10 Be the Change
18 Reasons to Volunteer Your Time We know that volunteering a portion of our time is something we should do.But that is not the only reason to volunteer.
26 Health I
Solid Advice on How to Maintain a Healthy Memory Tips that will help you maintain healthy brain function and ensure that your memory remains intact for many years to come.
Departments
34 Higher Ground
Understanding Intense Emotions How To Manage Today's Heightened Levels Of Stress Today's world is changing at the most accelerated rates ever, and our bodies, minds, emotions and spirits are all being affected by these larger changes.
56 Change for a dollar
Benefits of Flipping Houses Aside from the obvious financial rewards that go along with real estate investing and flipping houses there are a few more abstract benefits that can be gained when you embark on a house flipping adventure
Health II
Laughter thath Heals
The great thing about the history of black America and the methods African American leadership has used to seek full equality and acceptance in this country is that there have been many roads to that goal.
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32
Young Professionals advocate and President of the NULYP, Brandi Richard introduces us to the National Urban League and the Executive Board team that has her back.
Features
Welcome to 28 the Movement
14 Social Media & Service
In an era where everything is [mobile and] readily accessible from our cell phone, tablet, Bluetooth & wifi connections ‌ where is the Innovation for our Community & People Services?
20 Good Impression
How to Use Eye Contact to Create a Good Impression Researchers have discovered that one of the most striking differences between people who are socially confident and those who are shy.
24 The Power of Like
How is it that so many of us excel at our careers, but fail miserably at personal relationship? Love is the greatest reward. The goal of everyone is to love someone unconditionally, and to be loved in return.
44 ULGNOYP Welcomes You
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans and their YP chapter look forward for exciting things to come, as they anticipate the 2012 YP summit and continue to empower the New Orleans community.
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Brandi currently serves as President of the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP), an auxiliary of the National Urban League. She previously served as Southern Region Vice President of NULYP, supporting 25 chapters across the Southern United States. Brandi is a civil servant, working over 7 years in the federal government and currently works as a Program Specialist for FEMA National Processing Service Center Communications at the Department of Homeland Security.
Kamilah Collins - @KamilahCollins
Kamilah's commitment to excellence and enthusiasm goes beyond her professional career. She is currently a member of the Potter’s House Dallas and their BrickHouse ministry. Kamilah also actively serves as National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP) Communications Chair. As Chair she is responsible for NULYP branding efforts and chapter connectivity. She firmly believes her life has been impacted by the National Urban League movement and is a reflection of their mission: Empowering Communities and Changing Lives.
Richard Martin Badger @RichardMBadger
Richard is passionate about family, community and politics. He is the manager of the Burleigh Street Community Development Corporation where he oversees the day-to-day operations of the organization. Richard has served the Urban League Young Professional Movement for over ten years in a variety of capacities. He was the President of the Milwaukee Chapter for three years. In his tenure, Richard rebuilt the branding of the chapter and was instrumental in the formation of three new corporate relationships.
Jonathan O. Sumter - @JSump25
Mr. Sumter is the proud father of a seventeen year old daughter. He is passionate about the importance of equality, the youth of greater New Orleans, and empowering the city he loves. He’s ardent about engaging young professionals through the ULGNOYP movement, and to encourage young professionals to network, develop, and the importance for us to be civically engaged in our community.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Johnson Cover Design by Deonne Moore Magazine Design by Arturo Diaz Olmos
Contributors
Brandi Richard - @BrandiRichard
Think Positive! would like to extend a very special thank you to this issue’s guest contributors. As Urban League ambassadors, these young black professionals are some of our country’s top rising leaders within the NULYP. TPM is honored to serve as a platform for creating more awareness around the movement as they continue to shine as examples for us to empower underserved communities.
Think Positive! Magazine Expect to be challenged The name says it all. Think Positive! is a call to action. It is a lifestyle. Daily our readers seek to improve their health, finances, education, career, family, spirit and community. Every interview, column, feature and photograph within this magazine speaks to those desires and helps society live a more productive way of life. We aim to eradicate false media images and destructive frames of mind by empowering, encouraging, and educating the urban community through quality journalism. Think Positive! speaks directly to the hearts and minds of readers while motivating action toward positive change. Those who purchase this publication are not only readers; they are change-makers, activists and trendsetters. Read about the people who make a difference in our society, as well as the stars that proudly uplift the African American community. Company Information Think Positive! Magazine is published 4 times per year. Subscriptions are $12.00 for 4 issues. TPM is published by Miracle Media, Inc. and designed by 100% Ideas & Graphics in the city of Chicago, IL. Advertise in Think Positive! Magazine For advertising information or to request a rate card, please call 866-931-7576 or email us at info@thinkpossitivemag.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. This publication is purchased with the understanding that the information presented is from many varied sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the Publisher at to accuracy or completeness. This magazine is inspired by The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Copyright 2012 Miracle Media, Inc • Printed in China
www.thinkpositivemag.com
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Editorial
Photo by Impakt Studio
Welcome! Think Positive! Magazine is excited and honored to bring insightful information about historic civil rights organization, National Urban League (NUL) and more specifically its auxiliary National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP). As members of the NULYP, Miracle Media recognizes the organizations dedication to community service. In support of the NUL, the National Urban League Young Professionals are committed to a five-point agenda including: • • • • •
Education and Youth Empowerment, Economic Empowerment, Health and Quality of Life Empowerment Civic Engagement and Leadership Empowerment Civil Rights and Racial Justice Empowerment.
The organization holds an annual conference and this year Young Professionals from around the nation are headed to New Orleans for the “Empower the Nation” conference in which President Obama will be the keynote speaker. The conference will promote the positive programs they offer communities throughout the nation. This issue’s cover features former New Orleans Mayor and current President and CEO of the National Urban League, Marc Morial as well as Brandi Richard, President of the NULYP. We were thrilled to sit down with President Richard and chat about the Urban League movement and the how chapters across the country are impacting lives! You are officially on deck. Welcome to Think Positive! Magazine Expect to be challenged.
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BE THE CHANGE
Consider these 18 reasons to volunteer some of your time:
18 REASONS TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME We know that volunteering a portion of our time is something we should do. There are reminders all around us that our help is needed. Other people will significantly benefit from any time we contribute. But that is not the only reason to volunteer. Have you thought about the benefits you will get from volunteering? If you consider the many benefits you will receive, you will be asking yourself why you aren't more involved with helping a cause.
1. To make new friends 2. To build personal and professional contacts 3. To build your self-esteem and self-confidence 4. To develop new job skills 5. To make a difference in the world 6. To increase personal satisfaction 7. To add experience to your resume 8. To develop people skills 9. To develop communication skills 10. To do something as a family 11. To explore career possibilities 12. To feel needed and appreciated 13. To share your skills with others 14. To be challenged 15. To do something different 16. To earn academic credit 17. To improve your health 18. To have fun!
You will get more out of your volunteer experience than you put into it. Don't hesitate to identify and donate some of your time to a worthy volunteer opportunity. You will be glad you did. 10 |
THINKPOSITIVEMAG.COM
DENNIS MANARCHY © 2004 UNCF ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
®
We are born with limitless potential. Help us make sure that we all have the chance to achieve. Please visit uncf.org or call 1-800-332-8623. Give to the United Negro College Fund.
MENTORING The Glue
BE THE CHANGE
that Binds African Traditions hen the subject of conversation turns to rich culture and traditions, Africa would definitely be a part of that discussion. And with the voyage of Africans to the Great Americas, we have endured so much—poverty, discrimination, racism and numerous other attacks. The society, as it seemed, had waged war against our race but we remain resilient. And now that they are among a different nation, it is imperative that these African Americans uphold our traditions.
W
Just looking at how African Americans survived the slavery and intolerance against us, you would grow to respect our people. But what made us pliant to all these trials? Was it keeping our traditions? If it was, how did these traditions reach the modern day African American kids? Handing down these customs to younger generations meant having someone teach the ways of the old. This is where mentoring comes in. Mentoring is simply defined as a process where an experienced individual gives support and encouragement
to a person who has less experience. The mentor then serves as the advisor through his example and guidance. Mentoring could be informal or formal. With formal mentoring among African Americans, the mentor could be the guide of the student on his academic works. He could also guide the student to community affairs which aim to maintain their traditions through several factors such as religion, music, poetry, and others. It could also be as serious as coping with racial discrimination and how to be confident despite the environmental circumstances. With informal mentoring, it could simply mean teaching time management or networking with the same groups of people. But what are the traditions that need to be handed down to the next generation? Looking at the younger generations of African Americans now, we can conclude that they have gone a long way and have improved immensely in all aspects. Confidence and self-worth is a great part of African American mentoring. What is there to be ashamed about our culture anyway? They are a great
people and they value close family ties, respect for the elderly and they excel in arts and sports. Due to this need for mentoring among the black race, 100 Black Men, Inc. was born in 1963. Its purpose is to improve African American lives in a community full of whites. Currently, there are famous members such as Denzel Washington, Bill Cosby, and Michael Jordan, to name a few. Mentoring was and still is an essential duty of this organization. One of their programs intended that children ages nine until post secondary learning would get holistic knowledge through some rites of passage which includes preparation of the males for their manhood. Also, the subjects cover aspects of heritage, family, etiquette, survival and other skills, and even faith. Resource management, athletics and tutoring are also essential parts of the learning process. By taking part in such mentoring activities, the young African American would develop better understanding of his culture. Pride and self-esteem would also be established without disrespecting other colors or race.
