r a n g e r s pos s es s ed what h e de si re d, a s ys tem he di d no t w an t to be repeated for the n e x t ge n e rati on of youth. W h e n y o u are making improve m e n t s i n y o u r l i fe, you are able to mak e i m -
06
www.thebossmagazine.net prove me n t s in t h e lives o f o t h er s. As h e b e g a n t o s t u d y and grow in business he learned that the more you invest in a society a r o u n d y o u , the m o r e y o u b e n e f i t from that society. Jermaine has a sophisticated knowledge about i n v e s t m e n t in the i d e a t h a t g r o ws h im men t a lly, so cia lly and fi nanci al l y. N C Ci v i l works to s erv e at-ri s k n e i gh bo r hoo d s , o r g a n i z i n g c ommunity projects, programs and events to strengthen the social tie s b e t w e e n mino r i t y a n d t h e m a j ority culture. He takes a unique approach with his business model that m i n e s t h e com m u n i t y f o r t h e u nique value that is there. His entrepreneurial visionary gift propelled h i m t o c a n look a t t h e c o m m u n i ty around him and add value. A normal day for Mr. McNair a laborio u s p r o c e s s of p l a n n i n g , o r g a n i z i ng, meetings, and networking with his constituency when he is not shar i n g s p e c i a l mom e nts w it h h is b e a ut iful d a ug h t er , Ja n t r el McN ai r. He s e r v e s a t a n in s t it u t io n a l level o n pla t fo r ms that create the s ys temati c outputs di s s emi nate d th ro u gh out o u r c o m m u n i t y . The more children are able to see people they can identify with in these i m p o r t a n t role s , t h e g r e a t e r t h eir desire to serve in these capacities. As he serves at the table, he is s e r v i n g t h e you t h w h o n e e d t h a t direct and indirect support--the hallmark of his service. His program c e l e b r a t e s you t h b y a s s u r i n g t h eir inclusion from a culturally responsive perspective. M cNai r w a lke d o u t o f pr iso n a n d beca me a rol e pl ayer and remai ned s teadfas t to the pro c e ss o f i mprove me n t . “I u n d e r st o o d t h a t t h er e is a g r eater s ys tem of return on i nv es tment and i t wi l l n e ve r f ai l you a s l o n g a s y o u s erve�, says McNair.
07
www.thebossmagazine.net
Black Like He
by : S a m M a r o n ie
My parents kept a secret from me for almost 60 years. They kept what was, in their minds, a terrible secret so bad that they thought could hurt me and my siblings for life. I was raised in a small Midwestern town, the son of parents both of whose own mother and father were immigrants from Sicily. For a while we lived in the ‘ghetto’ of our town, until my folks’ lot improved enough to allow us to move, literally, on the right side of the tracks into white middle-class suburbia. It was a neighborhood right from ‘Leave it to Beaver,’ There were no Black folk in my town, and only a small community in the surrounding area. The ones who resided there were poor, good people who lived in a segregated area. They were the old-school men and women who ‘knew their place’ and wouldn’t dare cause any trouble. As I entered my fifties, my father had already passed away, and my mother was suffering the ravages of Alzheimer’s and not long for this world. As normal with this cruel disease, she could remember the past perfectly, but not able to tell me what she had for lunch. I brought a box of vintage photographs to her one day, and sat on her bed as we looked through them. Her accuracy was incredible about days gone by. She fingered a portrait photo of
her teen-aged self, and could remem- prize. Certainly if it was true, there was ber the colors of a blouse she wore with no shame. Today you find mixed-race individuals in all parts of society. It’s accuracy. a common thing now, and society After a while she grew quiet for a few stamps them with no stigma. minutes, and seemed to withdraw. Had I lost her? It had happened so many And that’s the fact that stopped me times in the past---we would be on a cold. That was why they kept it a sesubject and then suddenly she would cret. My parents grew up as children be disengaged and not with me any of immigrant parents. Back in those longer. Suddenly, she spoke quietly: Depression times, they used to tell us of “You know, you kids have some Black facing the wrath of their peers, being blood in you.” I was frustrated and chased home from school by bullies angry at what I thought was the Al- who yelled “Wop!” and threw rocks at zheimer’s affecting her thought process them. They were generally treated by again. Where did this fantastic state- society as low-life “Dagos,” who did not deserve all the breaks that society ment come from? gave to their white counterparts. “Oh, Mom….” I said, with a forced smile. They also lived in a world of movies “Now, I think you’re wrong there.” “It and books like ‘Pinky,’ and ‘Imitais!” she said, with emphasis. “Grandpa tion of Life,’ where the merest drop of Dan’s (my dad’s father) first wife was Black blood in you would damn you a Black woman he married in Sicily. for life. In fact, Sicilians are derided We just never told you before because even by citizens of Italy as mongrels. your father and I didn’t want people to They are even referred to as ‘Black’ in hurt you.” “All right, mom,” I replied in many cultures. appeasement. I knew that when she made statements like that it was fruitless This new-found knowledge also exto correct her. I only mumbled some- plained many things about my family thing to the effect that it was sure news life growing up. Dad was never one to to me, and I thanked her for telling me. show his emotions, as was the norm for people of his generation—especially On the way home that day, I couldn’t men. But he always championed the stop thinking about what she said. Did it cause of the underdog and would come from her dementia, or was it ac- not tolerate any bad words about tual fact? I knew little about my dad’s Black folk---or derogatory talk about mother. She had been long gone be- any other nationality. He worked in a fore I came into the world. I only knew back-breaking industrial job alongside his second wife, and she was sure no many laboring, hard-working men of
