Why You Should Give to ULGDYP?

One of the beneficiaries of the Big Give...

During 2010, the Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals (ULGDYP) has logged nearly 1,500 hours of volunteerism through youth mentoring; teaching financial literacy to youth and adults; donated nearly $5,000 in clothing, food and school supplies; raised awareness on various health related issues including diabetes and breast cancer through health fairs;  adopted families for the Christmas holiday; and assisted its local affiliate in all five pillars of the National Urban League’s (NUL) empowerment agenda.  The NUL ‘s strategy is to provide economic empowerment, educational opportunities and the guarantee of civil rights for African Americans.

ULGDYP has built community coalitions with such organizations as:  Urban Financial Services Coalition, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross – Dallas Affiliate, North Texas Food Bank, The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center, Greater Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals (YP214), the Dallas Examiner Newspaper, the DFW Chapters of the National Association of Black Accountants  and National Association of Black MBA’s, and many more.

Members of ULGDYP are also leaders in their respective professions.  In 2010, its members were award recipients of The Dallas Business Journal’s Top 40 Under Forty, national winner of the Ford Taurus Top Ten Competition highlighting top emerging leaders in business and making a difference in the community, Senior Vice President -Southern Region of National Urban League Young Professionals, a finalist for The Dallas Foundation’s Good Works Under 40 Awards, and a finalist for the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship on public policy, and a 2nd place winner of the MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs  Series (MUES) for emerging minority businesses…plus many more!

Additional highlights for ULGDYP include:

·       Inaugural recipient of the National Urban League Young Professionals Affiliate Community Service Award, 2010

·       Awarded Gold Level of The President’s Volunteer Service Award

·       Raised $50,495 for the Urban League of Greater Dallas North Central Texas affiliate

As you can see, your gift to the Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals – of any amount – will make a big difference in the lives of citizens in the Dallas/Ft. Worth community.  We thank you for the commitment and for your generosity.

Warm wishes for the holiday season!

What is the Big Give?

A Benefit Concert for the Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals and the Texas Organizing Project…you don’t want to miss this!

If your birthday is during the month of December, please contact City Stream Live Events to arrange your VIP table at the event.

Music Performance by Anthony David (“Words” with India Arie and President Obama's Fave Soul Artist

Thank you to our Sponsors: Park Place Mercedes Benz, City Stream Live Events, Love Child Productions, Real Photography by Nakoya, 3 Sisters Books LLC, Apexius Eternus, Break of Day Design, Concrete Magnolia Floral Design, Vaughn Jackson Web Design and Cause 360

You don't want to miss it!

Tickets available via Eventbrite:
http://brandibiggive-efbevent.eventbrite.com/

 

Anthony David is added to the Big Give Birthday Bash!

Enter to win a free weekend rental from Park Place Mercedes Benz with raffle ticket purchase.

Featuring musical guest
Anthony David

President Obama's fave Neo-Soul artist
(10/27/10 Rickey Smiley Morning Show)
hosted by
Sister Sondra

Benefiting the Texas Organizing Project and the

Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals

Sponsors Park Place Mercedes Benz, Love Child Productions, Real Photography by Nakoya, 3 Sisters Books, LLC, Apexius Eternus, Break of Day Design, and Vaughn Jackson Web Design

Texas Organizing Project

The Texas Organizing Project is a new, non-profit, Texas-based organization promoting social and economic equality for low to moderate income Texans through community and civic engagement.  Funds received for the Texas Organizing Project will be used to place well-trained, professional community organizers on the ground in targeted neighborhoods of Harris, Dallas and Hidalgo counties and recruit, train and mobilize hundreds of grassroots-neighborhood leaders and boost turnout of 60,000 minority voters.

Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals

The Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals supports the mission of the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas, providing a volunteer cadre of young professionals for youth education programs, aids awareness campaigns, senior citizens and veterans support programs and employment training.  Boasting almost 200 young professional members age 21 - 40, they also attend non-profit leadership, community organizing workshops and are educated on issues that impact urban communities.  Funds raised for this organization will provide opportunities for a larger number of trained young professionals to volunteer and work in the Greater Dallas community.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I can be overly thankful without having to explain it.  This year, I am hugely thankful for the following:

• Thankful for God's blessings that often show up in the middle of the storm!
• Thankful for my parents, who are the backbone behind everything that I do.
• Thankful for my daughter, who inspires me with her brilliance to be better and make the world better.
• Thankful for all of my mentors and supporters, that I can call when I don't know which way to turn.
• Thankful for my friends, who listen to me even when they are busy with their families and lives.
• Thankful for my NULYP, Southern Region YP and ULGDYP family who challenge and affirm me.
• Thankful for my new Leadership Dallas Class and their can-do attitude.
• Thankful for what others meant for evil!

