Will Harper and Dr. Dick Barnett on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

 Update: Audio can be found here of Will Harper and here of Dr. Barnett.

During the last several weeks more people have been discussing the NBA and  the actions of Donald Sterling than the NBA Playoffs. Living Your Best Life joins the dialogue by having honest conversations without punditry back and forth that will address issues that have not only plagued the NBA but our country for decades.

Will Harper

Dr. Dick Barnett

On Saturday, May 17, 2014 Emmy Award winner, CEO, producer, and director of The Global Touch Group , Will Harper and NBA legend, author, lecturer, and educator, Dr. Dick Barnett, will share their thoughts on sports and entertainment and how they are defining our culture today.

Nelson Mandela and Will Harper

Oprah Winfrey and Will Harper

Xernona Clayton and Will Harper

Will Harper will share lessons learned from working with Nelson Mandela, Oprah, Xernona Clayton, Issac Hayes, Lenny Krazit, Magic Johnson Enterprises, and ESPN to name a few and how he grew as a person from each encounter. Harper will share how the timing of Donald Sterling's debacle coincides with a future documentary that Harper is planning to produce. The documentary will explore the history of the NBA through the eyes of the original Harlem Globetrotters and NBA players like New York Knicks' Dr. Dick Barnett.

Walt Frazier, Phil Jackson, and Dr. Dick Barnett

  TSU, NAIA Basketball National Champions1957-59

New York Knicks 1970 NBA Champions

Dr. Dick Barnett, nicked named "Fall Back Baby" because of his famous jump shots, will weigh in on the Donald Sterling mayhem as well. He will share his thoughts about the ongoing systemic issues in the NBA from a player's perspective and share why he believes professional athletes must take ownership of not using their collective financial power to bring about more drastic changes in the NBA and in the communities many come from prior to becoming successful athletes.

Global Citizens, Will Harper and Dr. Dick Barnett, will empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life. Living Your Best Life,  can be heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also air on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network (XM 142).

More about Will Harper

Will Harper and Ambassador Andrew Young

Will Harper and Madame Bernadette Christie, First Lady of the Bahamas

“Why change a Picasso”, – Clint Eastwood about Will Harper’s film “The making of “Bird”- a behind the scenes documentary on Charlie “Bird” Parker, starring Forest Whitaker

During the course of his production career Will Harper conceptualized, produced and directed a plethora of projects for Oprah, Clint Eastwood, Lenny Kravitz, Jamie Foxx, Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount, Universal, ABC, CBS, ESPN, Leo Burnett and others. Possessing a unique and diverse repertoire of skills collected from his experience from major studios to independent projects all over the world (Europe, South Africa, South America, Central America, Middle East, Asia, Caribbean & U.S.). Harper is one executive whose extensive production background bestows a powerful contribution upon each and every project.

Harper’s business acumen, market sensibilities, extensive knowledge that includes every aspect of production from inception to completion and his ability to combine effective story-telling with visually-stimulating images, have established him as one of the most comprehensive producers/directors in show business. He received an Emmy Award for creating original children's programming for Westinghouse.
  original children’s programming for Westinghouse.or creating
In 2002, Harper founded The GlobalTouch Group (GTG), an hybrid branding and marketing agency. GTG’s portfolio includes television shows on major networks and branding campaigns that have tremendously increased market share for businesses worldwide.

More About Dr. Dick Barnett

Dr. Barnett in the studios with Genma Holmes

Richard “Dick” Barnett began his basketball career playing for Gary Roosevelt High School in Indiana where he led his team to the state championship. In 1955, Barnett came to Tennessee State A&I (now Tennessee State University) to become arguably the best player in the university’s history. Today, he remains TSU’s all time leading basketball scorer with 3,209 career points from 1955-1959. He, along with the “whiz kids” were under the leadership of Basketball Hall of Fame Coach John B. McLendon. The Tigers won an unprecedented three consecutive NAIA National Basketball Championships in 1957, 1958 and 1959 and became the first historically black college to ever win an integrated national championship. During those championship seasons, Barnett was a three time All-American and was named the NAIA Tournament MVP for two consecutive years. His 1957 All-American honor marked the first time an African American was ever named to the National All-American team.