The mentoring process, in general, teaches respect and appreciation for the African culture. By knowing the rich history and contemporary assets of our people, we are better able to keep and protect what rightfully belongs to us which no amount of slavery would be able to corrupt.
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SOCIAL MEDIA & SERVICE
NEXT GENERATION
PHILANTHROPY
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“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
~ Elizabeth Andrew ~
I
n an era where everything is [mobile and] readily accessible from our cell phone, tablet, bluetooth & wifi connections … where is the Innovation for our Community & People Services? The answer is National Urban League (NUL) and National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP). The National Urban League is Empowering Communities. Changing Lives! We are in over 90 communities across the country with our Affiliates, Guilds, and Young Professional chapters. The focus of NULYP NOW Communications is to promote the great work of this movement and build connectivity. In the trademark words of our Boston Chapter [YPNULEM], “Volunteering is Sexy®!” So how do we tap into that appeal, what’s the best way to take Service and the National Urban League movement viral? As Communications Chair, my hope is to understand the diversity found in our chapters, and then provide opportunities for those individuals to connect and galvanize within the NUL movement. What is essential to that purpose is building our social media presence and creating a space for active dialog. From U-streams about Civic Engagement & Professional Development, 4 Square & FB Check-Ins at our Volunteer events, Tweets about our Programming to Trending Topics at Conferences, NULYP is developing online
“Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem.”
~ Steve Jobs ~
resources for our chapters, sponsors, members, alumni, and friends to join the movement. National Urban League has blazed the trail with content on IamEmpowered.com. NUL has an Election Center (for our Occupy the Vote movement), electronic petitions, letter campaigns, and consistent communication from our President and CEO Marc H. Morial. Our supporters can expect to see more of that from NULYP. In case you didn’t already know, NULYP has AMAZING members! Check us out, you’ll find them in our NULYPtv videos. You can view their pictures on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll see our young professionals participating in educational seminars, community and mentoring activities, as well as a few well-dressed networking events. With social media, we can stay in touch and share experiences beyond our face to face interactions at National Conferences, that’s what makes us feel like an NULYP family. Under the leadership of President Brandi Richard, our NULYP Executive Board is serving day in and day out to support, engage, and lead our chapters. President Richard refers to us as her Talented 10 because we reflect the same resourcefulness and passion found in our chapters, except there are just 10 of us. We connect to over 50 chapters in a variety of ways, group messaging, email distributions, conference calls, and of course our NULYP.net website. The diversity and support of our services is the differential for the NULYP movement. We support each other, our members, affiliates, and our communities. Our service and diverse talent sets us apart! NULYP has pioneering minds, amazing professionals, and great leaders in our organization. Our professions include civil servants, engineers, lawyers, health and financial services, and so much more. #WeDevelopMe is our campaign to highlight and support the training of those diverse individuals. We want to honor their personal commitment and experiences that makes up NULYP. What’s next for us? The end goal isn’t to just increase our klout number and create a flashy
Kamilah Collins Communication Chair for the National Urban League Young Professionals
video. (Although that doesn’t hurt) We want to continue to uplift the NUL legacy established by folks like Whitney M. Young, Vernon Jordan, and Marc H. Morial. Our challenge is once we’ve garnered national attention how do we move from social interest to activism? We do it with Your Support. Your Involvement. Your Participation. Your Donations. Your Commitment… Join our Occupy The Vote movement, help us Educate, Employ, and Empower. Together we can Empower Communities and Change Lives.
**Find a NULYP Chapter near you and join us for our National Day of Empowerment.**
“NULYP is an outgrowth of the National Urban League’s commitment to developing new leaders… Through an infusion of youthful energy and new tools like Twitter and Facebook, these young leaders are making a big difference within our organization and throughout society.”
~ Marc H. Morial ~
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BE THE CHANGE
CHILDREN
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FOR
ADOPTION A
frequent question among those people looking to become adoptive parents is that of what the children are like. This is understandable, of course. After all, before welcoming a child into one's home, it is useful to know what options are available and what one can expect of the child. Since all children are different, there is no single or precise way to answer this question. By examining the various kinds of children who are generally adopted, it is possible to paint something of a general picture. One option is to adopt an infant born within the U.S. The infants placed for public adoption are generally African-American, Hispanic or mixedrace. The number of Caucasian infants placed for public adoption is relatively small in comparison, as these children are generally handled by private adoption agencies. Adopting an infant is preferable for those people who wish to raise their adopted child from a very early age, possibly to simulate the experience of raising a birth child. Because this
is such a widely sought option, it can often be difficult to find a readily available child, often resulting in long waiting periods before being able to adopt. A second domestic option is to adopt a child who is already in foster care and waiting for a family. These children tend to be older, from grade school age up to adolescence. They may have special needs, such as emotional, mental, or physical disability, or they may be part of a sibling group that must be placed together. Often called "waiting children," these special cases are handled by both public and private adoption agencies, with entities called adoption exchanges helping to provide matches between child and parent. Often, adoption subsidies are available to help offset the cost of caring for a child with special needs. A third option is to adopt internationally. Children are available for adoption in over fifty foreign countries. These children have been put for adoption for a variety of reasons, often linked to the nation or culture in which their parents live. In South Korea, for example, unwed mothers are looked upon
shamefully, so would-be single moms often put their infant up for adoption. Often these children are living in orphanages, just waiting for someone to adopt them. The process of adopting from abroad can be a tedious one, but there are agencies and attorneys that will facilitate the process. No matter which option is right for a certain individual, one theme remains the same: there are children who need to be adopted. From infancy to adolescence, both at home and overseas, there are children who are without families. For prospective birth parents who do not have the means to raise a child, and for people looking to start a family, adoption is a solution to be considered. If you or someone you know is thinking of adopting and would like some more information, some good online resources include Adoption.com and Adopting.org, both of which are aimed at providing information on adoption to pertinent parties. AdoptableKids.com is an online adoption exchange where one can search and browse photo listings of hundreds of kids currently waiting to be adopted.
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Tips For Planning a Fun and Successful Family Reunion
P
lanning a reunion can be a major undertaking, but with the help of a local convention and visitors bureau, it can be made easy. For example, the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau in Southeastern Pennsylvania provides free assistance with booking hotels and banquet facilities, tour buses and even planning tours. Reunion planners can get competitive bids and work closely
with a service representative to make the best choices for their group. This can save hours on the phone, and give planners ideas for adding special excitement to their reunion. "We can help a group plan customized tours around its special interests," said Paul Decker, president of the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Our area has an abundance of gardens, history and recreation, and we've developed itineraries for groups interested in spending a day or two of their reunion touring the area." Newest among the itineraries are the "Quest for Freedom" African-American heritage tours that highlight dramatic stories of African-American soldiers, slaves and abolitionists from the Revolution through the Civil War. "The history of African Americans is an integral part of our nation's history and the stories are present at many of our historic sites, from Valley Forge National Historical Park to Brandywine Battlefield and beyond. This initiative brings those stories to the foreground and affords them the attention they deserve."
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Depending on their budget, groups may choose to have a costumed stepon guide; a special program at Washington's Headquarters in Valley Forge; or a craft or cooking demonstration at an historic site. The bureau's membership of more than 500 hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping venues and service providers makes it possible for event planners to enjoy the convenience of one-stop shopping when customizing a reunion. The free planning service includes access to picnic sites, florists, entertainers, photographers and more. Decker said another key to success is to keep your family members informed, to maintain interest while the reunion is being planned. The Bureau can help here too, providing photographs, visitors guides and other publications so family members can become familiar with the area, in advance or on arrival. Valley Forge is 18 miles from historic Philadelphia; midway between New York City and Washington, D.C. and easily accessible by Amtrak or Philadelphia International Airport.
October 11-14
National Urban League Young Professionals
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EYE CONTACT
TO YOUR SUCCESS
HOW TO USE
TO CREATE A GOOD IMPRESSION
R
esearchers have discovered that one of the most striking differences between people who are socially confident and those who are shy, is that confident people have much more frequent eye contact with their conversational partners.
