Urban Views Weekly December 16, 2015

Dec. 16, 2015

Scholar of the Week - Jocelyn Lee

Finding Peace

This Christmas Season

VSU Welcomes

Submitted by VSU University Relations

Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D. as 14th President With a pledge to transform Virginia State University into “Virginia’s Opportunity University” Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D. met his new university family on December 10, 2015. On February 1, 2016, Dr. Abdullah will become VSU’s 14th President.

at B-CU. During his tenure, that university: • Increased the number of faculty with terminal degrees by 25, a 12.5% increase. These hires helped double the number of faculty involved in research and more than doubled B-CU’s competitive research funding.

In remarks at his introduction to the Trojan Nation, Dr. Abdullah outlined his four core beliefs. “I believe in God. I believe in family. I believe in the transformative nature of education. I believe in Virginia State University.”

Dr. Abdullah, his wife, Dr. Ahkinyala Abdullah and his mother are products of Historically Black institutions. Both the Abdullah’s son, Mikaili (Morehouse) and daughter Sefiyetu (Howard) will attend an HBCU.

Mikaili, Ahkinyala, Makola, Sefiyetu The Abdullah Family

• Established the College of Undergraduate Studies and invested resources to improve academic support to increase retention and graduation rates. These investments helped the university maintain its retention rate and raise six year graduation rates.

• Oversaw the expansion of online initiatives that included an increase in the number of online courses by 10% and the addition of six new, certified online degree programs

“I love HBCUs,” Dr. Abdullah explains, with understatement. “I have a long history of understanding the mission of HBCUs. HBCUs represent opportunity in America.”

•

In a departure from his HBCU heritage, Dr. Abdullah attended Northwestern University for his master’s and doctoral studies. At 24, he became the youngest African American in Northwestern’s history to receive a Ph.D. in engineering.

Established innovative institutional learning outcomes and revised its core curriculum., including mandatory courses in leadership and entrepreneurship for all incoming students

•

Secured new accreditation for B-CU’s Computer Engineering Program

•

Helped secure more than $1 million for the support of B-CU’s new College of Health Sciences and for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development

•

Implemented four new graduate programs to provide additional quality experiences for students

Dr. Abdullah and his wife are both natives of Chicago. Their children were both born and raised in Florida. “We’ll have to buy them a coat,” he quips.

Before coming to VSU, Dr. Abdullah served as Provost and Senior Vice President at Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU), a private, historically Black university in Daytona Beach, FL; Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Florida Memorial University, the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Miami; and as Dean and Director of 1890 Land Grant Programs in the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). At FAMU, Dr. Abdullah enjoyed a distinguished 15 year tenure.

“Dr. Abdullah’s academic credentials are indeed impressive, but what set him apart was his approach to higher education,” said VSU Board of Visitors Rector and Search Committee Chair Harry Black. “In Dr. Abdullah, we have a President who will position VSU not only to meet the challenges of ever-changing technology, but to lead the transformation; to challenge others to keep pace with us.”

Dr. Abdullah met with tremendous success as Provost and Senior Vice President 2

Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

Rector Black says that Dr. Abdullah is particularly knowledgeable of VSU’s landgrant heritage, noting the more than $5 million in research funding Dr. Abdullah raised as a single principle investigator (PI), and the more than $20 million overall he secured from various federal agencies as a faculty member at FAMU. Dr. Abdullah vows to embrace his new role with both hands “in a way you hold something precious.” He plans on engaging alumni with the same vigor, saying “the academic excellence of an institution is defined by the accomplishments of its alumni.”

In introducing Dr. Abdullah, Rector Black quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “’Intelligence plus character is the true meaning of education.’ Dr. Abdullah possesses both of these characteristics and thus, personifies a true educator.” www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

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Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

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Civic Beat FUNdraising Good Times

A time to look back...

As the year comes to an end there will be family celebrations, travels, and delicious meals. In between the many activities, we hope you will also have time to reflect. We hope you can let your thoughts wander over the year that is ending, and extend into the year that is to come. Open your heart and mind to questions only you can answer.

“Where did you find joy?” “What about disappointment?” “Were there dreams that came true?” “Dreams that were deferred?” These are personal reflections. They are also nonprofit reflections. Here are some additional touchstones to guide your reflections.

1. Conversations. In the bustle of daily activity, we sometimes overlook the impact of a conversation. Was there someone you talked with this year who “opened the door” for you? Did he or she introduce you to a new partner? Facilitate new opportunities for the children you serve? Perhaps there was a conversation that led to a new way to engage advocates and policy makers? What about the conferences and meetings you attended? Were you exposed to a new idea that you brought back to your nonprofit and began to implement?