08
www.thebossmagazine.net color. They shared the common goal of trying to provide for their families and give their children a better life. More than once I heard him talk highly about some of his Black co-workers and refer to this one or that one as “…a fine man!” You must remember, this was the late 1950s where Blacks and whites seldom paid each other such compliments. If you did, you were labeled with a variety of vile names. I put the conversation with my mother out of my mind for the time being. Maybe it could be true--and maybe it couldn’t. Either way, it caused me absolutely no concern. It was merely a possible interesting footnote in my heritage. A few months later, and mom was gone. In picking up the pieces of her life and sorting through family papers, I found that what she told me was true. There it was, plain as day on my father’s birth records. Black. Did it profoundly change my life? Well, no, not really. It just changed how I perceived other people around me. I ‘pass’ for white (whatever that means any more) in the world at large. Yet people I have talked to about my heritage often surprise me by saying things like: “I always thought you might have some African blood in you.” “You do have some Black features.” I look at pictures of myself and, depending on the lighting and the angle, I can sometimes see what they are talking about. I am most amused that when I do something like attend a Black social event or visit a predominately African-American club, I am often looked at with surprise and curiosity. I can almost see the gears in peoples’ heads turning while they look and wonder what to make of me. There have even been times when (usually drunken) attendees will get in my face and ask me “What are you doing here? Don’t you know where you are?” or just sit and give me a withering look of contempt from across the room. It used to hurt my feelings tremendously, but not as much anymore. I’ve learned from experience to just accept peoples’ short-sighted disdain and prejudice against me. I’m used to being judged by those who really don’t know all the facts. I guess that’s exactly what my parents were trying to protect me from. ### Sam Maronie is an author, speaker, historian and pop-culture expert. His book, ‘Tripping Through Pop-Culture,’ is available from Amazon.
09
www.thebossmagazine.net
10
www.thebossmagazine.net
11
D r e a m s Do C o m e Tr u e with
M ilt o n W a lla ce
www.thebossmagazine.net Having the opportunity to talk with Mr. Milton Wallace you will quickly come to find out that he is a man on a mission. He is a travel agent and television executive in Chandler Texas making travel dreams come true. Milton is the owner of Dreams Come True Travel where he does just that. For eight years now he has provided travel opportunities to the perfect vacation get-a-ways for his clients at a very reasonable price that any family can afford. Creating a plan and seeing it all come together while providing opportunities for everyone involved has been his greatest motivation. Milton states that some of his greatest accomplishments have been being an entrepreneur owning Dreams Come True Travel and Co-owner of All Nation TV, being the 2010 Vice President of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce leading to Chamber President in 2011 and Trustee Chairman of Macedonia Baptist Church in Chandler Texas. Milton considers himself a work-a-holic but in his spare time he enjoys bowling. His inspiration and driving force comes from his strong belief in God, “God is the head of my life…seeing a plan come together and people happy because they are being blessed is my inspiration”. When asked what advice would you give to a young man just starting out or have a desire to go in business but has no idea what to do with his hopes and dreams he stated, “Talk to someone in that business and find out as much as you can about the good and bad of the business. Take time to shadow someone in the business (3 or more weeks) so that he can see the true untold story of that business”. Listening as he speaks you can feel the passion he has for travel, “I love traveling and I love to help others travel”. Milton takes pride in assisting others with their travel plans and his heart is so big he doesn’t even charge them for browsing and presenting options for their perfect vacation. Milton’s specialty is cruises, most of all group cruises and International travel is also one that he enjoys. If you are looking for a great travel experience, please contact Milton Wallace via phone 940-368-4886 or email miltonwallace@sbcglobal.net
13
www.thebossmagazine.net
T he Hel p U p
