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This book is intended to highlight a phenomenon that occurs daily in the lives of Black leaders who serve in leadership positions in predominantly White organizations. Those individuals are evaluated and critiqued with the normal metrics of leadership, but they are also subjected to an additional set of expectations and challenges that do not apply to their White counterparts. The challenges highlighted in this book – regardless of industry or whether in the public or private sector – are the result of systemic racism that commenced in 1619 and remains alive today. The historical and on-going dehumanization of Black people, and the public policies and laws that have sustained it, have been responsible for the creation and maintenance of contemporary racism and its many manifestations.

Out of the Darkness Into the Light is a cognitive and emotional snapshot that chronicles a mans life during a period of great emotional loss and upheaval. It shares the common struggle of our humanity and frailty that is oftenmost present during times of what some would call depression. From cover to cover it highlights a journey of self discovery and takes you from the pits of dispair, disillusionment, and self pity to a place of triumph and victory. The transparency of this piece is eye-opening and comforting while the victory inherent within these short anecdotal essays is to say the least, inspiring. Some will laugh, others will cry but all will in some way, shape, or form relate to and be impacted by the trials (as well as the resolutions) illustrated within these pages. If one has ever experienced pain or loss, and if one has ever searched for answers and not them through their own introspective moments then this book may be of sound assistance to you. If you know anyone who is struggling to come to grips with themselves or simply in need of a new birth, a new direction and new possibility then have them try this rejuvenating series of life lessons and experience. If all seems dark or even dim help them turn on the light, this book can help them, can help you turn life around.

Alexander McAllister Rivera Jr. was a prolific photojournalist and a foremost public relations specialist. Well-known for his long association with North Carolina Central University, his livelihood and professional career extended well beyond Durham, North Carolina. Rivera Jr. not only created a body of work that preserved critical aspects of African American and American history on the local, state, national, and international levels, he also personified the philosophies of confidentiality and anonymity essential in the field of public relations to maneuver and operate in the complex environment of national and state politics. His career allowed him to witness, report, and participate to some degree on key historical events in the early-to-mid twentieth century, provided him connections to black communities across the country, and access to some of most powerful and influential people in the United States. He had unparalleled breath concerning the emerging struggle for equality. This work will introduce Rivera Jr. - whose photojournalistic and public relations work has been ignored or underappreciated - to the historical record.

The book features two private investigators who specialize in solving cold cases involving hate crimes. Their first case is one in which a 16-year-old African American teen was killed in a small Mississippi town. For five years, law enforcement has refused to solve the crime, almost immediately labeling it a cold case. Not one to give up,, even after five years of stonewalling, the teen's mother asks Jefferson-Davis Investigation Agency to find out who killed her son and why. The investigation leads to the discovery of numerous criminal acts by corrupt elected officials and law enforcement whose actions directly related to the death of the teen. The principal investigators are characters from my novel, Fruits of a Dead Legacy, which was published last year. This book will be a series of books in which the investigators pursue cold cases that possibly involve hate crimes.