2. Challenges. When you experienced challenges this year, how did you grow? If there were budget cuts, were you able to reorganize your staff or programs in a new way? Were you able to create new partnerships or to consider a merger? If you lost a key staff person or board member, were you able to look at your work 4

culture and board configuration, and regroup in a positive way?

3. Successes. Did you receive funding for a new program, and during the process of implementation uncover challenges you hadn’t anticipated?

Did you find a better way to implement your program once you began the actual work? Were you embraced by new donors or sponsors?

4. Bigger Questions. We hope you will find time to reflect on the bigger questions as well.

These include “what could we do differently?” “Are we truly meeting our goals?” “Have we become used to doing things a certain way, assuming we are making an impact?” and “are we really making a difference?”

Sometimes these get lost in the daily rush. We don’t have time to step back and think about “the big picture.”

We hope you will have a few days off, with unstructured time to allow your creativity and intuition to guide your reflections and help you prepare for 2016.

We will think of you – our readers – throughout the holiday season. We look forward to sharing 2016 with you, offering suggestions that may help guide your way.

NAACP and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Announce New Partnership to Help Small Businesses Grow, Create Jobs BALTIMORE – NAACP National President and CEO Cornell William Brooks today announced a new partnership with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses to help more entrepreneurs across the country attain the resources and tools to grow and create jobs in their communities.

The organization is joining with Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses initiative, a $500 million program with the goal of helping unlock the growth and job-creation potential of small businesses across the United States through greater access to business education, financial capital and business support services.

The NAACP will work with its network of 2,200 local chapters and state conferences to help inform and recruit small business owners to join the program, which provides intensive specialized business management courses for applicants and opportunities to access capital.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of every neighborhood and community,” said NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks.

“Supporting their growth and ability to thrive will only strengthen the communities in which those businesses call home and provide much-needed economic opportunity to the existing and future employees of those businesses. We are pleased to partner with Goldman Sachs as they lend their financial expertise to help guide small businesses down the path to financial success.”

VOL. 9, ISSUE 50

Mel and Pearl Shaw wish you a joyous holiday season.

Urban Views Weekly, LLC 6802 Paragon Place, Suite 410 Richmond, VA 23230 Office: (804) 441-6255 Fax: (888) 439-2534

Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

Ideal candidates are small business owners with more than $150,000 in revenue and have been in operation for at least two years.

Qualifying businesses also must demonstrate that they employ four or more workers and have a scalable business model and a commitment to grow and hire locally.

More than 5,600 small business owners have joined the program since it began in 2011, attending 165 education cohorts at 27 sites across the country. More than 99 percent of participants graduate and more than half of the businesses reported increased revenues and expanded work forces within 18 months of graduation.

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply at www.10ksbapply.com for one of the more than 40 classes available across the country each year. Additional information and application material can be found at www.10ksbapply.com.

Ervin B. Clarke, Publisher publisher@urbanviewsweekly.com

Copyright 2015– Mel and Pearl Shaw

For more reflections and suggestions visit www.saadandshaw.com

“Giving small business owners access to the tools they need to grow is vital to creating a vibrant economy, both locally and nationally,” said John F.W. Rogers, Executive Vice President of Goldman Sachs. “We are proud to partner with the NAACP to deepen our reach into communities and give even more small businesses the resources they need to succeed.”

Flora C. Clarke, Administrative Assistant flora@urbanviewsweekly.com Shelia O. Spurlock-Shaw, Advertising shelia@urbanviewsweekly.com Nickkol Lewis, Art Director Visual Appeal, LLC | visualappealstudio.com www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

ViewPoints

By Dr. T

It’s not about that…??

Too many people don’t want to talk about “it”! They claim, “It’s not about that!” This past week we commemorated on December 6, 2015, 150 years since Congress ratified the 13th amendment to the Constitution. The 13th amendment states, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Although institutional chattel slavery was henceforward deemed unlawful in the U.S., there was a caveat to the amendment, which allows for the institutionalization of slavery as a punishment for crime (where the party has been duly convicted). Hmmmm? Did we abolish slavery or didn’t we? Words matter- definitions matter and so does the context in which those words and definitions are used. The framers of the 13th amendment seemed to carve out an exception whereby slavery and involuntary servitude can exist in a “free” society. Rather than pulling up by the root and completely eradicating any form of slavery, arguably this nation’s greatest shame, the founders’ fatal flaw in creating an exception within the context of the amendment, was to plant the seeds for the institutionalized and structural racism we live with as a nation in contemporary America. The seeds planted over 150 years ago took root, and continue to be cultivated, growing within the cultural, social, and political landscape of the American society.

premise that the United States of America has a contradictory and conflicted history when we look at the prospect of life, liberty, freedom, and justice for ALL?

Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Ph.D.

Founder and Artistic Director The Conciliation Project and Associate Professor Virginia Commonwealth University

The current politics of repetition, the lack of standards in truth-telling and fact-checking seem to be more prolific than ever. People generally don’t care about what is actually legal or not, what is unconstitutional or, even, what we stand for as a nation. “Let’s just carpet bomb them into oblivion!” No one applauding that initiative seems to care that to do so would constitute a WAR CRIME! Currently, we are having a casting call for the next President of the United States, the leader of the “Free World.” The requirements for the job demand that the applicants be thoughtful and deliberative in their decision-making. They should be of excellent reputation and an individual of temperance not given to emotional outbursts or easily provoked. This individual should not be continuously making baseless claims, spewing false truths laced with bigotry or shouting boastful proclamations where “I”, “me” and “myself ” are the subject, noun and verb of each sentence, paragraph or proposal. The content of one’s character matters in leadership and so does their disposition. That, alone, should disqualify “some folks” from getting an interview for the job.

DrT@Margins2theCenter.com www.theconciliationproject.org

Social Justice, and the struggle for equal representation under the law, is a continuous battle from the streets, to the courthouse, and throughout the criminal justice system. The highest court in the land has justices who, without thought, spout discriminatory rhetoric targeting, specifically, the very African-descended people who were the historically enslaved and now have become the disproportionally incarcerated, economically diminished, and systematically denied access to the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness promised to every American by the Declaration of Independence. Fundamentally, we must interrogate the

TanyaFree.com/Urban Views Weekly Poll Nearly 70% of Americans have shot a gun in their lifetime, and more than four in 10 have a gun in their home according to a recent poll.

What’s Your Take? Have you ever shot a gun?

Do you have a gun in your household?

Check out the story and respond to this week’s poll at TanyaFree.com and the Urban Views Weekly FACEBOOK Page. Listen to the Tanya Free and Friends Talk Show Wednesdays @ 2 p.m. on WCLM1450AM streaming LIVE @ TanyaFree.com and BlackTalkRadioNetwork.com.

We have been refusing to call the demonization of the Muslim community by the so-called leaders in this country what it is. There are leaders in politics, civic leaders, community leaders, church leaders and educators all over America who are complicit in fanning the flames of bigotry and hatred. Fear and ignorance continue to dominate social media. Silence is compliance. If you do not put out the flames by speaking out against the hate, ignorance and fear, those very flames will ultimately consume you. It is about THAT! Up Next Week: There’s a Jewish refugee… Christians claim to know!

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Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

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How to Have Holiday The string of Christmas commercials that sell everything from love to laptops are in full throttle. So are high-voltage holiday house tours, televised Christmas specials, singing Santas and endless “final sales.”

Wait. Don’t forget the cards to be mailed, gifts to be wrapped, parties to attend, cleaning to do and meals to make.

For many, the annual hustle and bustle of the holiday season is eagerly anticipated. Others, however, often dread the season. Rather than counting the days until Christmas arrives, many count the days until it ends.

Reasons for the lack of Christmas cheer among nearly 45 percent of Americans vary, according to a 2011 Psychology Today article, which noted that many people are turned off or become stressed by the season’s “unrealistic expectations” and “excessive commercialization.”

Faye Z. Belgrave, Ph.D. and a professor in the Psychology Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, believes that money and lack of time are two leading causes of stress during the holidays. Recent national tragedies have added a layer of sadness for many this holiday season.

“With everything going on – ISIS, police incidents—being so close to the holidays tends to magnify everything,” said Belgrave.

One way to avoid being stressed, is to develop a strategy, the same as you would in preventing a cold, said Belgrave, who encourages people to think about ways to relieve the impact of stress and reframe the holidays.

“Think of it as a season in which you are able to or can be happy, content and satisfied,” she said. “Think through the gift giving. Every situation is different. Do you prefer to do nothing? I think about each person who is important to me. Older family members like cards or a telephone conversation.”

It is also important to develop and stick to a holiday budget. Belgrave discourages spending money that you don’t have.