By: Ta m i k a Y . Mo r ris
Our young black men of today feel like they may have it hard, not realizing how much worse it could be. Try being a young black man with autism. Corei, a 20yearold young man from Raleigh, NC, lives with this every day. There are many programs for children with disabilities when they are under 13 years of age, however, when they reach the teen years, programs and support become less abundant. Once they become an adult with a disability, there is almost no support for the family. There are many levels of Autism. The higher functioning you are, the better chance you have of making it in the mainstream world. The lower functioning you are, the more programs you may have, but then there are people, like Corei, who fall right in the middle. When you fall right in the middle of the spectrum you are able to function on your own, but may need help to make the best choices and you can do a job, but will need some help getting started Corei is a great example of life in the middle. A day in the life of Corei is as follows, and for the most part he does all things on his own: he wakes up, gets himself dressed with the clothes that he picked out the night before, make his breakfast and goes to school. He comes home, takes a walk to get the mail, does his chores (like taking out the garbage), then it is fun time for him. He loves to be on the computer and watch TV shows all at the same time, until his own time that
he has chosen for dinner, in which he gets up a makes himself a frozen meal, if no one is cooking in the house. Most of the other activities are done in school, because of his disabled grandmother and mother working all the time. When he gets the chance, in school, he loves to play basketball and do many other activities, but because of the budget, those activities are slowly going away. Since Corei lives with his single working mother his extracurricular activities and support that she would like to give him are just out of reach. Now the fear that most parents of children with special needs have is becoming a reality, because in less than two years Corei will age out of school leaving his mother questioning what is going to happen to him. When will he ever be able to do activities and get the support he needs? Inspired by Corei, The Help Up Foundation is in its beginning stages.
who is full of life, but is nonverbal, meaning he is unable to fully communicate how he feels. The Help up Foundation will provide a place for Dauwin and Corei to go to get the support they need to live a full productive life. The Help Up is starting small, but the plans will grow as they do. One of their future goals will be to open a work site for teens and up to work that have a disability. The location will have the built-in support that they will need to do the jobs that we can secure. The ideas are endless. The first step is starting the process, and to help them get the support they need, they have come up with a great way for others to help. Starting January, 1st 2016 you will be able to preorder your charity t-shirts. All the designs are done by children with special needs. You can order yours at www.thehelpupfoundation.org
One of the foundation’s main focuses will be to get funding to open a continuing education program called “Unique Learning� in the fall of 2017, beginning with a small program in the summer of 2016. The program will be for young people with disabilities, starting at the age of 13, like Dauwin from Raleigh NC,
15
P ro m o t i o n a l S t y l e b y G w a s c r eated by myself , Gaylean P. Sa n d e rs in M a r c h 2 0 1 2 . I initially star ted pr omoting m o d e l s a t t h a t t i m e w i t h my f ir st gr oup of models kno wn a s T h e Te a m o f Te a m s . In J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 , I f o r m e d m y second modeling team kno wn a s t h e P. S . B . G 8 S t a r Models along with our T hic k a n d B e a u t i f u l Wo m e n g roup found on Facebook. The p u r p o s e o f t h e T h i c k a n d Beautiful Women is to hel p i n t h e f i g h t a g a i n s t i n secur ities and low self este e m a g a i n s t w o m e n . I t s h o uld not matter how tall, sho rt , p e t i t e , t h i c k , a n d c u r v y or even if you have a cou p l e o f r o l l s , a s l o n g a s y o u are health minded. You wa n t t o l i v e w i t h o u t h i g h b l o od pressure, diabetes, or oth e r i s s u e s t h a t w i l l s h o r t y our life span. If you are too s m a l l y o u c a n a l s o h a v e health issues. So being hea l t h m i n d e d i s v e r y i m p o r t a n t. T he F ashion industr y has b e e n g e tt i n g i t t w i s t e d f o r year s. I t should not matter y o u r s i z e o r h e i g h t . A W OMAN I S A WOMAN. If you a r e g o i n g t o f a s h i o n c l o t hing on the runway, you sho u l d a p p e a l t o t h e a v e r a g e size, every day woman. It i s t i m e t o h e l p m a k e s o m e changes in the fashion ind u s t r y. T h i c k a n d B e a u t i f u l Women along with the P.S . B . G 8 Sta r M o d e l s w o u l d like to help change that. Thi s g r o u p h e l p s i n t h e u p l i f ting, empowerment, and enc o u r a g i n g o f a l l w o m e n . O u r Lord and Savior is the CE O o f m y b u s i n e s s . H e h a s j u st given me the authority to r u n i t a n d h e l p b r i n g t h e a war eness to the wor ld. O u r s l o g a n i s, “ B E H A P P Y I N THE SKIN THAT YOU’RE I N”