I am thankful everyday...but a couple of things happened this week.  Thank you to the YP who I am supposed to be mentoring who saved me from myself on Tuesday.  Thank you to the gentleman that stopped me shared kind words on yesterday as I left the office.  You know those out of the blue comments that you weren't expecting.

Thank you all for the unique contribution you've made to my life.  It's Thanksgiving!  Go out and be thankful and then go to the mall. :)

Brandi's Big Give Birthday Bash

Hello friends!

It's almost my birthday and I wanted to share that my big party with two great organizations!  So, instead of buying me gifts please buy a $10 ticket that will benefit the Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals and the Texas Organizing Project.  You can even be a VIP for only $35 and receive priority seating and two extra raffle tickets.

After December 1st, ticket prices will go up so purchase them now.

For those of you who will be traveling to Dallas, I will post hotel information shortly.

Thank you to the following sponsors for being the first to take the plunge.  Our sponsors will offer special deals for the holidays for those who support this event.  So Give BIG and Get BIG just in time for this holiday season!

- Brandi

Sponsors
Real Photography by Nakoya
Tiffany Warren, Author and Playwright
Break of Day Design
Latisha Creagh, Great Friend
Vaughn Jackson Design

Today is the Day to Vote!

Find your polling place and vote!  Rain, sleet or shine, it's your responsibility.

Visit www.vote411.org to complete your ballot and email it to yourself to have handy at the polls.  It provides profiles of the candidates and explanations oft he issues.

Here is some voter inspiration...

“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.” - Lyndon B. Johnson

“Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.” - William E. Simon

"A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user." - Theodore Roosevelt

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting." - Franklin Roosevelt

Happy Voting!

The Liberation of Rejection

"Dear to us are those who love us... but dearer are those who reject us
as unworthy, for they add another life; they build a heaven before us
whereof we had not dreamed, and thereby supply to us new powers out of
the recesses of the spirit, and urge us to new and unattempted
performances."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today, I found out that I was yet again not selected for a job.  I didn't really want the job, but I did really want an increase in pay.  And even more than that, I wanted to stop doing what I am currently doing.

It's just time.  No, actually it's past time.  The steps have become a little too routine, the conversations extremely monotonous and the drive is slowly leaving my body like mist.  And ever so often, I get excited about the possibility of a new project, a new direction.  Hell, I get excited when a new person comes into the department.

So, this time the rejection was even more disheartening.  Maybe God is saying sit still or maybe it truly isn't my time.  Nevertheless, I searched for some lesson.  And it really was, why would I really want to do this or any job if I'm not passionate about it.

 

So when we experience rejection as young professionals, is it because it's not our time or is it because it takes 10 no's to get to a yes?  Or have they built a heaven for us?  Whatever it is, it makes rejection feel so much better.     

It Couldn't Be Me...

THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL ADVOCATE - 04.29.10

It couldn’t be me...

Last week I had the opportunity to view “The Farm: 10 Down,” a poignant documentary about maximum security Angola Prison in Louisiana. The film revisits the surviving subjects of the Emmy-winning documentary, “The Farm.”

It provided me with an education about the prison system that I didn’t know that I needed. Growing up in Louisiana, I’ve always known that was the place where people went for a very long time. I didn’t realize that most of the residents of Angola are long-timers.

The film provided an interesting perspective on what happens after we throw away the key. And with so many prisoner re-entry programs focused on rehabilitating them after release, I thought we should know about what rehabilitation looks like on the inside of Angola.

View the Young Professional Advocate 04.29.10

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Remembering Dr. Dorothy Height - republished from the Young Professional Advocate 04/21

Today’s announcement about the loss of “drum major for justice” Dr. Dorothy Height caused me to pause. More than any other icon of civil rights, her passing is very personal to me. As an aspiring woman of influence, I recognize her legacy as nothing short of a phenomenon.