Many shy people never make eye contact at all, tending to look downward or away, instead of looking at their conversation partner’s face. Most North Americans, especially Caucasians, prefer to have a lot of eye contact when they are talking with someone. When a person doesn't make eye contact with them, North Americans tend to assume that person is hiding something. When you are speaking with someone who is from a culture that prefers a lot of eye contact, be sure to keep looking at that person frequently while you are talking, even while you are wondering what to say next. You don’t need to use a piercing stare, a friendly gaze will do. If it really bothers you to look directly into another person’s eyes, you can look at the person’s face without focusing solely on the eyes. If you gaze generally at the eyebrow area or the bridge of the nose, this is close enough to the eye region that you will appear to be looking at the person’s eyes. You may find that it eases your own discomfort if you let your vision go slightly out of focus. Whenever you are in conversation with someone, keep the majority of your focus on the other per-
son. If you glance around the room too much, or look too frequently at other people, your conversation partner may assume that you are bored, or that you are looking around for someone else you would rather talk with. If you have difficulty knowing exactly how to make eye contact, you can benefit from practicing in front of a mirror, or with another person. While some people have difficulty maintaining eye contact during conversations, others have the opposite problem. They stare too intently into other people’s eyes when they are talking to them, often making their conversation partners feel very uncomfortable. It can be very unpleasant to be on the receiving end of an intense stare, particularly at close range. In many animals, the use of staring is part of a power struggle to determine which animal is dominant over the other. In humans too, a struggle for dominance over another can often be signaled by a staring contest. Avoid intense, prolonged staring into another person’s eyes, except in very rare situations. Although some people use staring intently as a deliberate tactic to intimidate others, not all people who stare piercingly at others mean it as an act of aggression or dominance. Some people who stare very intently into the eyes of others are quite unaware of the negative impression they are creating. If it has been your habit
to stare intently into the eyes of other people without looking away, you may have been making your conversation partners very uncomfortable. You can lighten the impression you are making by smiling more often, nodding, and by gazing at the entire face as well as the eyes. In addition, you can frequently glance away for brief periods. Although most North Americans like to have a lot of eye contact with their conversational partner, this is not true of all people. If you have grown up in a cultural group that expects eye contact, it can be a shock to find out that eye contact is not always welcomed. There are many countries in the world where looking someone in the eye is considered to be disrespectful and an invasion of privacy. Even within North America, there are some cultural groups that prefer not to make very much eye contact. In many cultures around the world, averting your eyes and keeping them lowered is considered the polite, desirable thing to do. In North America, people of African American and First Nations origin usually prefer to make far less eye contact than Caucasians do. If you are dealing with someone who has different cultural practices than what you are used to, make an effort to be sensitive to the expectations of the other person if you want to have a smooth relationship.
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HEALTHCARE
Author Name
DO YOU EVER WISH YOU COULD JUST KEEP UP WITH YOUR READING?
H
ow many times have you looked at your stack of reading materials, and felt overwhelmed? Most of us are bombarded with more and more written information every daymagazines, reports, e-books, newspapers, professional studies- it seems to never stop. All this information has made becoming a speed-reader a necessity for those who want to stay on top of their profession. Reading faster and increasing comprehension has become a mandatory time management technique.
Evelyn Wood developed speed-reading, in 1959. Currently, there are a wide variety of classes and techniques available for anyone who wants to master this skill. There are classes, books,
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audio programs, and computer programs to suit any learning style. Here are five quick steps you can use right now to increase your reading speed and comprehension:
3. Preview- read the introduction, and the first sentence of each paragraph. Determine what the focus of the piece is, and what the key points are. 4. Read Actively-Underline the main points, mark any areas that are significant to you. Take note of anything that you don’t understand, as well as any topics you find for discussion.
1. Prepare to read- set aside some time in a distraction-free environment. Find a comfortable spot, and check your focus. If you find you are having a hard time concentrating on what you are reading, close your eyes, and take a couple of deep breaths. If that doesn’t work, and you are still distracted, put off your reading for another time.
5. Finally, relate what you are reading to what you already know. This will put everything in context for you, and help you remember more of what you read.
2. Overview the material- look at the titles and subtitles. Ask yourself,” Why am I reading this book? What can I learn from it?”
Speed-reading is a skill that is built up over time. If you begin to practice it, even for 15 minutes each day, you’ll see results quickly.
Who would have thought? Alfred L. Cralle did in 1897. The Ice Cream Scoop, developed by Alfred Cralle, is just one of the many life-changing innovations that came from the mind of an African American. We must do all we can to support minority education today, so we don’t miss out on the next big idea tomorrow. To find out more about African American innovators and to support the United Negro College Fund, visit us at uncf.org or call 1-800-332-UNCF. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Š2008 UNCF
LIKE Richard M Badger, NULYP Central Region VP
THE POWER OF
T
he National Urban League Young Professionals has longed to be the premiere young professional organization that enhances the professional development of each of our members. We excel at preparing, training and identifying serious talent all across this wonderful nation, but what about the personal development?
How is it that so many of us excel at our careers, but fail miserably at personal relationship? Well this article is for the young professional that desire to be in a fruitful, healthy and productive relationship, but is not clear how to get there. I don’t profess to be a relationship expert, but I have had my share of relationship up and downs. Through it all, I find that love is the greatest reward. The goal of everyone is to love someone unconditionally, and to be loved in return unconditionally.
Can one love without like, or like without love?
Communication, sense of humor, financial stability, love of family, these are characteristics that I have heard all throughout my life of what is important
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in a relationship and what can sustain a relationship. So, as I think about these things, I find that they each have value, but there is no greater characteristic that I can think of other than love, then the importance of liking the person that I am with!
The power of like is a very real issue. Two people can be attracted to one another, be the most beautiful couple physically, but cannot sit in a room because they just don’t get along. How miserable will a marriage be, if you truly do not like your spouse, but they have a great sense of humor, they are financial stable, educated, love their family and all of the other characteristics people have told us are important? I can assure you that your life will be a living hell at best.
As professionals, we have learned how to adapt to a variety personalities in the workplace. But when we get home, we should be able to shed the workplace smile for comfort and peace. Therefore our spouse should be someone that I like, so that I am assured of this peace when I arrive home after a long day.
Love is constant. Once you love someone, you typically will always love them, while like is something that is more challenging. Liking someone can be done at a distance. You don’t necessarily let people you like into your personal space, whereas with those you love, you share yourself fully. You can love someone, and not like them momentarily, but you can like someone without loving them at all.
Example: You have colleagues at work that you like, but will never invite them to your home, because you don’t want to get that close to them. They are good people, but outside of work, you wouldn’t necessarily entertain a relationship with them. In 2012, let’s put a little more focus on our personal development as we do our professional development. Success is hard enough to achieve, but it is so much sweeter when you have someone to share it with! My worst day married, is better than my best day single! Being loved is a huge blessing! *** For More Check out the NULYP blog. Visit http://www.nulyp.net ***
Success is hard enough to achieve, but it is so much sweeter when you have someone to share it with! Being loved is a huge blessing! @tweetTPM
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HEALTHCARE
SOLID ADVICE ON HOW TO MAINTAIN A
HEALTHY MEMORY
“
Just focus on what you need to memorize and the knowledge you need to retain. Many things can distract you without you even realizing it.
“
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Memory is an integral part of brain function, and can fade if the brain is not kept in optimum health. Maintaining good overall health will also assist in keeping your memory sharp. The following tips will help you maintain healthy brain function and ensure that your memory remains intact for many years to come.
Color code information to help you memorize it. Color coding helps the left and right sides of your brain to work together, and better allows you to commit material to your long term memory. The color also plays as an association to the word or phrase you're working to memorize.
Create a system to help you remember things, and use it. Computers, with all their vast memory, still sometimes rely on an outside memory source. You should do the same. Using a system to effectively remember something is like tapping into your external memory. Use this effective tool whenever you need it. It's a well known fact that stress is hard on a person's body, but it is also very hard on a person's memory. Chronic stress is detrimental to brain cells as it destroys them as well as the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that retrieves old memories as well as makes new ones. Practicing stress reducing techniques are vital in maintaining a good memory.
One way to improve your memory is by limiting distractions and focusing only on the information you want to remember. With today's hectic lifestyle, most people spend a great deal of time multitasking. By clearing all distractions and focusing only on the information you are trying to remember, it allows you to build a strong, clear memory that will be easy to recall at a later time.
Do not cram information before an exam or a test. You will remember better if you study regularly. You can improve your memory by making it work on a regular basis, and you will remember something more easily if you go over it every day instead of focusing on it for a few hours only. Try learning a new language. Learning a new language can really help to keep your mind and memory in shape. It has also been proven to delay brain deterioration and dementia. Just immersing yourself in the language will do. There is no need to become a fluent speaker of it.
Carefully focus on what you are trying to memorize. This is especially important when you are studying. Never try to multitask. Turn off the television, turn off the radio. Just focus on what you need to memorize and the knowledge you need to retain. Many things can distract you without you even realizing it. A great tip that can help you improve your memory is to start limiting how much alcohol you drink. Drinking too much alcohol can destroy many brain cells over time, which can severely impair your cognitive functions, such as memory. Limit your alcohol to only one or two drinks a day. There is quite a bit of fear associated with losing one's memory. Understanding the ways to feed the brain and keep it at a healthy functioning level, will give you more confidence in your ability to maintain your memory. Don’t delay to implement as much of the advice that you can.