Barnett was a number one draft choice in the National Basketball Association with the Syracuse Nationals. He played in the American Basketball League with the Cleveland Pipers owned by George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees in 1962 and led them to an ABL Championship. Dick Barnett rejoined the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and played with the likes of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for three seasons. He was later traded to the New York Knicks where he played on the only two championship teams in Knicks’ history (1970 and 1973). His number was retired and hangs in the rafters of Madison Square Garden. Dick Barnett retired as an active player in the 1970s after a long fifteen-year professional career. He continued to pursue his educational studies and received a Doctoral degree in education from Fordham University. Dr. Barnett is now President of ARM, the Athletic Role Model Educational Institute, a non-profit organization with a focus on education for at risk students. He has recently been named the Commissioner of the WBL, a professional basketball league in New York. Dr. Barnett has been inducted into the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee State University Sports Hall of Fame (1983), Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (2005) and the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2007). He is the first TSU athlete to ever have his jersey retired (#35).

Photo credits: Will Harper, Genma Holmes, Dr. Dick Barnett, TSU and New York Knicks Archives

Margot James Copeland on Living Your Best Life Radio

 Update: Audio of show can be heard here.

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers embody "Be the change you want to see in the world."

On Saturday, May 10, 2014, tune in to hear one of our country's most inspiring leaders, Margot James Copeland, CEO and Chair of  KeyBank Foundation. Copeland will share chapters from her life Mother's Day weekend. She will fondly share about being raised in an HBCU community that was a "rich environment" where the focus was not money but character building. Copeland shares with a smile in her voice, "It was not if you were going to college but where."

Margot James Copeland and Traci Otey Blunt: TNJ 's 2014 25 Most Influential Women in Business Honorees

Margot James Copeland and Genma Stringer Holmes in New York

Copeland will share her journey to being one of the most influential corporate executives and how she credits being at the helm of Leadership Cleveland as one of the defining moments in her career prior to joining KeyBank. She also shares advice on being true to yourself, servant leadership, and diversity.

Copeland will discuss the importance of being in the community in order to lead the community. She will share thoughts on the millennial generation and how they use social media to promote advocacy to address change. Copeland also talks about current issues like #brinkbackourgirls and what the protests surrounding Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis  said about the culture of today's youth and social injustice.

Margot James Copeland Named Hampton University’s 2013 Alumnus of the Year!

Copeland will share her most memorable moments as a daughter with her mother,Thelma James Taylor, while lovingly recalling her favorite Mother's Day moments with her children, Reverend Kimberly, Dr. Garrison, and Michael Copeland. She will also share why she believes college graduations held on Mother's Day are one truly the ultimate Mother's Day gift!

Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires and motivates one to live their BEST life, can be heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also air on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network.

More about Margot James Copeland

Copeland began her corporate career at Xerox Corporation, Polaroid, and Picker International. In 1992, she was hired as executive director for Leadership Cleveland, a program of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association that develops community leaders. After seven years at Leadership Cleveland, Copeland became president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Roundtable, a nonprofit organization founded to improve multicultural and multiracial relations in the Cleveland area. She joined KeyCorp in 2001, and served as executive vice president - director, corporate diversity and philanthropy and as an executive council member. KeyCorp is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies and, within her position as chair and CEO of the KeyBank Foundation, she managed the company’s annual $20 million philanthropic investment program and oversaw diversity initiatives. KeyCorp has been included in DiversityInc magazine’s list of 50 Top Companies for Diversity in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009 and ranked 13th among the most generous cash giving companies in America in a 2003 list published by BusinessWeek. In 2013, the KeyBank Foundation was recognized as a Civic 50 Company by the National Conference on Citizenship, Points of Light and Bloomberg LP. 

Copeland has participated in a number of community organizations and boards. In 2010, she became the fifteenth president of The Links, Inc. She has also served as the president of the Junior League of Cleveland, Inc., sat on the Kent State University board of trustees, acted as Mentor/Protégé Program Advisor for Morehouse College, and is a member of the Business School Advisory board at Hampton University.  

Copeland was listed as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Cleveland” by New Cleveland Woman magazine, and in 2012, Savoy magazine included her in a list of the “100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America.” She is also the recipient of the YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award; was the 2006 Black Professional of the Year as recognized by Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation; received the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Community Service Award; and the W.O. Walker Excellence in Community Service Award, sponsored by the Call and Post newspaper. Copeland also received the distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award in 2013 from Hampton University. (source)


Photo credits: Genma Holmes, Links, Inc., KeyBank, and Hampton University

Marcia Dyson and Crystal DeGregory on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Living Your Best Life Radio with Genma Holmes celebrates the strength, courage, and boldness of women who embrace life to the fullest and have not let others "no" determine their destiny in life. Join us to hear the from women who are seasoned with success and who believe in mentoring other women to become trailblazers as they empower, inspire, and motivate us to live our BEST life.