Supporting so many in the truest sense of the female spirit of nurture, yet demanding so much of men and women alike. She was there at every stage of what we now call “the civil rights movement” with scores of unsung women who supported the movement. In my imagination, I can see her being present, yet not always heard or heeded; her quiet courage and patience sitting in rooms that were closed to most women but her; and the moral fortitude needed to stand on her principles.

And yet she persisted, yet she was resilient and brilliant and accommodating. And on more than one occasion, she made time to speak to me when she knew nothing about me. Looking into my eyes as if I were one of the people she was there to see. So as I walk into rooms where men are sometimes more concerned about my appearance than my intellect and I make contributions that are sometimes unrecognized, I think of Dr. Height. Her name was never mentioned in my history book but her impact was felt. Dr. Height said, “If you worry about who is going to get credit, you don’t get much work done.” This mantra enabled her to influence countless initiatives and organizations that have supported our country.

So one question for you:
What change will you inspire to honor her legacy?

And one for me:
Isn’t it wonderful to have an idea worthy of your concern over who might get the credit?

Thank you Dr. Height for your legacy!

Dr. Dorothy I. Height (1912 – 2010)
Activist, Social Worker President, National Congress of Negro Women
She said: “We have to improve life, not just for those who have the most skills and those who know how to manipulate the system. But also for and with those who often have so much to give but never get the opportunity..”

Today is Earth Day! - Green Grass Generation Begins

If you’ve ever attended a meeting with a group of young professionals, you will know that the energy can be exhilarating. Focused or not, there’s a kinetic possibility in the air that is hard to ignore. Corralling that energy into a plan is an art form, but when executed effectively can produce solid results.

When I started highlighting policy issues for young professionals, it was with the goal of targeting that energy on issues that would ultimately change our planet. Grass roots strategies to energize the communities, organizations and businesses that we serve. And it’s time to get to work.

Get involved in our 2010 young professional focus area, sustainability by focusing your energy on the Green Grass Generation!

Diversity and African American History Month

We've assembled a team of approximately 10 coworkers of various cultures to participate in planning our 1st department-wide African American History observance later this month.  What does your organization do for African American History Month?  Are you starting new traditions this year?

My Daughter: An Endangered Species

My daughter shared with me at the dinner table that “It’s like being an endangered species being one of two democrats in the room. Everybody’s lashing out at each other.”
She was talking about her English class, where one of her fellow students remarked that, “the only reason Barack Obama got elected was because the country wanted to make history.” His remark stemmed from a candid discussion about Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech. When I asked what her response was, she said she just didn’t feel like responding.

After listening to the speech, their assignment was to write down 3 dreams of their own. My daughter’s dream was that everyone be able to express their views openly. As I think about my childhood and imagine my parents’ through stories shared with me, I wonder why she must still shoot for that dream. And while we have enjoyed freedom of speech since 1791, why is it still not equitable?

We live in a world where the loudest, most powerful voices or even the majority of people in the room often overwhelm and conquer the others. We live in a world where the best ideas are often overlooked in favor of those that spring from wealth, power and the ability to speak into a live microphone.

But, I still dream.

I dream that motherless children from Haiti speak loudly through their photographs, that the peaceful calm voices of Gandhi, Mandela, Chavez and King resonate and persist through new voices, that my persistent emails and blogs promote thought, and that my daughter turns opposition into the opportunity to create cleverly-executed, verbal rebuttals.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday today and a national day of service on Monday, find an opportunity to serve your community in a way that will help us to see dreams fulfilled in the lives of others.

Haiti Update - Urban League of Palm Beach County mobilizes

Urban League of Palm Beach County


Working with state and local officials in Florida to provide needed items to those in Haiti

You can donate the following items:

1) Money

2) Blankets

3) Dry rice and beans

4) Baby supplies

5) Shoes

Send Donations to Urban League 1700 N. Australian Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33407

Contact
Graylen Houston
ULYP of Palm Beach County
561-215-5078
graylenhouston@yahoo.com

The Crisis in Haiti…what will the response be?

The Crisis in Haiti…what will the response be?