End poverty. Start getting kids through high school. 77% of Littles reported doing better in school because of their Big. One-to-one mentoring works. Even big change starts with something little. Support kids in your community at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.
Start Something™ Donate money or time at BigBrothersBigSisters.org
COVER FEATURE
Interview by Telie Woods
It is extremely important that we extend a helping hand to our fellow man. As community service takes center stage in the lives of many, a rich history of civil rights still marches on. Young Professionals advocate and President of the NULYP, Brandi Richard introduces us to the National Urban League and the Executive Board team that has her back.
WELCOME TO THE
MOVEMENT TPM: Describe the National Urban League of Young Professionals (NULYP) movement and what it offers young professionals. BR: NULYP is an auxiliary of the National Urban League (NUL) and it provides young professionals with an opportunity to get engaged in the mission of the NUL and its 97 affiliates across the nation. Within those affiliates there are young professional chapters where YPs are able to get involved in community service. YPs are also able to develop as leaders. In each chapter there is a leadership structure. They are able to run for offices or showcase their talents by leading a committee, working on specific tasks, and community development. Each chapter is a little different in what it offers, but all are training grounds where individuals may sharpen skills in a friendly environment. Many become better leaders and take those skills back into the work place or their chosen profession. NULYP offers young professionals the ability to grow in a local chapter, with opportunities to develop their fundraising ability.
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NULYP PRESIDENT
Brandi Richard
d
Who is the President of the NUL and what is his vision for the YP chapters? Marc Morial is an amazing supporter of the National Urban League Young Professionals. He makes it very clear that he’s interested in the expansion and growth of young professionals so we can support more of the work of the NUL affiliates across the country. It’s important that we become leaders in our individual professions so that we are able to give back to the NUL in the future and be examples of what that training really produces. President Morial provides exceptionally strong backing to our organization. The NUL is one of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations, why would you say the NUL is still relevant in 2012? That’s a very interesting question. This question has been tossed around quite a bit. If you look at where we are as a people, many of the issues and problems we faced during the civil rights movement are problems we continue to face today. Have we gotten better? Have we created solutions to move us forward? The answer is emphatically, yes. But, we still have work to do, so yes the NUL is still relevant. As an organization we are uniquely positioned to address the challenges in three ways. First, through Marc’s leadership, we have our fingers on the pulse of urban America. And now the urban demographic we serve is more than African Americans, it’s Latinos, and other people, regardless of color, who need our assistance. Bottom line, Urban League affiliates across the country are serving everyone with a model created to address African American urban issues. The solutions we provide are working to empower communities and change lives. Second, we provide public policy support. We research and provide policy recommendations on education, entrepreneurship, health and quality of life and other areas of our agenda. Our recommendations are used by legislators including President Barack Obama’s jobs agenda which included
about 3 of our recommendations from last year from our jobs plan. From a policy perspective, we do our homework to understand exactly what’s going on in the community and communicate that information to the people who can affect change. Finally, from a grassroots perspective, we’ve engaged a new empowerment movement with our web presence. Iamempowered.com allows the public to really get involved in the issues we face. It provides them an education on why we’re still relevant and why the work that we do is still extremely important. We provide information on all of our programs ranging from BEEP which prepares students at HBCUs for success in corporate roles to standard programs at our affiliates. We’re actually creating grassroots advocates across the country. What are the characteristics of a typical young professionals member? We have a couple of things that we put together as an executive board, which I affectionately call the “Talented Ten.” Young professionals, at their core, are skilled in their profession and masters of their talent. They respond to the cause and create engagement by using current technology. They impact others with energy and passion. They are prepared for work and life with a vision for the future. They are improving their health and fitness each day. They are guarding and increasing the civil rights standards of their ancestors. And, they are expanding on the opportunity to build wealth for themselves and for their community. Statistically, 70% of our membership is female, 30% is male. 97% of them have a Bachelor’s degree. Many have gone to graduate school. Most of our members, me included, are aligned with the National Urban League’s five point empowerment agenda and have incorporated them into our lives. We’ve incorporated health and fitness into our lives. And as we learn about entrepreneurship and the importance of starting more businesses in our community, we
have more members starting businesses. The typical young professional is starting to look more like what the National Urban League is promoting across the country, which is good. Some people may assume that membership to the NUL is only for the talented tenth. Would you say that’s a true statement or is the movement for any and everyone? No, it’s definitely not a true statement. I would say that, we are one of the few organizations where you can jump right in and get involved. You are not limited by where you came from, or what school you went to. You are limited by your desire to achieve. I am a prime example of that. When I started out in the Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals, 97% of this group of YPs had bachelor’s degrees, and I didn’t have one. Although it wasn’t an issue for me or the people I was leading, it was imperative that I get one. Not because someone told me I needed to get one, but just because being engaged with all these people and understanding the importance of education, you can’t lead in a space that you don’t believe in. So, during my time as President, I finished my bachelor’s degree, as a single parent, and with all the responsibility that comes with being the President of an YP chapter. There are a lot of gifted people in our organization and if you had said I would be National President of over 50 chapters, based on where I was when I started 5 years ago, I would have laughed. But if I can do it, anyone can. Wow, that’s inspirational; we didn’t know that about you. (Laughter) How does the Urban League attract individuals who may not be inclined to serve their communities? I’ve seen people come into the organization and find out how community service oriented we are and they may say, “That’s not really for me.” However, we have leaders that are able to shape and mold views so people are more
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motivated to serve. There are several ways to do that. We know how to get people excited about some pretty mundane things sometimes. For example, people are getting more interested in voting (especially in the last election). Once you have people in the door, you can sit down and strategize on how to get others excited about voting. Make them feel like they are a part of the process; make them understand without them we can’t get the work done. They are then more inclined to stick, stay and continue to work to help others get there too. With voter registration, it was kind of an easy sell because people really wanted to make sure that we got folks out to the polls so that their voices would be heard. And that’s something that we’re working on nationally again this year. But it could also be a person getting involved at a local affiliate to build a playground which is actually something that Central Florida did. People got together and built a playground right behind their affiliate for the community. And it’s really just a matter of explaining to people how their efforts are going to change and impact people’s lives. Why do you call yourself the Young Professional Advocate? Yeah, that’s funny. When I was President in Dallas, I realized that people didn’t know who YPs were and people were like, oh yeah, the young people, the high schoolers, the kids, yeah, we believe in them. I was fortunate
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enough to do debates for candidates before they were elected and I would ask, “What are you going to do for the young professional demographic?” They would respond, oh yeah, well education is extremely important to us, we love the babies, blah, blah, blah, and I’m like, you don’t even know who we are. You’re coming to our event, you’re involved with the Urban League and you have no idea. So, it got to the point where I created a young professionals bill of rights, which was a document that said these are the important things we need an opportunity to do. We need an opportunity to be able to sit at the table and learn from you, you can’t continue to keep us out of the board meetings. We must make sure that people understand the importance of our demographic and why we need to be at the table. So, by the end of my term, I started turning out newsletters about young professionals. And some of those candidates we did the debates for would start to invite us to their forums to explain who we are and our thought on certain issues. So I’d ask the questions and get back to them. So, it kind of became a brand in and of itself. With The NUL being built on equality from the Civil Rights movement, why would you say, that you are only the second female president of the NULYP movement? Well, first of all, let me correct you a bit. Karla Ballard was the first female President. Cassye Cook was second.
I’m not going to say that I’m clueless to the idea that many times women are not allowed the same number of seats at the table. Within the Civil Rights movement, we have been in strong support of male leaders who have led the movement. And I’m very cognizant of that, so I don’t want any woman reading this to feel as though I have no concept of that. But I also feel that, we as women make our own way. So, if I hadn’t stood up and raised my hand and said I was willing to lead this organization, I wouldn’t be leading it. If I hadn’t done the work that it takes to get here, then I wouldn’t be here. I think sometimes we assume things aren’t possible because we haven’t decided we want it bad enough to get it. I would encourage women to take roles of leadership in whatever they are involved in and be strategic about it and make sure it fits them. I’m sure I won’t be the last female President of NULYP. Excellent, so when your term is over, how do you want your legacy to be defined? I want to create more advocates. I think the young professionals advocate question you asked me was really important. I want to create other YPs who take the information they receive to become advocates in their community. They can advocate for others who provide community service, expose health disparities, create business opportunities, or promote economic advancement for a certain demographic of people, that’s extremely
important to me. I want to empower people to be able to go out and share what they’ve been given. Of course within our organization, I want to implement the full NULYP NOW plan. I’d like to see an increase in membership, definitely a growth in our ability to use social media to reach more audiences and strengthen our internal pipeline (NULITES to BEEP to NULYP to Alumni to Donor/Life-long Urban Leaguer) to ensure that we are around for years to come. Those are things that are the lifeblood of our organization and those are the legacies I’d like to leave. I want someone to come up and say, “Hey, I was just coming into the organization during the end of your presidency and now I’m the President of such and such and now
we have all these great programs.” That’s what I’d like to see. Are there any initiatives for the YP’s to develop a lifelong commitment to service? Are there any programs to keep them involved? We just started a new initiative and we’ll be getting more information about it at our National Conference in New Orleans called NULYP Alumni. Those members who have physically or mentally aged out, and want to be involved and know about the programs we have will be able to learn about new programs and participate in the National Day of Service. That’s on its way to a computer near you! Within the organization, we want to make sure that people are committed to service. One of the goals that we’ve created is 50,000
hours of service. This doesn’t include the hours that individual chapters will do outside of their affiliate work, but we want to make sure our commitment is focused there. We’ve also created the distinguished YP member designation, which means that if you’re a member of a chapter and you’ve given 16 hours of service at a minimum to your affiliate and 100 hours to your chapter (those 100 hours could be planning meetings, in the community, getting other people engaged in service) then you’ll be recognized as a member at our National Conference. So we wanted to institutionalize the service aspect of what we do as an organization and recognize them for their commitment to service because it’s extremely important to us.