On Saturday, April 5, 2014, join us to hear from trailblazers who believe  "There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you." Dr. Marcia Dyson, CEO and Founder of  Women Global Initiative, and Dr. Crystal DeGregory, Founder and Executive Editor of HBCUstory, will share their stories and passion for uplifting women and our global community through education, justice, equality, and economic empowerment.

ColorComm's Chloe Louvouezo, Harriett Fulbright, Dr. Marcia Dyson, Lauren W. Wilson and Amber Allen

Dr. Dyson will discuss why it is imperative to promote, inspire, and support the future leaders of the world and why she believes every citizen is a leader.  Dr. Dyson will share lessons learned from her encounters with world leaders and the role of the business community plays in sustaining nations for the next generation. Dr. Dyson will also share about the C2 Conference that will be held in August 2014.

HBCUstory 2012 Honorees

Dr. DeGregory will share the need for HBCUstory, founded in 2012, as an advocacy initiative that is preserving, presenting, and promoting inspiring stories of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) community’s past and present, for our future. She will share about her latest body of work  “The Relationships of Revolution: Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement and Political Change in the Bahamas”and the upcoming 2nd Annual HBCUstory Symposium that will be held in Washington, D.C.

Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST. 


More About WGI

Women's Global Initiative (WGI) works closely with a network of corporate, government, university, faith-based, and other partners. Through these partnerships, we create and support innovative new programs that help extend effective existing efforts of women. We are an exclusive membership club, to inspire, inform, and engaged members to promote intercultural, political, and religious dialogue though a unique combination of online and global events.

WGI serves and supports women from every walk of life. The hierarchy of economic empowerment, beginning at the lowest levels of household and community control, is still globally genderized in favor of men. This is a form of structural discrimination that ultimately undermines national interests
and economic possibilities.

Although women are at the center of the household, they are too often disempowered. Investment in women's individual agency balances decision making within the household, resulting in a positive systemic impact upon society.

We believe that efforts toward an equitable national economy must be mirrored in the household. Therefore, gender-based exclusionary elements must be corrected at that most basic level of social organization.

WGI is committed to solving the underlying problems that threaten, undermine, and impair women's ability to lead productive and fulfilling lives. We focus on ameliorating the economic and socio-cultural barriers that limit women's opportunities. We dedicate our resources toward lowering these barriers wherever we encounter them within the communities we serve.

More About ColorComm Conference (C2)

C2 is the ultimate business conference for women of color in communications. Innovative programs, presented by the industry’s top practitioners and thought leaders, will address key issues and predict future trends.

Unlike many professional conferences with thousands in attendance, C2 is an intimate group of approximately 300 multicultural, professional women. That means everyone can identify with common experiences and challenges and everyone is accessible. With access comes action, the kind of action you need to advance your career, build your business and enhance your personal development.

C2 is for you if you are a woman of color in the vast field of communications. This includes Public Relations, Media Relations, Corporate Communications, Advertising, Journalism, Broadcast, Consulting, Social Media as well as Entrepreneurs, Educators and more. C2 is for you if you want to connect with and learn from the best and the brightest.

More About HBCUstory 

Founded in 2012, HBCUstory, Inc. is an advocacy initiative, preserving, presenting and promoting inspiring stories of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) community’s past and present, for our future.

Each and everyday, the HBCU community is writing the HBCUstory. We have fond memories of administrators, faculty, staff and fellow alumni–of people who believed in us and made us believe in ourselves.

We who believe in the mission and vision of HBCUs must leverage our HBCU stories as more than mere memories. Our memories must serve as compelling evidence for the future of these’s educational, cultural and social treasures.

More About HBCUstory 2nd Annual Symposium

Photo Credits: HBCUstory, ColorComm, Dr. Dyson and Dr. deGregory

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice and Traci Otey Blunt on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week."  Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women’s History Week."  In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month."  Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month.  Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” 

 Living Your Best Life Radio with Genma Holmes celebrates the strength, courage, and boldness of women who embrace life to the fullest and have not let others "no" determine their destiny in life. Join us to hear the from women who are seasoned with success and who believe in mentoring other women to become trailblazers as they empower, inspire, and motivate us to live our BEST life.