I awoke to a picture of a young child surrounded by rubble in the aftermath of yesterday’s earthquake in Haiti. She looked so much like the daughter of a friend of mine. Her no doubt once shining face, covered in concrete dust.

I heard about this tragedy on the way home from work yesterday and by this morning heard that the President had committed to aid for Haiti. I also saw a sound byte from Department of State head, Hillary Clinton speaking of the tragedy.

But following the disasters that we’ve seen over the past 10 years…911…Hurricane Katrina…the Tsunami and the varying levels of support and response given, I wonder what will happen this time. And to be honest, I’m cynical about the global response to a country of people of color. I heard a lady asking for help from the United States and wondered if we would really deliver, in a way that would really help her.
So my prayers and support will be with the people of Haiti and I’ve compiled some resources that may help you make a difference in that region.

Wyclef’s Video on CNN
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/01/12/bpr.wyclef.jean.haiti.cnn


Wyclef’s Blog
http://wyclefjean.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/statement-by-wyclef-jean-on-haiti-earthquake/

Way to Give through Wyclef’s Foundation
Wyclef Jean, a rapper and hip hop artist from Haiti, urged people to text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 toward earthquake relief.

WFAA Channel 8’s Giving Recommendations
• The American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
• UNICEF: www.unicef.org or call 1-800-4UNICEF
• Operation USA: www.opusa.org

Senator Reid did not use the brown paper bag…

Senator Reid did not use the brown paper bag…
In southern Louisiana, as I am told through family stories, a paper bag was used to determine entrance into some of the most exclusive events of the black bourgeoisie. Lighter than the bag, you were allowed in. Darker, you were left out.

Unwittingly, Senator Harry Reid placed me back there mentally with the recent publication of his remarks…wondering why anyone would care to make that distinction between shades of melanin. Without casting judgment on those who fall pretty to making “occasional” untoward comments, how can we remedy the problem of categorizing people based on color (or shades thereof)?

I’m not giving Harry Reid a pass, but I have not heard him make such comments as he addressed the National Urban League Legislative Policy conference or while working with his rather “chocolate” senior aide.

My recommendation for politicians has been sensitivity training. But who is going to train the countless African-Americans who made determinations about then Senator Obama’s ability to run based on all manner of stereotypical traits. I don’t even have to say them, because the phrases are popping up in your head as you recall sitting around the TV watching CNN and wondering if he could actually beat Hillary (or anyone else for that matter).

Let's start with a dialogue with your friends, family and in your groups.  Yes, break away from the TV and discuss it.  Talk to the person sitting next to you at work, or the person ringing up your groceries.  It all starts with you.

And besides President Obama is okay with it.  ;)

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Have you ever been accused of something that you didn’t do by someone who has an interest in your failure? Or have you just flat out been sabotaged by a co-worker who wants to win?

Some of you may say, what planet are you on, that is so elementary school or high school at best. But it appears that the high schoolers who lied about you have grown up, entered the work place and are at it again. Unlike the silly stuff they used to do…lying and saying your hair was cute when it was sticking out in the back, or lying about their intention to run for homecoming queen, they are now lying about things that really matter.

So, beware of the liar who tells your boss that you messed up the work assignment when you really didn’t and the boss who doesn’t know the report well enough to know that they are lying.

Do people lie at your job? What do they lie about? Share your experiences.

Are You Serious?!

Are you serious?

I just heard the clear eyes guy, you know the one on the “Clear Eyes” commercial; complain that President Obama held a press conference to offer his response to the attempted Christmas terrorist attack in a polo shirt. He was completely irritated that the President did not take the time to put on a suit and tie to address the nation and suggested that he shouldn’t be in Hawaii at all.

Now, I distinctly remember commenting to friends and family that President Bush was always on vacation in Crawford, TX or at Camp David. So I find it very interesting that one 11-day vacation in Hawaii that was filled with updates and calls from Washington is being used to criticize the President.