The NULYP Executive Board (from left to right) Kamilah Collins, Rita Lassiter, Rahshib Thomas, Tiffany Thomas, Marc H. Morial, Brandi Richard, Pamela Perkins, Richard Badger, Karen Anderson, Sean Bradley, Jameeka Green
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HEALTHCARE
LAUGHTE THATHEALS T
he great thing about the history of black America and the methods African American leadership has used to seek full equality and acceptance in this country is that there have been many roads to that goal. Yes, the great social, political, legal and even military movements that have been conducted to free African Americans from slavery and achieve full citizenship were crucial. And the great black leadership of dynamic personalities like Martin Luther King and George Washington Carver has made things possible that would never have been possible otherwise.
But not all of the gains in society have been achieved through tears and anger. In fact, some great black leadership can be found in a place one never would think to look. It can be found in the standup comedy night clubs and on forward thinking television shows as black comedians helped everybody, black and white, laugh together at the differences in the races rather than cry separately. Some of the most revered figures in comedy in the last thirty years were from the African American community. There are many notable names that spring immediately to mind that have used the “podium” of a comedy microphone and stage to talk about
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issues of race, color, discrimination and race relations in a way that all can appreciate their thoughts and achieve a common understanding. The names of Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and many more stand out as both very funny entertainers and people who have represented the African American community with pride and intelligence that all can admire. Many African American children took hope from the idea of rising up out of poverty and difficulty to reach greatness because they saw these black entertainers do it. Just by using their success to show the youth of black America that they too can be successful and that with hard work, intelligence, and the willingness to try they too can be somebody to their families and to their community. This is truly the role of a great role model and these men have given much hope to youth to make something of them and make a difference. Sometimes it was hard for these entertainers to achieve equality. When Sammy Davis Junior first was recruited to make his valuable contribution to Frank Sinatra’s team, many in that society did not think it was appropriate that a black man could perform with equality with his white contemporaries. We
can be grateful too for the openness of others in the entertainment community that they would not stand to see racism keep talent such as Sammy’s down. It was Sinatra himself that made sure that Sammy Davis could perform with the “Rat Pack” and in doing so; another door of racism was blown down in this country. Stories like this are frequent. The Hollywood establishment always has been forward thinking in presenting entertainers based on their talent and not on the color of their skin or other artificial divisions. It has been televisions as well that has broken barriers and open the discussion of race and color for all of us to engage. By making it “ok” to talk about race relations, it also makes it ok to see those relations healed and clear the way for reconciliation and healing. Many times when a black comedian is making his crowd laugh, he might say “the important thing is we talk about these things and laugh about them together”. And that is the important thing. We can be grateful we have had such outstanding leadership in entertainment to bring black and white together in a way that eliminates hatred and hostility. Because it is hard to hate your brother when you are busy laughing together with him.
TER S
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HOW TO MANAGE TODAY'S HEIGHTENED
LEVELS OF Today's world is changing at the most accelerated rates ever, and our bodies, minds, emotions and spirits are all being affected by these larger changes. Have you noticed recently that you're experiencing more intense emotions? Many people are feeling a heightened sense of emotional intensity, so we are seeing more incidents of disruptive outbursts and behaviors, and also more positive emotions related to expanding love, that are inspiring people to take more risks within their interpersonal relationships, and in relation to important life choices. The human heart is growing larger on a spiritual level, expanding beyond its perceived small boundaries of focus on the self. The growth of technology and the process of spiritual evolution on the Earth have created unprecedented levels of communication between people, and also between humanity and the planet Earth that we live upon. It has become clear that our previously self oriented behaviors have created multiple planetary crises that must be addressed. Each of us is being called by the time we live in, to step forward into greater self responsibility and a greater willingness to join with others to find solutions to our common problems. As the spiritual evolutionary impulse continues to transform us and to open the hearts of humanity, we are also seeing increased incidences of the worse of humanity as well. We see shocking examples of negativity expressing itself
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in large and small ways, which seem even more abominable as we become more spiritually aware and more sensitized to the world around us. This process which seems so harsh and difficult is known as the process of purification. As greater levels of spiritual light manifest on the Earth, the light acts both to open the heart and open spiritual awareness, and it also acts to illuminate what has been hidden and separated from the light of spiritual oneness. When the negativity is released, it floods our awareness and feels like it will never end. This is the most difficult part of the process, which we are in the midst of right now on planet Earth. Once the flood of negativity has subsided, we can begin to be able to feel the greater love, light and freedom that results from being cleansed at a deep level. The end result of the process of purification is a life that exists in harmony with oneself, with God, and with all of life. This process is happening both individually and on a global level, so that humanity can live at peace, in harmony with God and with all of life. Most of us carry within ourselves pain which we endured in our younger lives, or that we are aware of from within our hearts. As the spiritual atmosphere of the Earth becomes more illuminated, we may feel these emotions in a more heightened way. It could be a constant sense of anger, or despair or grief, that seems to pervade our consciousness
HEALTHCARE
Understanding Intense Emotions
STRESS “
Once the flood of negativity has subsided, we can begin to be able to feel the greater love, light and freedom that results from being cleansed at a deep level.
no matter what is happening in our daily lives. It may be that little has changed in our outer lives, but suddenly we are beset by all these feelings which seem to emerge from an endless well. Or, we may have endured unexpected life crises which trigger deep and painful wounds that feel like they will never be healed. These intense emotions that are surfacing right now are a part of this larger movement happening on the Earth. Your inner being is a pure and divine child of light which carries within itself the inner knowing of what needs to be healed within you. If you can hold the awareness that the emotions you are feeling are a part of a natural healing process, then it becomes easier to breathe, and to remember that you are feeling the emotions but you are not your emotions. You are a precious and beautiful soul, created in God's image with infinite care, to share something special with the world that only you can offer. Allow your emotions to pass through you like water, with trust that they will pass. On the other side of the storm is a new tomorrow with infinite possibilities that exist within God's loving embrace of spirit. You are deeply blessed with the gift of God's life, for a divine purpose. Trust this and follow your innermost hearts calling. Your body, mind, emotions and spirit will find a new harmony and alignment, and a new level of peace and inner fulfillment.
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“
HIGHER GROUND
Daniel Diet T
he Daniel Diet is not simply a fad diet to lose weight. Instead, it is a spiritual commitment that may result in a drop in pounds. But, first and foremost, it is designed to improve your relationship with God.
The Daniel diet is based on a verse from the Bible. Daniel 1:18 says, “Daniel proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” At the time, the Hebrews were living in exile in Babylonia. Daniel was an adviser to the Babylonian king. The Babylonian king ate all kinds of foods restricted to Jews. This included non kosher foods, wine, and foods and drinks that had been offered to idols. The modern day Daniel diet popularized by author and Pastor Rev. Elmer
Townes does not require that you follow the same program that the Biblical Daniel did. The Daniel fast is not a full fast. You are allowed to eat whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and water, fruit juices and vegetable juices. You must specifically avoid all meat, white flour or white rice, fried foods, caffeine, carbonated beverages (including diet soda), alcohol, foods with any preservatives or additives, refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, chemical sugar substitutes like equal, and margarine, shortening or any product with animal fats. Before you begin the diet part of the Daniel fast, you need to prepare spiritually through prayer. Make a commitment to stay on the diet for a specified period and publicize it by writing it down and telling your family, friends and faith partners what you have promised God you will do. You will also need to prepare yourself physically for the diet. If you are addicted to caffeine, it is a good idea to wean yourself off of coffee or soda for two weeks before starting the Daniel diet. Also, begin reducing meat consumption ahead of time so that this is not a shock to your system. The length of time you stay on the Daniel Diet depends on
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you. Remember, this is not primarily a weight loss plan but a spiritual redemption. Some people make a commitment to stay on the fast for the rest of their lives. Many churches are doing a church-wide Daniel fast for 21 days encompassing 4 Sundays. This stems from a 21 day fast that Daniel recounted in Daniel chapter 10. Other people fast for the entire 40 days of Lent. However, you can do the Daniel fast for as little as 7 days and see results. Some people report that they do a one day a week complete fast as a sacrifice to the Lord. Here are some tips to help you be successful on the Daniel Diet.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Be specific about the amount of time you will spend on the diet. Use the fasting as a spiritual commitment not a weight loss plan. Use your external discipline to reflect your internal desire.