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice

Traci Otey Blunt

On Saturday, March 22, 2014, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, the newly appointed President of Morehouse School of Medicine – the nation’s first African-American woman to lead a free-standing medical school and Traci Otey Blunt, Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for RJL Companies will share about shattering the glass ceilings and how women leaders are changing the cultural of business as usual in higher education, medicine, entertainment, and the media.

Tune in to hear these dynamic women discuss current issues in their fields, how to build partnerships, and their advice to young women who are on their journey to becoming Women of Influence.

Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, on streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice

As incoming president of Morehouse School of Medicine, effective July 1, 2014, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice will also maintain her role as the school’s dean. When she was announced, Dr. Montgomery Rice was the first African-American woman named to lead a freestanding medical school. She is a renowned infertility specialist and researcher, as well as current dean and executive vice president of Morehouse School of Medicine where she has served since 2011. In this role, she oversees Morehouse School of Medicine’s widespread academic and clinical programs in health sciences and leads strategic planning initiatives for both patient care, research and community engagement. Her current research includes a partnership with the University of Zambia, which focuses on the development of a vaginal microbicide for the prevention of HIV.

She is the founder and former director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., where she had previously served as dean of the School of Medicine and senior vice president of health affairs. The Center for Women’s Health Research is one of the nation’s first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color. Dr. Montgomery also held numerous administrative and faculty appointments at the University of Kansas School of Medicine prior to joining Meharry Medical College.

Dr. Montgomery Rice’s dedication to healthcare research, preventative care and mentoring are manifested in every aspect of her work and life. As such, she has been honored with membership in the Society for Women’s Health Research Board Member (2012- 2013), executive committee (2013), National Institute of Minority Health and Disparities and Office of Women’s Health/NIH Board Member (2013-), March of Dimes Board Member (2012-), Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans Administrative Board Member (2012-), FDA Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs (2011-), Scientific Committee, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2007-2011), President’s Commission on White House Fellowships Regional Panelist Selection Committee (2010), Strategic Planning Committee, Office of Women’s Health Research, NIH (2010), Every Life Matters, Every Dollar Counts Campaign - chair, National AIDS Fund Board of Trustees (2009 – 2010), National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities Special Emphasis Panel (2009),National Aids Fund Board of Trustees (2007-2011), Wal-Mart Healthcare Insights Panel - chair (2007-2010), Wal-Mart External Advisory Board (2006-2008) and American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, board examiner(2007-).

More About Traci Otey Blunt

The Network Business Journal March 2014

Traci Otey Blunt, a veteran media, political and public affairs specialist, is Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. In this role, she is responsible for media strategy and communications, government relations and public affairs on behalf of The RLJ Companies. Prior to joining RLJ, Traci served as a Deputy Communications Director for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Traci has more than 18 years of experience leading public relations and public affairs efforts for corporate, local, state and federal governments, as well as non-profit organizations.

Traci has experience in the fast-paced world of politics and government, having served as a media specialist on Capitol Hill, with the District of Columbia government, and in mayoral, state legislative, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.

Prior to joining the Clinton campaign, Traci served as a Vice President and Deputy Director for the multicultural practice at Ogilvy Public Relations in Washington, DC. As Deputy Director for the agency’s multicultural communications, Traci provided the day-to-day management and oversight of several high-profile accounts and public affairs campaigns, including the African American Medicare Prescription Drug Campaign for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Readiness Initiative and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

As the Director of Communications for the District of Columbia’s Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development in 2002, Traci was responsible for planning economic development-related events, as well as leading all communications efforts related to development in the city. She also served as Press Secretary for the 2002 reelection campaign for Mayor Anthony Williams. In 2000, Traci served as the Communications Director for the Tennessee coordinated Gore/Lieberman campaign. She also served as a Communications Specialist at the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and worked on legislative issues in the United States Senate.

Traci is a 1990 graduate of Tennessee State University where she received her degree, cum laude, in Criminal Justice. She currently serves on the following boards: the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBCLEO) Foundation; the College of Public Service and Urban Affairs Board of Advisors at Tennessee State University; ColorComm, a professional organization for women of color in communications; Washington Women in PR (WWPR); and Malaria No More, a non-profit dedicated to ending malaria deaths and providing life-saving tools and education to families across Africa.