Just in case you don’t remember, here are some quotes:

"President Bush is beating the August heat the same way he always does -- with a vacation on his ranch in Texas. He got there yesterday. This will be his shortest vacation since he's taken office. Usually he takes a full month, this time around because of the wars and everything, only ten days. I guess he's saving up the personal days so he can skip the last three months of his presidency." --Jimmy Kimmel

"As you know, President Bush is taking 5 weeks off. It's like he's still in the National Guard." --Jay Leno

"President Bush is on a five-week vacation. How many folks get five weeks off a year? You know, if I want five weeks off I have to have open heart surgery, for God's sake." --David Letterman

"The president jumped on a plane to start a five-week vacation. This will be the longest presidential vacation in 36 years. This means President Bush has now been on vacation for 27% of his presidency. That means the country could be 27% more screwed up than it already is." --Jimmy Kimmel

And just in case you need a news story:

487 Days at Camp David for Bush
Posted by Brian Montopoli

(AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)
George W. Bush is today making his final visit to Camp David as president.

He will likely miss the place: According to CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller, today's trip marks Mr. Bush's 149th visit to the presidential retreat. The planned three-day stay, during which the president is being joined by family and former and current aides, will bring his total time spent at Camp David to all or part of 487 days.

Yes, that's 487 days. And Camp David is not even where the president has spent the most time when not at the White House: Knoller reports that Mr. Bush has made 77 visits to his ranch in Crawford during his presidency, and spent all or part of 490 days there.

Changing the Bureaucratic Culture

Changing the Bureaucratic Culture

My boss has been (about 30 levels removed) has been criticized for her response after the attempted bomb detonation on a flight to Detroit. I am thrilled that this attempt was stopped and that we are not now discussing the tragic loss of the passengers of that plane.

If my memory serves me correctly, Napolitano has been serving in her current post for less time than President Obama (since he appointed her after his swearing in). And unfortunately she is working within a federal government environment where change is slow and where it is sometimes difficult to pin-point exactly where the buck stops. Did the breakdown in communication between departments come from the typical federal knowledge hoarding that ensures top-dog status? Or did it stem from the lack of funding for the comprehensive database and equipment necessary to share information across platforms? Or it could be some other breakdown that cannot be pin-pointed exactly?

Whatever the cause, I doubt that the problem solely rests on the leader who recently took the helm. The problem may stem from the lack of open communication from secretary to the top levels of management and the lack of accountability across the entire organization. These failures should point us to how to better manage the bureaucracy to excellence, to create a government environment that rivals our best corporations. If we stop looking for scapegoats, we may be able to fix a system that is in desperate need of repair.

Epiphany

Epiphany

While it is the name of the newest Chrisette Michelle album and no-doubt the name of countless trendy clubs across the country, mine was the normal kind. That SAT word that many people don’t strive to understand, as long as they don’t have to use it, came to me as I asked myself some pointed questions.

What is this blog really supposed to be about?
Who am I trying to help?
How will it profit me?

Fortunately the first two questions were relatively easy. The blog is about young professionals, and is trying to help you (young professionals or those striving to understand this demographic). But benefiting me has been a rough spot, because I’m really not wired that way.

So I deduced that the best way to profit me would be to ensure that this blog would be able to be an honest outlet, a place where I can rid myself of those things that I dare not say to any and everyone. In that way, by helping to preserve my sanity, this blog would be hugely profitable.

So on this day of the real Epiphany, the Christian festival, observed on January 6th to commemorate the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles, I offer my epiphany…my sudden, intuitive perception of the essential meaning of this Young Professional Advocate blog. I vow to share my consistent revelations with you. :)

Still Fans

Still Fans
I never understood how or why my mother would get excited about Al Green or Marvin Gaye after all of these years. In fact I thought it was kind of funny to see her dancing in the living room as we cleaned the house to Love and Happiness. I knew that I wasn’t feeling the love and I definitely wasn’t happy watching her dance while I cleaned. But on the day after Christmas, I figured it out.
Accompanied by my good friend Tisha, I went o the Boyz II Men concert. As soon as I caught a glimpse of them near the stairs to mount the stage, I started yelling and jumping up and down almost uncontrollably. It was an automatic response; I don’t even know how or why it happened. And I really don’t know how I went running up to the front of the stage with Tisha to audition for a rose. You know that we audition for a rose, either trying to look cute or batting our eyelashes, screaming or just jumping up and down.
My successful audition resulted in Wanye presenting the rose to me over the heads of four or five jumpers and countless eye-lash batters. Time stopped and I ran back to my seat to avoid the crowd. So yes Mom, I now understand that those groups that you loved as a youth, forever remain the groups of your youth.