Pray and ask God to show you what sin’s role is in your physical problems. Use your fast as a testimony to others. Use your fast to learn the effects of the food you eat on your body. Give praise to God for whatever successes you have on the Daniel Diet.
INSTEAD OF JUST HANGING OUT ON SATURDAYS
I HELP KIDS HANG IN THERE
AT SCHOOL BECAUSE I DON’T JUST WEAR THE SHIRT, I LIVE IT. ®
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED Michael Cleveland is part of United Way’s ongoing work to improve the education, income, and health of our communities. To find out how you can help create opportunities for a better life for all, visit LIVEUNITED.ORG.
®
HEALTHCARE
Author Name
What’s happenin’ Positive People?!? It’s been awhile but we have returned! WELCOME 2 this, our newest installment of the People’s Vocal Reactionary Liberation Movement© open-page poetry set right here N Think Positive Magazine! We have been away from the scene 4 awhile but we hope that like a mother finding her lost child, U’re thrilled 2 C us again. I am your host & facilitator 4 this fly feature, Discopoet Khari B. and I B real happy 2 have your sight locked on these words about 2 B dropped. Without further delay, leaving script this day is a serious soul sista who can’t B a stranger 2 finger blisters. This powerful performer, grad student AND grandmother skillfully writes without limitation & with unlimited ink; always can make U smile; always will make U think. Hailing from B-More, please bat your eyelashes and grab this page as we welcome
MS. JUANITA CRIDER!!!
At Mijiza’s Shifting landscapes of beauty Braided together By generations Of simmering ebony folklore Conjuring in kitchens Crowns of natural glory A graceful griot grandmother A passionate poet warrior And her prodigious progeny A warmhearted womanist Meshed together in love Flowing in laughter Like the strands of locks Crying freedom Or riotous natural ringlets Twisting and turning Sharing tales of kinship From head to head Sacred ebony science in each fingertip Sistah triplets remember… Village stylists Clicking at stoves Humming at sinks Dancing between braiding And beckoning You to sit your soul still At the altar of rituals Roots to the soil Of Black antiquity Proud & happy nappy, y’all. It’s always been something more than just hair. Leave a little more love 4 the luscious language of Juanita Crider!
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YO! Our next brotha on this page will rock this paper 2 its pulp. His performances fluidly become a mix of Hip-Hop, Rock, and Spoken-word. Profoundly passionate, soundly insane but flipping the script with a beautiful dedication 2 his then newborn son (a real dad, y’all); affectionately and accurately known as Chicago’s wildest, this is
DRUNKEN MONKEEE!!!
Joseph Hendrix & His amazing colorful world. Purple elephants is all we see A giant orange bird we want to be, yellow, greenish smiley faces on my toes and feet. A pink & purple wind that smells like a bubble gum breeze, blue like pain red like l-o-v-e the world is a crayon box along with a cosmo colored stream. So innocent, so precious our little brown baby boy dreams.
Remember, it was all so simple then… Give it up again 4 Drunken Monkeee! This last sis on our list is understatedly the b’nis. She’s a northern Cali native, academically lettered lady and host of the renown webshow, “Rock the Spoken Word.” A powerful performer, a fearless fem and a rough writer known NOT 2 pull punches. Ladies and gentlemen, I am not afraid 2 say I love her; put your pages N the air 4
CASARAE GIBSON!!
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Black Power, What Can It Be? Black Power, What Can It Be? A Revolutionary Marker that Will Represent Me A Movement that will redirect our vision for the Dream To inspire Black people to read their history We tend to engage in this colorblind scheme That we are post-race, post-Black, post-identity But did you ever think that our current remedy Will lead to more death, destruction, and tyranny Oppressing our blackness recognizing our whiteness Embracing our Latino, our Asian, and white brethren What does this identity say about our community? That our self-hatred is worth more than our purity Today I will stand for Black Power Embracing its existence More importantly embracing my identity Examining my fore-sisters Their poetry and prose are rhetorical power Igniting the fight in me Reinstating my knowledge Of who I am as a Black and as a Woman Rejecting societal norms, Right now I pay it forward Our Revolution is here my sisters, don’t’ back down Embrace the struggle Be ready to fight Stand your ground For Who You Are You know You Exist So embrace the Power that you seize to exempt What lies beneath you is the struggle to break free Proclaim Your Race You’re Black Acknowledge thee
Hey, this has been another installment of the People’s Vocal Reactionary Liberation Movement© open-page poetry set and, again, I am your host Discopoet Khari B. I wanna thank U on behalf of the artists and Think Positive Magazine 4 putting your eyes on and lending your attention 2 this open page. Hopefully it has served 2 further open U. This is the end 4 now but please join us again and feel free 2 share it with your friends. If U wanna get N on this blend of word, wisdom and righteousness tap N2 info@thinkpositivemag.com and we’ll get U on the list. In between the time that we next meet again U can check my own band, The Rockstar Poetry Project on YouTube by plugging N our name. Please comment on the videos and follow me on Twitter @Discopoet 2 get access 2 owning our music 4 yourself. 4 more on that music movement dig on www.Disco-poetry.com or www.ReverbNation.com/Discopoetry and watch what Spoken Word can do! And finally, PUH-LeesE share your thoughts, impressions, and constructive criticisms with us about this feature at info@thinkpositivemag.com. We wanna keep this thing hot 4 U. Look 4 us again next issue, same perfect time, same perfect page right here in Think Positive Magazine. Good day 2 U. A prolific writer, Juanita Crider can B found at Purdue Univ. working at the Black Cultural Center and pursuing her graduate degree in American Studies. In between time she is exploring way 2 spoil her new grandbaby rotten! More on Drunken Monkeee can B found at http://soundcloud.com/tweakcentralacademy including lists of his next performances, upcoming releases and more. Keep up with Casarae Gibson via her blog and webshow, www.rockthespokenword.com which airs live every 3rd Sunday of the month.
It’s okay 2 clap from a good read. Or just give that cooool head nod 1 mo’ gin 4 your sista, Casarae Gibson! @tweetTPM
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ENLIGHTENMENT
YOUR 7 DAY PROGRAM TO POSITIVE THINKING
I'm sure you have a bright idea hidden somewhere in the back of your mind that you just can't wait to test out. Of course you're not the only one with the bright idea. So what motivates you to churn those creative or even inspiring juices to its utmost flavor?
Enlight It's always best to set up a personal goal where you can accomplish the most in record time, maybe like mowing the lawn in an hour before the big game on TV. A correct and positive attitude in whatever you do will make things easier, and even enjoyable.
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Here are some tips to make it through the week even if you're just sitting on your favorite couch. An idea takes time to form in your head and is always at work while you are busy sitting. Having a bit of positive thinking can help you realize things that are never thought possible. Thinking big is indeed the American Way and that is what made our country prosperous.
1
Take passionate action towards living your life by design. Talk is cheap. Action = deposits in the bank of a passionately authentic future. Without it, passion is void. This is a perfect example where dreams are made of where you start by tinkering with your mind, then with your hands. And if the idea weakens, you can always go back to it later until you finish it.
2
Commit to yourself as well as those you love to create powerfully a life you can love. Instead of reacting, commit to creating from your heart and soul, out of love rather than fear. The American Dream will always be there, but a dream will still be a dream without motion. Be amazed as the transformation begins.
3
Recognize and embrace the thought that each moment is perfect regardless of its outcome. Every time you hit on something that may appear too extreme, why not give it a shot and see if it will work. You will be surprised to see if there are other ways to get the task done in time. If you are not pleased with the outcome, decide to use that moment to learn from and make the appropriate shift.
tenment 4
Dwell completely in a place of gratitude. Learn to utilize what you have in your hands and make use of it in the most constructive way. Slipping into neediness will become less of a habit when you repeatedly shift towards gratitude, away from poverty consciousness.
5
Use a Passion Formula of Recognize / Reevaluate / Restore in place of the Shoulda / Woulda / Coulda whirlwind. The former is based in increased knowledge and abundance while the latter focuses on scarcity and lack. As you face people or tasks that may seem harder than scaling the summit of the Himalayas, allow yourself to realize that the task is just as important as giving out orders to your subordinates. You would rather be richly passionate!