“We often give gifts because it’s expected,” she said. “If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. Instead, develop family rituals. We usually go see a movie, but you can watch a movie on Netflix.”

Belgrave also suggests sticking to regular routines as much as possible, such as working out, and

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Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

limiting extra activities such as parties. “Five or six parties are crazy. Decide to only attend one or two. It’s better to have not enough to do than too much to do.”

Too much social media during the holidays can add stress, too, said Belgrave. Staying off social media is a simple strategy for alleviating feelings of inadequacy brought on by others’ posts of glowing Christmas celebrations.

Main Street or the Message of Christ?

The Rev. Dr. James H. Harris, pastor of Richmond’s Second Baptist Church on Idlewood Avenue, acknowledges that the real meaning of Christmas, “peace on earth,” tends to be overlooked amid society’s materialistic and stress-filled culture.

“Christmas should be a time of peace where there is a cessation of violence and all kinds of things that bring suffering,” said Harris. “People need to figure out how they are going to negotiate and not be pulled into the Main Street selling, pushing and shoving. We already have the greatest gift of all, which is the gift of Christ.”

Harris, the author of several books on preaching and theology, said while there is little to be done about the capitalization, commercialism and greed that often are associated with the Christmas holidays, his platform as an ordained minister enables him to address such issues.

Harris said that he advises congregants to celebrate

y Cheer without Fear

By Bonnie Newman Davis

Christmas for its meaning and decide how Christ is reflected in their lives.

He encourages giving gifts not just to family and friends, but to those who are unable to purchase gifts for themselves. Lastly, Harris urges celebrants to “envision a message of peace, love and joy that Christ embodied.”

Silence is Silver and Gold For Rita Ricks, a Richmond-based inspirational speaker and life coach, finding the time to be still and quiet is the perfect intervention and solution for stress-filled holidays.

“I am silent for 30 minutes each day,” said Ricks. “I put a lot of stuff out of my head and just be grateful. It’s so wonderful to be quiet to connect with your creator. As a result, your spiritual is ‘on’ all day long.”

Being still can also help others develop a center that doesn’t have room for fear, said Ricks, who encourages her clients to focus on the positive and what they can do.

“Fear is in your head. Live every day as if it’s your last, and enjoy it and expect to have an amazing day,” she said.

“When you stay in the present, it never ends.”

Ricks conducts a “Listening to the Silence” retreat every month at Richmond Hill, an ecumenical Christian fellowship and residential community, which seeks healing through prayer, hospitality, racial reconciliation and spiritual development.

Ricks’ Richmond Hill sessions, which include reading Bible passages, journaling, and reflection, enable participants “to find the safe space in order to invite God in,” she said.

Lead Me Home Religion and spirituality, the true meaning of Christmas, are constant themes in many of the eight books written

by Stacy Hawkins Adams, a Richmond-based author and inspirational speaker. Adams doesn’t limit her uplifting messages to her books, lectures and speaking engagements. Every morning, her social media followers receive words of encouragement and enlightenment to help jump-start their day.

Adams readily acknowledges that the holidays can be wrought with sadness for people grieving the loss of loved ones. Having recently lost a sister, Adams posted this moving passage on Facebook after her sibling’s death:

earth.

Whether our purpose is great or small, our impact can be powerful through the people we touch in simple and significant ways.

So I share this not to gain your pity or make you sad, but to encourage anyone who is grieving or depressed today and during this holiday season to go ahead and cry. Share stories about your loved one, then nudge yourself to smile through your tears.

I’m sure that’s what our loved ones would want.

I know for certain that while the sadness never truly leaves and you essentially learn to live with a broken heart, even broken hearts keep ticking, and good memories can eventually overshadow deep loss. Whatever the rest of your day holds, make sure you hold your loved ones close and cherish this particular season with them. And cry if you must! When your tears dry, you’ll be ready to help someone else endure.

Bonnie Newman Davis is a Richmond-based journalist, journalism educator and news media consultant.

Our culture is so afraid of death and dying that we often endure our grief in silence, and force others to do the same. But since my mother’s death a decade ago, I’ve learned that grief is not to be feared nor forced away.

While none of us enjoy experiencing it, granting ourselves the time and space to mourn offers proof that love reigned in our relationship with the one we’ve lost, and that this living being made an impact while on this

www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

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The Deal

Five Things to Do With an Unexpected Inheritance

Unexpected money from a friend or relative can be a great surprise or a potentially difficult money lesson. How you plan for unexpected money issues overall can be a key to how well you’ll handle a sudden windfall. Many people don’t do so well. A recent study from Ohio State University suggests that adults who inherit money are saving only about half of what they receive.