H.O.P.E. Scholarship Initiative on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

 Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations and leaders who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations and leaders embody "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Throughout 2013 listeners will hear from presidents of organizations who are global change agents. We will also hear from CEOs of social enterprise businesses who are changing communities and college educators who are taking their students out of the classroom and into surrounding neighborhoods to learn and serve others.

Join us on Saturday, April 20, 2013, as we continue the count down to the Inaugural HBCUstory Symposium count down by hearing from Michelle Janaye, co-founder of The H.O.P.E. Scholarship Initiative. H.O.P.E.'s (Helping Others Pursue Education) co-founder will share how she and Jefferey Chance decided to serve their community by raising money to give deserving students $1,000 scholarships. Listen as Michelle Janaye share why she did not wait until she found "success" to give back to others. Michelle Janaye and Jeffrey Chance, Howard University Alums, started paying it forward as graduate students.

Hear Michelle talk about the harshness of being without money while in college and not wanting anyone else to find feel what she felt. She will share why she believes strongly in leading by serving. We will also hear from Nikkia Echols, the H.O.P.E. Scholarship Initiative first award recipient. Nikkia, a 2012 Howard University will share how her H.O.P.E Scholarship made it possible for her to graduate last year.

Michelle and Nikkia will empower, inspire, and motivate you to reach back and help others pursue their education...one H.O.P.E. scholarship at a time.

Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires and motivates one to live their BEST life, can heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also be aired on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network.

More About H.O.P.E. Scholarship Initiative

Michelle Janaye

 The H.O.P.E. Scholarship Initiative, a Washington-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization designed to empower high-achieving students facing financial hardships. In three years, HOPE has given away five scholarships to deserving students in need. Michelle Janaye, co founder and assistant director, serves alongside of H.O.P.E Scholarship Director Jeffrey Chance, Marketing Director Teneasha Pierson, Partnerships Director LaToya Archibald and Fundraising Chair Brandy Jackson.

 Since their inception in 2010, The H.O.P.E. Scholarship team has worked diligently to lighten the financial burden on college students by providing need-based scholarships. With the assistance of HBCU alumni and supporter, grassroots fundraising and sponsorships, H.O.P.E has raised nearly $10,000 and awarded five scholarships.
​
 As former students, they understand the challenges of paying for tuition, looking for scholarships and working part-time jobs, all while maintaining an impressive GPA.
​
 The team as an organization have resolved to be HOPE DEALERS, individuals committed to sustaining historically black colleges and universities by empowering the students who attend them financially, physically and emotionally.

To learn more about supporting the mission of The H.O.P.E. Scholarship click here.


Meet Nikkia Echols

One day, while on in the car with her mom a little girl pointed at the radio and exclaimed, "Mommy, THAT'S what I wanna be when I grow up!" "A DJ? Or a Radio Personality? Is that what you mean?" replied her mom. "Yeah. That!" The girl sat wide-eyed with a big grin on her face. Thus, a dream began.

Born in Baltimore, MD to a single-mother, Nikkia was always taught to dream big. Academics were always of importance but never a chore; she loved to learn. After beginning a college career at Morgan State University, Nikkia knew she wanted to venture outside of Baltimore.

Howard University seemed to be the perfect fit. With its rich history and popular radio station, WHUR 96.3, all signs lead there. It is at Howard that Nikkia began to hone her skills in Broadcast. Within a year of transferring to Howard, Nikkia successfully auditioned for her first show at the student-run station, WHBC Howard University. Taking on the name "Echo" this eventually lead to three years of hosting shows in the popular Tuesday/Thursday 8pm to 10pm timeslot.

Majoring in Radio/TV/Film, Nikkia also interned and did sit-ins with various radio stations in the DC metropolitan area including HOT 99.5 and WPGC 95.5. Upon graduation from Howard in May 2012, Nikkia was hired with CBS Radio, Baltimore where she currently works. It is her hope that this is just the beginning to a long and successful career.

My HBCUstory Carlos McCormick on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations and leaders who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations and leaders embody "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Throughout 2013 listeners will hear from presidents of organizations who are global change agents. We will also hear from CEOs of social enterprise businesses who are changing communities and college educators who are taking their students out of the classroom and into surrounding neighborhoods to learn and serve others.

