24/8 The Man, The Myth, The Legend

2020 has turned out to be a very crazy year. Who would have known in the first month of the year we would lose Kobe Bryant. For what it’s worth I wasn’t a die-hard fan like most. I can’t tell you how many times in college I was the center of the kick back or bbq debating Lebron was better than Kobe. Sometimes getting so heated blows could have been thrown. Overtime as he reached retirement I grew to appreciate him and his contributions to the game.  In the moments it was first announced on social media, I had instantly heard from two of my brothers. One joked about how I and some of the other LeBron fans had planned it and took Kobe out. I was like naw bro I rocked with him and appreciated his contributions to the game.

The next day as I got to work one of my colleagues stepped into check on me. She mentioned her husband needed to take some time to process it.  I told her I had took my time away from social media, the news, and just binged something on Netflix. The inaccurate reporting made it an unbearable time for the families involved and even some not involved.   For example, reporting said Rick Fox was on the helicopter with him. I saw the Interview where he explained those moments and how his family and friends were impacted, they were calling him to check in. He answered to calm there nerves but he started to call Kobe and didn’t get a response and could only hope for the worst. But I’ll say this again still highly disappointed in the reporting of the crash and how the Press leaked it before the families could be contacted.This was a complete nightmare ofr many involved. I feel there should be some tye of consequences for entities like TMZ.

I can speak from what I know but we all know how high the divorce rates are and how many Black homes don’t have a father or positive male figure in them. For anybody in my generation Kobe was our G.O.AT. and I would argue even a father figure. A lot of kids who I knew grew up idolized Kobe. There was a reason why we would shoot paper balls into the garbage and yell out “KOOBBEE!!”. We were alive to see him to see him when all 5 of his rings with the Lakers. He was the closest thing some got to see to Jordan. When he set his mind to something it happened from taking over the game to score or to lock down the key player on the opposing team. I’ve gotten into the Knuckleheads podcast and enjoyed the episode from Season 2 with Kobe. I think Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles former players had a lot of praise for Kobe. Q had a lot of praise for Kobe from being his team mate. His competitive edge and dedication to the game will truly be missed. I highly encourage anyone who loves basketball to check it out.

If you follow basketball we may remember the video of Devin Booker from the Phoenix Suns where he was telling people don’t double team him in pick ups games. Defiantly has posed spark between the newer generation of NBA Basketball players and the OG’s of Basketball. Kobe wanted all the smoke. If you check out the Knuckleheads podcast Kobe says send another person to defend me.  I remember in grammar school one of our Basketball coaches would get mad if we tried to take it easy in practice. She would always say “You Practice how you play”. Don’t come in practice and give 50% you should always give 100% like you would in game and when your family and friends watching. Those words still resonate with me today and can be applied to many aspects of life. I’ve found myself preaching those same words to mentees or even when I helped run a basketball camp one summer. Kobe was a rare talent his mentality when approaching the game was different then what we see on a nightly basis in today’s league. The World has truly lost a Husband, father, Legend, Idol, mentor, Coach, and brother. We should all learn to appreciate people before they leave this earth.

Forever Mamba……….

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Preparing for Life After Undergrad

As I talked to a friend they insisted I should do a presentation on my grad school journey. After the completion I did not know what to expect or what path I would take. At some point it hit me maybe ii should be working towards going to grad school so I can get two more years to plan out. I remember as a 4th year student at NIU Ricky Layfield a member of the Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA)said “James you know as a senior you can be a member of BGSA”. Listening to his words as I started my last year at NIU I started attending the BGSA meetings on a regular basis.  They helped me see Graduate school was the path I was suppose to take and made it seem a lot less intimidating than what imagined.  I was given an unofficial blue print on how to get in grad school and what to expect.

The Bling I wore to Graduation Each one has its on meaning.  

ME and My roommate 2015 Graduates

As I continued into my senior year my supervisor Ted had sent me an email and recommended this class that would be an introduction to Student Affairs. I jumped on the opportunity and maybe after a week or two I knew I wanted to know more about student affairs. As I compiled my list of schools to apply for graduate school NIU was the only school on my list.  Unlike when I came into undergraduate I did not need to apply to 5 schools for grad school because they would get very expensive and with a number of grad programs a requirement would be for you  to visit campus, application fees , ect. As I started this process I was informed to have at least two choices. I became more open and was looking to find another school I could add to my short list. After attending the Oshkosh Placement Exchange (OPE) I was more opened and had added a potential three schools to my list.

One of my Fraternity brothers Lavan talked me into attending OPE he was going. I registered and I honestly psyched myself out from going. After looking and reviewing the job postings I saw majority of the postings was for housing individuals. I have unofficial housing experience I was never a Residential Adviser (RA) but I was highly involved with the Residence Hall Association for three years along with many other things. I told myself there was no point of going because I was not an housing person.  I was surprised after registering and I got a few schools contact me about setting up interviews with me.  After having a pep talk with my Trio counselor she informed OPE would be a great experience to get into interview mode and I had to remember I have enough transferable skills to help me succeed in the housing field.  I went and over the two days we could interview with different schools I was able to secure like 10. I was excited since I had not been registered for the event a whole week.  After leaving OPE I was fired up I was able to test my interview skills and open my perspective to a few new schools. After attending OPE my next goal was to get my Grad School Application for NIU complete. I had started but still needed to take the Millers Analogy test (MAT), pay my application fee, secure my letters of recommendation, and find a graduate assistant (GA).