Researcher Jay Zagorsky reported that about only 11 percent of the participants had received an inheritance with the median amount only around $11,340. Zagorsky suggests awareness of such high spending numbers suggest it is time for a campaign on saving inherited wealth.

•

•

Want to get there early? Here’s a plan for dealing with an unexpected inheritance or any other surprise money issues in the future: •

Start by getting control of your current finances. Why wait for an inheritance? In 2013, the Gallup organization reported that only 1 in 3 Americans actually prepared a written or computerized household budget. If you’ve never prepared a budget before, know that it is the traditional starting point for all personal finance decisions.

CAHN is highlighting

•

Start saving now. The long-term purpose of budgeting is to find excess dollars so you can save and plan for the future. Even if it’s a few dollars a week as other resources go toward everyday expenses, get in the habit of regular savings and investment now. Consider activating direct deposit to build those amounts automatically. If an inheritance happens, you will already have savings habits in place and account relationships set up to receive the money.

Line up qualified advice. Skilled financial or tax experts can help you review what you’ve done so far with your money and suggest ways to make your personal savings or investments go farther. Having this relationship in place before an expected – or unexpected – windfall is valuable. They’ll know your situation and the best ways to handle new money. If an inheritance happens, consider a certified financial planner, certified public accountant and an attorney involved in trust or estate matters for your financial team.

Evaluate your relationships. Money can change people for better or worse. This is why you see so many troubling news stories about people who have an unexpected windfall. The best approach to sudden money is to go

s!

our community heart

n Featuring Pediatricia

, MD Dr. Barbara J. Steetole the Capital Area Health Network &

When you ask Dr. Barbara J. Steele what her passion is, she will tell you the children. Oh, and her miniature Schnauzer, Max! After practicing pediatrics in Atlanta for 24 years, Dr. Steele came back to Virginia, near her undergraduate Alma mater, The University of Virginia, to add her expertise

make a difference in the community.

The Board Certified Doctor is a member of both the Physician’s Alliance of America and the Physician’s Alliance Health Plan Trust.

Dr. Steele’s hobbies include cooking, reading, and relaxing at the beach.

Her favorite color is red, her favorite movies are “The Sound of Music” & “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and her favorite music group is Earth, Wind and Fire. The latest book she has read is “The Bully Pulpit” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Her pet peeve is self-centered people and her favorite saying is “Be True To Yourself”.

She is ready to serve you at the Northside Medical Center.

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By Nathaniel Sillin

Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

quietly and immediately into the planning phase – don’t make announcements and involve only key loved ones who need to be part of the process.

•

Don’t go on a spending spree. If you’re lucky enough to receive an inheritance of significant size, planning doesn’t mean quitting your job, buying a car or moving out of your current place, at least not immediately. Involve members of your financial team in your planning. After any tax or estate issues are settled and money is free for use, extinguish long-standing expenses, build an emergency fund and then establish savings and investments that are appropriate for you and your loved ones. Once details are complete, do have some fun, but try to keep the cost below 10 percent of the total inheritance amount.

Bottom line: Inherited money can help build a financial future.

Get some advice, plan thoughtfully for taxes and investments and save a little bit for fun or luxury. Without proper planning, windfalls don’t always last as long as you think.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ PracticalMoney.

CAHN is highlight

ing our com

Featuring Pedia munity hearts! trician

Dr. Carla King, M D

Dr. Carla King is a Richmond native with an amazing passion for Adolescent Health, Childhood Obesity and Nutrition as well as Asthma. But that’s not all.

She is the Site Coordinator for the national reading program Reach Out and Read and oversees the family planning program at four sites for the Capital Area Health Network. After receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia she completed medical school at the University of Maryland-Baltimore.

She competed her residency at Howard Hospital in DC. She collected numerous awards all along the way. Finishing her post graduate at VCU she continues to enjoy teaching medical students, nurse practitioner students and physician assistant students in her office.

Dr. King is a Capricorn. Her favorite

color is purple. Her favorite movie is ‘The Game’. Her favorite music group is Mercy Me. She loves seafood and her pet peeve is “People that are not Team Players”. The saying that she holds dear is “You reap what you sow”.

She is ready to serve you at the Vernon J. Harris Medical Center.

Call the Capital Area Health Network at 804-780-0840 to make your appointment today!