Join us on Saturday, April 13, 2013  as we continue the countdown to the Inaugural  HBCUstory Symposium with Carlos McCormick, an honor student athlete who attends Tennessee State University.  Listen to Carlos share his powerful journey from an orphanage in Mexico to West Virgina School for the Blind to attending college in Tennessee while training to run for the Paralympics. 

Carlos will share about the educational struggles but he graduated from high school with a 4.0. He will share how he dreamed of going to college and how colleges are adapting to a growing population of students who are vision impaired. He will also share how technology plays a major role in his pursuit of a college degree. Carlos speaks often to students at  the Tennessee School for the Blind, agencies that advocate for children with disabilities. He also addresses adoption and foster care issues. Carols is an aspiring author and has a book written about his life.

Carols is mentored and coached by Franz Holmes who HBCUstory can be found here. Carlos' HBCUstory of overcoming many personal trials and how is desire to go to college against all odds will leave you empowered, inspired, and motivated to live your BEST life.

Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires and motivates one to live their BEST life, can heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also be aired on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network.


More About Carlos McCormick



· 1995- Abandoned at Villa Hogar, an orphanage in Toluca, Mexico. He can’t remember anything about his parents or where he lived before the orphanage. Presumed to be three years old, but doesn’t even know when his birthday is. Was assigned a birthday by the orphanage.

· 1998- Along with his older brother Eric, he was adopted by Stephen and Carolanne Dougherty from Philadelphia. He lived with the Doughertys and their four daughters for two years before being mysteriously left for adoption by another family.


· 2000- Moved in with and was later adopted by Henry and Diane McCormick from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Lived on a small farm there for six years and suffered cruel neglect and punishment before finally being removed from the home by the West Virginia DHHR.

· 2006- Removed from the McCormick home and placed in a series of temporary foster homes before finally settling with Deyerle and Etta Miller from Mathias, WV, a tiny rural village in Hardy County. He also started attending school for the first time in five years when he enrolled at the West Virginia School for the Blind in Romney.

· 2008-Attended the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, where his love of running and his passion for competition led him to set his sights on becoming a Paralympian himself.

· 2010- Moved into the home of Donna and Larry See of Romney and began splitting his education between Hampshire High School and WVSB. Completed against public schools, which enabled his running to reach a new level.

· 2012- Graduated from Hampshire High School, achieving a perfect 4.0 grade point average his senior year.

· 2012- Enrolled at Tennessee State University and began training under the watchful eye of assistant track coach Franz Holmes.


More About IPC 

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. Its purpose is to organize the summer and winter Paralympic Games and act as the International Federation for nine sports, supervising and coordinating World Championships and other competitions.

The vision of the IPC, run by 200 members, is ‘To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world.’

Enable - Creating conditions for athlete empowerment
Paralympic Athletes - The primary focus, from initiation to elite level
Achieve - Sporting excellence is the goal of a sport centred organization
Inspire & Excite - Touch the heart of all people for a more equitable society

Founded on 22 September 1989 as a non-profit organization, it is based in Bonn, Germany and aims to develop sports opportunities for all people with an impairment from the beginner to elite level.
It employs nearly 50 people from 17 countries and is composed of a General Assembly (highest decision making body), a Governing Board (executive body), a Management Team and various Standing Committees and Councils.

Aspiration:

Athletes and the Paralympic Games are at the heart of our Movement. Their performances and incredible stories teach the values of acceptance and appreciation for people with a disability. The Paralympic Movement builds a bridge which links sport with social awareness thus contributing to the development of a more equitable society with respect and equal opportunities for all individuals.

HBCUstory Part 2 on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations and leaders who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations and leaders embody "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Throughout 2013 listeners will hear from presidents of organizations who are global change agents. We will also hear from CEOs of social enterprise businesses who are changing communities and college educators who are taking their students out of the classroom and into surrounding neighborhoods to learn and serve others.

 On Saturday, April 6, 2013 we will continue the dialogue with Dr. Crystal deGregory, founding editor of HBCUstory. Listen as the lively discussion from last week pick up where we left off. Updates on presenters, along with perspectives on open and closed campuses, the telling of the HBCUstory in places other than HBCU zoned areas of the community, and navigating the politics of higher education will be shared.

Hear why the HBCUstory Symposium will be an opportunity for young professors and doctoral candidates to gain value exposure for presenting their publications and a reminder for young academia to not become complacent in their careers as educators and mentors to the next generation.

