Holding Dads Accountable

On the right is a picture of Victor (a big) and his mentee, Isaiah (a little). They're not related but the goal of their match through Big Brothers Big Sisters is to help Isaiah have a male he can model, learn from, and emulate. I've been a big for almost five years for my little, Shalakkeia.

I had the pleasure of meeting them last week while I was was working on a story about too parents not being accountable for their children. Assistant Jackson police chief Lee Vance called for dads in particular to step up. Sadly, too many dads don't. And there aren't enough male mentors to go around either. For instance, Isaiah waited a year to be matched with Victor.

Read and watch their story:
http://www.wapt.com/news/17947897/detail.html

Yes, He Did!

Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of saying LIVE on the air:

"Barack Obama is the next president of the United States."

Before Tuesday, I was not one of those people who walked around saying "he's going to win" or "Obama will beat McCain."

Maybe it's the journalist in me who needs facts in order to believe. Or maybe it's because I worked in newsrooms in the 2000 and 2004 election nights and I can't forget that sometimes we don't know who the president is until hours, days, or months later. So Obama's historic victory is something I didn't want to celebrate ahead of time.

I could hardly enjoy his win TUESDAY because I was working. Although everyone in the newsroom paused to watch his acceptance speech as you can see in the photos below. In fact, my first thoughts were for the safety of the Obama family. I prayed out loud, "Lord - keep him safe and honest."




It wasn't until Wednesday morning while watching news coverage and seeing so much emotion and celebration cross the country and the world - that I was moved to cry.

Earlier this week, I told my colleague, Don Champion, how it would be amazing IF Obama won. There would be a significant difference in what my generation and my father's generation would see as "possible" for African Americans.

For instance, my Dad was born in 1932 when Charleston, South Carolina was segregated. He went to Burke High School - the first public school for black students in the city. He told me he read from old books after the white students had gotten rid of them and the books were even missing pages they were in such bad shape. Later he was drafted during the Korean War and remembers that when the Army bus drove through Mississippi he and the other black soldier were NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE BUS - for fear of their safety. Fast forward to today, I live in Mississippi now. I am an anchor at a TV station - all because of what my parents taught me and because no schools or universities were ever "out of my reach."

What a difference in what one generation can see and CHANGE. And in case you're wondering, based on what my Dad has lived and survived - he didn't think he'd ever live to see a black president.

Hidden Cash in Garage Sales

Last Saturday was my second time taking part in a garage sale.
First time: I made about $60 and this time I made $170+ so I'm celebrating how my "stash made me some cash!"
There were a few things that helped this latest garage sale successful.

1. I didn't do it alone. My friend Vivian's neighbor, Donna, was the host. I brought items I'd been setting aside since the September garage sale. Then I invited my co-worker, Faith, to bring her stuff. The more - the merrier. If one of us didn't have what the "bargain hunters" wanted, the other one would.


2. We did it the first Saturday of the month. For lots of folks who get paid once a month, this is an ideal time for them to shop.


3. Proper promotion. Donna put green neon signs at the corner of her subdivision in Byram for the folks who drive around looking for garage sales. I also had it posted in the Clarion Ledger, Jackson Free Press, Craigslist, and a brand new free website I discovered: Kijiji. Then I e-mailed lots of folks in Jackson who might be interested in buying used items. The ad listed the date, time, and general item descriptions.

We'll probably take a break until the spring before we host another garage sale. It's getting TOO COLD to be standing outside at 5 a.m. I'll sell a few other specialty (12 pairs of ladies size 10 shoes) and brand new items on Ebay & Craigslist.