More Adventures of Little Mikey is the second in a series of chapter books, featuring Little Mikey and his schoolmates. The first book in the series, The Adventures of Little Mikey, highlighted character traits that improve social emotional learning (SEL). The impetus for creating this series is to provide an additional tool to support parents, teachers, counselors, and other educators as they engage students in social emotional learning, which is regarded by educators as foundational and critical to the academic success of students. More Adventures of Little Mikey continues to illustrate the importance of children displaying strong character traits such as kindness, respect, generosity, fairness, compassion, unselfishness, and self-awareness. At the end of each chapter, there are several questions that encourage children to think more about those character traits. Book Review 1: “Children rarely if ever learn civility, respect, kindness, and compassion from lectures by adults, but children of all ages can and do learn these positive character traits from good examples. And sometimes these good examples can be other children that they get to know in timely and age-appropriate fiction like More Adventures of Little Mikey. In this book, three friends from diverse backgrounds navigate their school year by helping their classmates learn some important life lessons about how to treat others while also learning STEM skills. Independent readers will enjoy this book on their own, and younger readers will enjoy having it read aloud to them by adults. And each chapter offers gentle but very timely lessons for readers of all ages.” -- Dr. Allison Gilmore, former college administrator and educator Book Review 2: “More Adventures of Little Mikey has many different teachable moments that parents can use as talking points with their kids. The reoccurring theme is treating people with respect, no matter the differences, is a much-needed message in today’s society. I like that the examples used are everyday issues that kids face: accepting ownership for their actions; welcoming a new student to their class; and helping others in need. It sparked some conversation ideas for me to have with my daughter.” -- Ms. Latoya Norman, mother Book Review 3: “As a reader, I truly enjoyed diving into More Adventures of Little Mikey, the second installment of the Little Mikey series. As a teacher and public school administrator, I value the message and social-emotional growth of the characters. The relatable characters grow with the reader as they struggle with common problems of today’s children. The social-emotional learning (SEL) elements are an excellent tool for educators and parents to share with the important children in their life. Each chapter is followed by a series of thought-provoking questions that allow children to talk through the complexities of their world. Little Mikey is a boy who makes mistakes but is guided by strong role models who help him grow and develop strong character traits through each learning experience. This engaging book shares tales of relevant issues in a way that is safe for children in both the home and the classroom. More Adventures of Little Mikey would be a great addition to any library and certainly belongs in our SEL toolkit.” -- Ms. Tracy Horne, Elementary School Principal

Educational

The history of Black-Jewish relations from the beginning of the twentieth century shows that, while they were sometimes partners of convenience, there was also a deep suspicion of each other that broke out into frequent public exchanges. During the twentieth century, the entanglements of both groups have, at times, provided an important impetus for social justice in the United States and, at other times, have been the cause of great tension. The Ocean Hill-Brownsville Conflict explores this fraught relationship, which is evident in the intellectual lives of these communities. The tension was as apparent in the life and works of Marcus Garvey, Richard Wright, and James Baldwin as it was in the exchanges between blacks and Jews in intellectual periodicals and journals in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The Ocean Hill–Brownsville conflict was rooted in this tension and the longstanding differences over community control of school districts and racial preferences.

Learn to feel confident in yourself and your abilities through the long-lost childhood power of Pretending! When we are children, we don't think twice about using our imaginations to approach our problems and look for direct resolutions, whether they are practical or not. As we age, this natural ability is dumbed down, and in many cases, eradicated. This book seeks to reawaken that power within the reader without shame in a gentle, innovative, and potentially life-altering way. Are you someone who has difficulty recognizing your own self-worth, and acknowledging all the great struggles you have faced and how far you have come? "Crossing The Hills" is an exercise that addresses this at the root. Most people spend much more time worrying about what is going wrong, rather than what is going well, and this exercise refocuses the reader into a pathway of positive thinking. Perhaps you have a lot of great ambitions and dreams but struggle to set practical goals and stick to them. There is an exercise for that as well. There is something for everyone in this book. Other problems it seeks to address include: feeling worthwhile and unique, healing from past traumas, reconciling the death of a loved one, and many many more! The book's structure takes the reader through eight "psychic elements:" earth, water, air, fire, light, darkness, lunar, and time. Each of these elements represents certain aspects of the individual and collective self in the context of Source: the originator of all life and being in the universe. Some will think of this in terms of God and the Universe. Others will take a more scientific, objective approach. It doesn't matter. This book is compatible with all religions, faiths, and philosophies whether rooted in a belief in a higher power or not, because all of the work is done within the subconscious, and in its root, it is all pretend! Each section begins with an original poem relating to the subject to settle the reader into the overall feeling of the chapter, then an introduction is given to the subject or problem, followed by a guided meditation/contemplation exercise using "The Childlike Eye," which is also commonly referred to as "The Third Eye," or "Mind's Eye." The book can be worked carefully from start to finish with special attention to detail paid to each exercise, or it can be read through at a leisurely pace while thinking about the ideas and relaxing. It can be as intense or easygoing as you make it, and there is never any pressure. Whether this is your first time embarking on a spiritual journey of healing through manifestation, or you are a seasoned guru, Pretendable: The Childlike Eye sends you down the rabbit hole in such a way that when you emerge, you will never look at yourself or the world in the same way again!