Dr. deGregory will also share more insights from her dissertation: Raising a Nonviolent Army: Four Nashville Black Colleges and the Century Long Struggle for Civil Rights, 1830s-1930s, Vanderbilt University 2011.

Online registration can be found at HBCUstory Symposium.

Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires and motivates one to live their BEST life, can heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also be aired on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network.

More About HBCUstory 

Founded in 2012, HBCUstory, Inc. is a nonprofit advocacy initiative,  preserving, presenting and promoting inspiring stories of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) community’s past and present, for our future.

Each and everyday, the HBCU community is writing the HBCUstory. We have fond memories of administrators, faculty, staff and fellow alumni–of people who believed in us and made us believe in ourselves.

We who believe in the mission and vision of HBCUs must leverage our HBCU stories as more than mere memories. They serve as compelling evidence for the future of these’s educational, cultural and social treasures.

At HBCUstory, we’re making memories matter.

HBCUstory Keynote Speaker Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College

Micheal J. Sorrell is the 34th president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas and is the reigning “HBCU Male President of the Year.” Under his trans-formative leadership, Paul Quinn demolished fifteen abandoned buildings, achieved full accreditation with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and partnered with PepsiCo to transform its football field into the two-acre “WE Over Me Farm.” As Paul Quinn’s president, Sorrell is masterfully branding the college’s dynamic “Quinnite Nation,” which is experiencing one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of higher education.

More About HBCUstory's  Founding Editor, Crystal deGregory, Ph.d 

A native of Freeport, Bahamas, Dr. Crystal A. deGregory received her doctoral degree in history from Vanderbilt University in May 2011. Entitled "Raising a Nonviolent Army: Four Nashville Black Colleges and the Century-Long Struggle for Civil Rights, 1830s-1930s," her dissertation focuses on the role of American Baptist College, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College and Tennessee State University and their students in the struggle for equality, justice and civil rights in Nashville, Tennessee.

Crystal received her undergraduate training at the historic Fisk University. A proud Fiskite, the school's small but mighty faculty nurtured her love of history as both a passion and profession. In May 2005, she was awarded a master's degree from Vanderbilt for her thesis "The Color Divide in the Emergent Black Man's Party: The Political Strivings of the Bahamian Colored and Black Middle Class in the Progressive Liberal Party, 1953-1963."

A former fellow of the National Visionary Heritage Fellows Program of the National Visionary Leadership Project, her research on Drs. McDonald and Jamye Coleman Williams was included in the 2004 monograph, A Wealth of Wisdom: Legendary African American Elders Speak. In addition to being among the inaugural fellows of Vanderbilt's Center for Nashville Studies (in conjunction with Vanderbilt's College of Arts and Sciences), Crystal was the recipient of the Bahamas Government Graduate Scholarship and Lyford Cay Graduate Student awards. In 2010, she also won the alternate award for the TIAA-CREF Ruth Simms Hamilton Research Fellowship.

Crystal believes deeply in the unique mission of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and to this end, proudly serves on the faculty of Tennessee State University's department of history, geography and political science. A regular contributor to HBCU Digest, she is also the founder and executive editor of HBCUstory.com, an online advocacy center presenting inspiring stories of the HBCU community's past and present, for our future.

Her work has been published in Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture (2011), Tennessee Historical Quarterly (2010), Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience (2009), National African American Biography (2008), Notable Black American Men II (2007), and Encyclopedia of African American Business (2006). She has forthcoming works in The Tennessee State University Journal and in A Single Garment of Destiny: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Globalization of an Ethical Ideal, Lewis V. Baldwin and Paul Dekar, editors; she will also serve as editor for Emancipation and the Fight for Freedom, the sixth volume in the 12-part series, Tennessee in the Civil War: The Best of the Tennessee Historical Quarterly.

Photo credits: Genma Holmes, Paul Quinn College, and HBCUstory

HBCUstory on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations and leaders who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations and leaders embody "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Throughout 2013 listeners will hear from presidents of organizations who are global change agents. We will also hear from CEOs of social enterprise businesses who are changing communities and college educators who are taking their students out of the classroom and into surrounding neighborhoods to learn and serve others.