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Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

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Scholar of the Week

By Janeal Downs

When Jocelyn Lee was younger, she was always involved in music. Many young girls aspire to be a singer, like many young boys aspire to be football players, but for Jocelyn, being in music was the only thing she could see herself doing for the rest of her life. “I always surrounded myself with music, I always sang,” Jocelyn said. “But I just never thought of myself as a singer because of my personality, because I’m really shy.”

Despite this, because music is so meaningful to her, she could not see herself doing anything else. Jocelyn wants to write, play and sing her own music in order to inspire others.

Jocelyn Lee

of Franklin Military Academy GPA: 4.0 College of Interest: University of Richmond Major Community Service: Performance at Fort Lee Strong Interests: Music Favorite Activities: Playing her clarinet and singing

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performances for the community and her church with Psalms 38 Band.

Some of her musical inspirations are Jhené Aiko, Frank Ocean and Kanye West. She likes Kanye West because of his originality, and she considers Jhené Aiko and Frank Ocean’s music good, quality music. “I just feel like when I listen to their music, I can feel their passion,” Jocelyn said. Their music is different from main stream music. The deep topics have been able to help her through rough times, and she hopes to do the same with her own music. The genre of music she is most interested in is soul.

“I want to make music that is different from the mainstream and really tells a story, has a message, and helps others express their feelings the same way my favorite artists do,” Jocelyn said. ™

Scholar0

The next step in accomplishing her dream is to attend a fouryear institution to obtain a degree in music with a specialty in voice. Jocelyn’s ek top choice is the University of the We Another one of her musical of Richmond. She likes the inspirations is her boyfriend who is fact that she could be close also into music. “He really pushes to the community, and the me to not doubt myself, ” Jocelyn said. “He’s more of an opportunity of getting one-on-one experiences with professors instrumentalist and I’m more of a singer, so we help each other is appealing to her. out in that way.”

Jocelyn already prepares for her career in music by playing Jocelyn said despite her circumstances and the odds that are the clarinet in her school’s band, singing and performing. against her, she will always be determined to succeed. She can’t She is a member of her school’s acapella group, FM Stereo, see herself doing anything other than music for the rest of her and reminisces on how her teacher was impressed with her life. “As long as I live I will always be shooting for this goal,” audition. With her acapella group, she has been able to do Jocelyn said. “I will always dedicate my time to music, because many performances. Recently they went to Fort Lee, Virginia that’s what I am most passionate about.” to sing Christmas songs for the soldiers. She has also done

Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

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2016

?

Peace Pieces An Upscale

Consignment Shop “Helping to serve the needs of women by bringing the best to everyone we touch.”

Visionaries Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ -- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Help us pick our Visionaries Urban Views Weekly invites you to nominate a person whom you believe best embodies the courage, compassion, integrity, inspiration and vision displayed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The nominee should live in the Greater Richmond and Petersburg communities.

Two individuals will be selected and featured in our January 2016 Martin Luther King edition.

Letters of nomination should be 400 words or less, and must include the nominee’s full name, address and telephone number. Nominators should include his or her name, address, telephone number and email address.

We are Open...

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Fantasia Travels

Mothers Day Cruise May 6, 2016

• Interior Stateroom $444.40 per person • Ocean View $499.40 per person • Deposit $150.00pp Limited space (Prices are subject to change without notice)

www.fantasia-travels/com

(804) 518-0868

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APARTMENTS UNFURN. COLONIAL HEIGHTS 2-3 Bedroom Specials!

1 MONTH FREE! Voucher Program Welcome, 877-297-5103 FREE MONTH RENT CHAMBERLAYNE AVE. Spacious efficiency, 1 & 2 bdrm apts.

Come join our established apt. community. Busline. Newly redecorated.

C/A. Parking, laundry facilities. Quiet area. No application fee. Work w/ problem credit. Starting at $395 for 1 bdrm/ $550 for 2 bdrm. ASK about 1 MONTH RENT FREE. 804-329-6249 or 271-1220 ZACHARIAS BROS. OIL. MAISONETTE APARTMENTS 6745 Jefferson Davis Highway 1 bdrm., A/C, util. incl., $190/wk.

804-275-7355. www.richmondmaisonettes.com

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Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

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NO PREP. ALL PARTY! party platters & trays for any gathering, large or small

ORDERING IS EASY ONLINE at MartinsFoods.com IN-STORE at any fresh department PHONE by calling 888-442-6812

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Urban Views Weekly | December 16, 2015

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