6
Keep humor at the forefront of thought, laughing at and with yourself when possible. You may find yourself quite entertaining when you loosen up! I am yet to see a comedian ever go hungry even though his jokes are as 'old as greatgrandma'. Life has so much to offer to allow you to mope around in self pity. Humor is very attractive, very passionate: life-giving.
7
Believe that you are the architect of your destiny. No one can take your passionate future from you except for you! Create your life authentically. As long as there's still breath in your body, there is no end to how much you can accomplish in a lifetime. The concept of thinking big is all about enjoying your work, which would lead to celebrate a discovery
that is born within your hands. Watch everything flow into place with perfect, passionate precision. It's interesting how people get swallowed up by something as trivial as learning to use a computer, when nowadays that top computer companies are manufacturing software that even the kids can do it. I don't mean to be condescending, but that's the idea of not having any positive thinking in your life-you'll just end up as a dim bulb in a dark corner. So instead of subjecting yourself to what you will be doomed for, make your path by taking the first step with a positive attitude.
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NULYP FEATURE
Jonathan O. Sumter, ULGNOYP President
Urban League of Greater New Orleans Young Professionals HOST
2012 NUL CONFERENCE YP SUMMIT
2012 has been a very exciting year for the New Orleans YP chapter as they welcomed home the former Mayor, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, back to the Crescent City for the 2012 National Urban League Conference. This spring ULGNOYP had the privilege of Marc H. Morial participating in their National Day of Service (NDoS). This year’s program focused on STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). After his participation with National Day of Service activities Mr. Morial wrote, "My faith in the power and potential in our young people was renewed this past weekend as hundreds of African American high school students from around the country spent their Friday and Saturday
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participating in an annual Day of Service organized by the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP). This year, in partnership with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the NULYP launched STEMWORKS, an education and mentoring program designed to engage more African American youth in studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Math or the STEM disciplines. www.iamempowered.com/node/24950 Celebrating the spirit of volunteerism, ULGNOYP, led by President Jonathan O. Sumter and the National Society of Black Engineers assisted the students of Sophie B. Wright in building robotic cars powered
by baking soda and vinegar in a competition to move their car the furthest. President Morial, ULGNO President and CEO Nolan Rollins, and NULYP President Brandi Richard provided the students with encouragement in a very successfully mentoring project with YPs and the students of New Orleans The Urban League of Greater New Orleans and their YP chapter look forward to more exciting things to come, particularly as they anticipate the 2012 YP summit and continue to empower the New Orleans community. ULGNOYP welcomes you!
ULGNOYP Welcomes You!
HEALTHCARE
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LETTERS OF GRATITUDE
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LITTLE KNOWN PLAYERS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
T
he use of slave labor was a well known practice for several decades in the world community. With the discovery of new lands with great promise to offer, the world’s economy was fast flourishing. The demands for crop produce in large volumes made the slave trade the ideal solution for labor problems. And America was no exception. In fact African American slaves soon outnumbered the white population because of the large import volume.
However, slaves weren’t just made to work the lands; they were made to forget their lifestyles, disciplines and culture. Slave masters world over established slave codes which robbed the Africans of their freedom and will power. Although many slaves did try to resist this treatment they were met with strict and cruel forms of punishment for disobeying their masters. Slaves were forbidden from carrying guns, taking food, striking their masters, and running away. In fact any and all slaves could be flogged or killed for resisting or breaking the established slave codes. Freedom was perhaps the main issue on the minds of those enslaved
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African Americans. American historical records have identified several attempts of rebellion and some of the key players who were involved in the African's quest for freedom on American soil. Perhaps the three main personalities who pioneered freedom for African American slaves include: Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, and Nat Turner. In August of 1800 Gabriel Prosser decided to free himself along with about 1,000 other slaves. His game plan revolved around killing most of the white residents and taking over the town of Richmond, Virginia. History records show that an untimely and severe thunderstorm caused the slave revolters to disband. Unfortunately, three slaves also revealed the plot, and so Gabriel Prosser and thirty-six of the slaves were identified, tried, and executed. Denmark Vesey was another pioneer of slave abolition. He had obtained his freedom in 1800 and was especially upset by the whole system of slavery that he wanted to destroy it entirely. He wanted a full-fledged war using armed slaves to kill white slave owners in
the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Unfortunately in 1822, and after several years of planning, his idea to attack and "liberate" the city was revealed. Leading to his own and several of his co-conspirators' arrest. In the case of Nat Turner he had a religious zeal and a belief that he was specifically chosen to free himself and his slave brethren. This 31 year old preacher to the slaves constructed a plan of "terror and devastation." His organized revolt became America's most famous and violent act involving slave resistance. On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner and six other slaves killed Turner's plantation master and his family in Southampton County, Virginia. Turner’s band of slave supporters grew quickly, as they went about killing a total of 60 white slave owners, including their wives and children. Eventually, Federal and Virginia state troopers encountered the roving band of slaves and killed most of those in rebellion. Unfortunately this resulted in other slaves not connected to the rebellion also being killed.
AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY
Finding Your It's always fun finding out who you really are and the internet is one of the best tools available to do this. Although you may consider that you already know about yourself, the internet can be a very useful tool to let you find out a little bit of history about your family. You have to consider that it's a great thing to know about your family's past and know about relatives you didn’t even know existed.
events that separated them from other members of the family. This is why some people retrace their ancestry in order to find out what happened to their long lost relatives. Although the internet doesn’t contain all the necessary information about your family and the essential records, you have to consider that it is a useful tool to use in order to point you to the right direction. This will save you a lot of time finding those different vital records, such as marriage, death, and birth records.
The internet has numerous genealogy websites that you can use to find out about your family, who you were related with, and what kind of person you are. Some people use these websites for many reasons. Some say to find out about themselves and some even find out about their family just for fun. Whatever your reasons are, you have to consider that finding out about where you came from can be quite a thrilling experience. Just imagine, you may be related to Martin Luther King Jr. and you and your family doesn't even know about it. Or, it can also be quite a surprise if you find out that you are a distant cousin of a famous African American superstar athlete, such as Kobe Bryant or Tiger Woods.
African Americans have played a vital role in the United States of America's history. They suffered from slavery, years of war and some migrated from Africa. If you are an African American and you wish to know more about your family's history, you should try and find it on the internet. It will point you to where you should find the essential documents and guide you in obtaining seemingly unobtainable documents.
You have to consider that traces of your family ancestry can be lost in time. There are a lot of reasons why a family's history die out. Some were affected by quarrels inside the family circle and others were affected by historical
Although it is a fact that the path to your family's history may seem like a rough path, you have to consider that knowing about your past will give you that sense of pride on knowing about your proud family history.
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Roots
As you can see, it is always fun to know about your family's ancestry. It will not only give you detailed reports on what happened to all your lost relatives all these years but it will also tell you who they are and what they achieved in life. Who knows, maybe you are a distant relative of a world famous African American.
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SOME PRISONERS DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REGAIN THEIR LIVES AND HAVE SOME NORMALCY AFTER THEY COMPLETE THEIR SENTENCE. FINISHING TIME INSIDE JAIL IS LIKE JACKPOT FOR THE FORMER PRISONER. 50 | THINKPOSITIVEMAG.COM
Life after Prison When a person is convicted of a crime, it is understood that he will be getting some serious jail time. No matter what the offense is, they will still be definitely treated much less of a person when inside the big cage. Prisons are harsh and the guards tend to discipline the undisciplined by giving out strict orders regarding visits, meal times, and daily chores. The guards maintain discipline and control through constant inspection of the inmates' cells, uniforms, and work outputs.
when it is their first time being inside the dreadful prison. Everyone inside has their own groups, and these groups or “gangs” make up most of the prisons' population. The TV show also illustrated the tension that exists between different races. These different races often form their own gangs presumably to protect themselves from other racial gangs. Every prisoner experiences fear and anxiety as they try to stay alive and become a member of the prison “community.”
It is a known fact that almost all convicts eventually become so hardhearted and rough. Many of them have developed attitude problems that usually come as a form of defense mechanism against the constant physical threat from other inmates. To contain these threats, prison guards are armed with batons, tazer guns, and even highpowered rifles.
Of course, in real life, living in prison entails deeper, personal issues beyond being part of a gang or surviving the daily onslaught of rules and orders from the guards. The inmates also have to contend with their past and future, making the hours spent inside their cells their daily meditation on life and their fate.