Join us on Saturday, March 30, 2013, to hear from the founding editor of HBCUstory,  Dr. Crystal deGregory. Listen to Dr. deGregory share her passion for chronicling the history, the struggles, the challenges, and the beauty of the nation's Historically Black Universities and Colleges. deGregory will share the traditional roles of HBCUs as well as the relevancy of HBCUs as they adapt to the changing demographics of our country and financial challenges. deGregory  will discuss the culture of academia, young academics need for mentoring, and why HBCU institutions must get better at telling their story beyond the HBCU community.

Tune in to hear share about the stellar line up of speakers of the Inaugural HBCUstory Symposium and it's keynote speaker, President Sorrell of Paul Quinn College. Listen to how  her share how her dream is now reality with the support of the Nashville Public Library and why the symposium will be a safe environment to exchange ideas and share concerns that will collect “Inspiring Stories of the Past and Present, For Our Future.”

Part 1 will air this weekend.

 Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires and motivates one to live their BEST life, can heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also be aired on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network.

More About HBCUStory

 Founded in 2012, HBCUstory, Inc. is a nonprofit advocacy initiative,  preserving, presenting and promoting inspiring stories of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) community’s past and present, for our future.

Each and everyday, the HBCU community is writing the HBCUstory. We have fond memories of administrators, faculty, staff and fellow alumni–of people who believed in us and made us believe in ourselves.

We who believe in the mission and vision of HBCUs must leverage our HBCU stories as more than mere memories. They serve as compelling evidence for the future of these’s educational, cultural and social treasures.

At HBCUstory, we’re making memories matter.

Symposium Announcement

Nashville-Based HBCUSTORY Announces Distinguished HBCU President as Keynote for Inaugural Symposium
Symposium will also feature 15 scholars from across the nation

NASHVILLE, TN – March 18, 2013: Nashville-based HBCUSTORY Inc. announces that Michael J. Sorrell, Esq., president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, will serve as keynote speaker for the inaugural HBCUSTORY Symposium, scheduled Saturday, April 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Main Nashville Public Library at 615 Church Street.

Presented in partnership with the Nashville Public Library and the Nashville Public Library Foundation, the 2013 HBCUSTORY Symposium, themed “Inspiring Stories of the Past and Present, For Our Future” will also feature fifteen scholars from across the nation. These academicians and practitioners will share original research on emerging topics in the fields of history, information science, fundraising, partnerships, LBGTQ studies, athletics and wellness.

“This historic event provides an opportunity for members of the HBCU community to support positive stories reflecting the great work HBCUs have done and are doing,” said Dr. Crystal A. deGregory, HBCUSTORY Founder and Executive Director. “Our HBCUSTORY Symposium encourages HBCUs to craft their own stories and encourages academicians to consider HBCUs as subjects worthy of serious study. And, perhaps, even more importantly, the Symposium compels HBCU supporters to take an active role in ensuring a bright future for these giants in the pantheon of American educational history.”

Named by HBCU Digest as its “2012 HBCU Male President of the Year,” Sorrell is leading Paul Quinn College into one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of higher education, which includes the college being named by its peers as HBCU Digest’s “2011 HBCU of the Year” and being selected as a finalist for the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

“This type of symposium is long overdue,” Sorrell said. “Kudos to Dr. deGregory for creating a venue for scholarly discourse around a topic about which so many of us are passionate. Paul Quinn College and I will always support efforts that are committed to analyzing, debating, and celebrating both the history and the future of HBCUs.”

To register for the 2013 Symposium, please visit http://www.hbcustorysymposium.eventbrite.com. Registration is required. Limited on-site registration is available.
To learn more about HBCUSTORY, visit us online at http://www.hbcustory.com/

HBCUstory Storytellers

FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE EDITOR/HISTORY & CULTURE EDITOR
Crystal A. deGregory, Ph.D. is a graduate of the historic Fisk University ’03. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees in history from Vanderbilt University and now teaches in Tennessee State University’s department of history, geography and political science. Follow her on twitter at @HBCUstorian or contact her via email at cadegregory@HBCUstory.com.

MANAGING EDITOR/HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITOR
E. Clare Stewart, MSPH is graduate of Fisk University ’05 and Meharry Medical College, School of Graduate Studies and Research. She currently serves as the Community Coordinator for the HBCU Wellness Project at Fisk University. Follow her on twitter at @EClareStewart or contact her via email at ecstewart@HBCUstory.com.

Photo credits: Genma Holmes