A popular TV show “Prison Break” almost actually describes how it is to be inside the cage. This show gives everyone a glimpse of how prisoners are treated, how they live every day, and how they do their daily routine. Being inside jail can really give the person a feeling of fear and anxiety especially
At this point, inmates are forced to reckon with what they had done to deserve the sentence and what future they have after they are released back to society. Many fall into depression as they miss the freedom they used to enjoy. The sadness of their fate is made more unbearable by the seeming lack or partiality of justice. Away from the
presence of their loved ones, they fall deeper into depression as they think on the many special events they miss at home and how far removed they are from the lives of the people they love. Having hard rules and rough penalties can give the person inside jail some serious mental health issues. Aside from depression, inmates have to cope with the daily fear and anxiety of walking in the yard where rival gangs hang out. Of course, some prisoners do have the opportunity to regain their lives and have some normalcy after they complete their sentence. Finishing time inside jail is like jackpot for the former prisoner. Still, those who have been given the opportunity to go back to society must undergo post-jail social therapy. The therapy is needed to reorient them on how to blend in again the outside world. Depression usually decreases after these former prisoners gain more chances for social interaction and acceptance. Life after prison can be fruitful and satisfying but it does take the commitment and effort of each and every former prisoner to remain “legit” and stay out of jail.
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REAL TALK
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CAN FORMER LOVERS BE JUST GOOD FRIENDS?
Can you be good friends with an exlover? First, the word 'lover' has many connotations and the answer may be different for a one-night stand. But what I believe if it's someone who spent a substantial portion of his/her life with, someone who have had a good relationship with, based on shared values, ideas and emotions, a healthy friendship is definitely possible even after they are no longer involved. This is possible because every relationship evolves. If both people concerned have the same level of understanding that they did when they were lovers, it can be used to establish a stable friendship. Of course, if there's any negativity from either side, being friends may not be possible, and that's sad. When a man and woman relate, there's always a part that is sexual, small though it may be. In most relationships, you tend to suppress the attraction. But
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when you're friends with an ex, it's much easier to understand and accept this attraction as you've already experienced all there was to experience. In some cases, one person may feel it more than the other, but either way. I think it's much easier to talk such residual attraction through, as you both share a certain level of comfort. Communication is the basis of any relationship.
Even when you and your ex have new love interests in your life, communication is still the key. I believe, for the new relationship to work, you cannot hide your past. The attempt should be not to do things that you need to hide. And you have to resolve the level of importance you want to give your current lover and your ex. Your partner may be insecure, but then we're insecure about so many things in our life. For example, people do compromise their careers for
their relationship. So you have to either talk things through with your partner or compromise on your friendship.
As for whether an ex can be a platonic friend who can casually rib you about your present relationship or relate well with your current lover, it's all about the different levels of sensitivity that various people display. The dynamics between your friend, your lover and you will play out according to each person's position in your respective relationships.
I don't think perspectives change depending on your gender. It's about what you believe is right and wrong. If the other person has had a very similar upbringing (although that would be rare), he or she is likely to emote, perceive situations, react and resolve issues just like you would.
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fag.got (fag t) 1. there was a time when the word “faggot” meant a bundle of sticks. but then people started using it in an insulting, offensive way and things changed. so when you say things like “homo,” “dyke” and “that’s so gay” trying to be funny, remember, you may actually be hurting someone. 2. so please, knock it off. 3. get more information at ThinkB4YouSpeak.com e
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10 Reasons to Read to Your Child We all know that learning to read is important, but as parents what do we do to facilitate this milestone?
ever gotten lost in a good book? Your child can do the same while you are reading to him/her.
Reading to your child has many benefits one of which is simply having time to snuggle together.
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Here are 10 reasons to read to your child.
1
When you read to your child, he/she will learn that reading is important to you; therefore reading will become important to him/her.
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The more your child hears sounds, the better he/she will process these sounds into words. When a child is preschool/kindergarten age the listening word starts to become the written word.
Reading will foster your child's ability to listen and pay attention. With all the problems we here about concerning attention spans this is a great way to avoid that.
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Reading to a young child will teach him/her the correct way to hold a book and turn the pages.
8
Reading to your child will develop in him/her the desire to become a reader.
9 Teachers will thank you 10 When a child is read a person-
alized story book; he/she will be able to recognize his/her name in print at an early age.
LIFE CHANGING LITERATURE
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Isn't it exciting to think that you can have such an effect on your child's ability to read just by reading to him/her? You have the power to develop a lifelong joy of reading and learning in your child. WOW! Just read.
3 Reading has a calming effect on
a restless or fussy baby. Who doesn't want an easy way to calm a fussy baby?
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Reading is a wonderful before bed routine. Studies have shown that a child will thrive in an atmosphere in which routines are present.
5
Reading will help to develop your child's imagination. Have you
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CHANGE FOR OUR DOLLAR
Benefits of Flipping Aside from the obvious financial rewards that go along with real estate investing and flipping houses there are a few more abstract benefits that can be gained when you embark on a house flipping adventure if you are looking for a little more incentive to get going in the direction of your dreams of real estate riches through flipping houses. Most things in life have more than one pro or con to them and the same can be said when it comes to flipping houses. Whether you are doing this for a living or this is a one-time deal you will find that there are all kinds of little lessons you learn along the way.
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Knowledge is rarely a bad thing and the lessons you learn while flipping houses are lessons that can be applied in many aspects of your life. 1) Budgeting. There are few things that can give you a crash course in budgeting quicker than flipping a house. In order to successfully flip the house you are working on you will need to learn to budget quickly or you will wind up literally hemorrhaging money. Learning to set a budget and stick with it are both necessary skills for any flipping houses but when they carry over into other real life applications you will find that this is a very useful skill that has you looking at everyday purchases with new eyes.
2) Muscle Definition. Who knew that flipping houses would be such an excellent workout? This is especially true for those who traditionally hold jobs that aren't necessarily dependent upon physical labor and those that do much of the work themselves (which is highly recommended when you can in order to save expensive and profit eating labor costs). From heavy lifting to hammering and several other physical jobs in between you should discover that your labors are rewarded in more ways than simply watching your project come together. 3) Attention to Detail. This is a huge benefit that comes from flipping houses
Houses and you will get better at this with every subsequent flip. The money, when flipping houses is often made in the small details that others will overlook such as new electric faceplates, proper staging, and a good eye for color throughout the property. These things make potential buyers see a home that is loved and cared for rather than just another house on their list of places to see. If you take this attention to detail into your 9 to 5 job after flipping houses or into your tax preparation, event planning, and home organizing you will find that the lessons you've learned while flipping houses are well worth the time, effort, and labor that went into learning them.
4) Positive Thinking. You will hear many times, especially in this magazine, that positive thinking is a powerful tool. There are very few places that this holds true more than when it comes to flipping houses. You definitely want to season your positive thinking with a nice hefty dose of reality but you should be aware that thinking positively has many benefits to you when flipping houses and in almost every other aspect of your life. You do not want to spend the time you could be improving your flip searching for problems or excuses. 5) Just Do It. The old Nike commercials had a point and if flipping houses doesn't teach you anything else it should
teach you this lesson. Procrastination wastes money. Every day that you carry the house you carry the expenses of the house (electric, mortgage, interest, etc.) get in there, get it done, and move on to the next project. Putting off the distasteful tasks won't make them go away so you may as well go ahead and get them over with. Flipping houses isn't rocket science but it does take a unique combination of luck, skills, and stubbornness to turn a profit in this particular business. Learning the lessons above will help you not only succeed when it comes to flipping houses but in other aspects of your life as well.
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Eat All Your Colors! ANTIOXIDANTS
HEALTHCARE
Antioxidants are all the rage today. And, justifiably so. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals which cause cell damage, which ultimately can lead to diseases of the heart and cancer. It seems everywhere you go its blueberry this and blueberry that. You have your choice of wild blueberry juice, blueberry-pomegranate juice, and blueberry-cranberry juice and so on and so on.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love blueberries. But, in our rush to embrace the latest antioxidant food craze (blueberries, cranberries, pomegranates) we’re ignoring some very high-antioxidant foods that are probably sitting ignored in our cabinets. You ask, “What could possibly be higher in antioxidants than my beloved wild blueberry?” Well, how about the
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small red bean? That’s right, I said “bean.” The small red bean actually has more antioxidants per serving size than the wild blueberry. And the red kidney bean and pinto bean have more antioxidants per serving size than a serving of cultivated blueberries.
What other foods are high in antioxidants? For starters, there are artichoke hearts, blackberries, prunes, pecans, spinach, kale, russet potatoes and plums. And, no, that’s not a mistake. Russet potatoes are on the list of foods high in antioxidants. The truth is, there are many common foods high in antioxidants and you should not just restrict yourself to one particular food source. Why? Well, have you ever heard the expression, “eat your colors?” That refers to the fact that foods are in different color “families” containing different types of antioxidants which have different benefits. For example, the yellow-orange color family of peaches and nectarines help our immune systems. The purple-red color family of
foods (pomegranates, plums, berries) helps reduce inflammation. It’s important to eat foods from all color groups to reap the full benefits of antioxidants.
The good news is that you can eat healthy foods high in antioxidants (by eating them raw, cooking them, or juicing them yourself) without having to pay a high price for the “flavor of the month” antioxidant juices being peddled in the supermarkets. So, give your blueberries some company at the dinner table. As we expand our minds let’s start eating a wider range of healthier foods. Invite some beans, spinach, potatoes and artichoke hearts and enjoy your antioxidants!
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