ME and My little Brother

ME and mamma bear

As I completed my Grad School App for NIU the day before spring break I had 5 interviews coming up over spring break. One was a skype interview for a school out of state and the other 4 was in person for GA’s at NIU.  I will be the first to say that of those 5 interviews I did not get any of those GA’s I interviewed for during my spring break.  I know I interviewed great and I could be a good fit where ever I go. But that wasn’t my call and I continued to look.  After spring I was officially informed I was accepted into the NIU grad program I was excited and knew I had to work that much harder to find a GA. I had this fear that I would have to wait a semester to start grad school or I wouldn’t get in. Applying to grad school has been one of the most nerve wrecking things I have done in my undergrad career.  As I shared my concerns with a friend she said hey my office is looking for GA’s. She had me send over my resume and they called me to sit up for an interview. The first interview had to get rescheduled and I felt a little anxiety. As we rescheduled the interview I was excited and got a good feel from the Department. They were eager and im pretty sure the first three questions came from things they found on my resume and was interested in knowing more.  The first question literally was tell us more about Beijing.  I thank Dr. Heard for telling me and pushing me to include my study abroad experience on my resume. It has been a life saver and now has helped me get two different jobs.  I also am able to control the interview if given a question completely around my study abroad experience. I was excited the next day after the interview to get an email welcoming me to the team of the office. I so graciously accepted the position and am looking forward to start working there in august.  

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America Education in Sports

There is no doubt that sports are an important part of American culture from Monday Night football to the World Series millions of people tune in to watch. Sports truly bring together our families and our nation. For some families that have a family member that works multiple jobsthe only time they might get to see that family member during the week is when his favorite sport team is playing on tv. But also athletes like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Drew Brees are role models for millions of youth across the globe. I believe the direction America should be taking is lost at a young age.

From the time we start playing our first sport every teenager including myself thought I could go pro. Although I had the work ethic and I was coachable and I was not the best athlete or the worst I did all the little things to leave my impact on the games I played in. As I got older and I started playing in more Basketball games and I saw everyone I played with and played against wanted to play Basketball professionally. If you did the math 30 NBA teams 12-15 players on each roster you had to be great to play. Not to mention the NBA recruits outside of the country too. After realizing I needed to find something different to do to be a more productive member of society. After watching the Olympics there is no doubt American Stands on top in sports overall. We have some of the best Athletes in the World. But why do our Public education system sucks compared to other countries?

In American we have a broken education system and it has to be fixed from the foundation. The ways schools are funded are completely wrong. If you live in a poor neighbor you might not have books. If you live in a rich neighborhood you will have access a lot of resources. Recently I took trip to Beijing, China and I got to see the rigor of the Education system. We meet a student who was still in Elementary school and the amount of homework he had I did not get until my junior year of high school. He also had to get many tutors to get help with classes and he finished school around 5 pm. After seeing this I knew that the rigor provided to him is something all students need to go and be successful in the world. There is a big difference on how education is being presented around the world. In China based on test squares and other things they have it separated on which Students will go to traditional colleges and which ones will go immediately into the work force. I know I would like this idea but in some places around the world they provide free education to their students don’t put their students in debt.

But in America, sports have hindered the education of our youth. Growing up if you went to a school that was known for doing well in a particular sport and you were a star athlete you sometimes get a pass on grades. Derrick Rose is a current NBA Player and from my hometown of Chicago. He was a star athlete in high school. When he got to college it surfaced that he didn’t take the ACT which is a required test for all high school students to take to get into college. I have nothing personally against him I just think it’s a bad example to set for our youth. This is one of thousands of cases that happen across our country of star Athletes getting a pass so they can keep producing in the sports they play. I like how recently the NBA made it where its players have to do at least one year of college before joining their league. But I believe more can be done. I remember when there was a time when athletes finished their college degrees before declaring for the draft.  Now so many students jump into the NBA after one year of college not earning a degree to help fill the education gap the United States have.

Although, many athletes have stories that inspire the millions of fans we need to push the importance of education. They come from the same backgrounds, grew up in fatherless homes, faced violence, overcame adversity, or lived in the same neighborhoods. Just as Americans I can go dominate in the Olympics and bring back 110+ medals. Our children should be able to compete with students from around the globe academically. There should be more incentives for competing in the math team and Academic Decathlon.  As many Americans I watched proudly and eagerly as the USA competed in did great in the 2012 Olympics. It gave you the feeling we are a real power house in almost every sport. I wish the same emphasis was put when students competed academically.

I don’t blame our athletes for the problem at hand. I commend them for being the role models they have become for all of us. I blame the system we have let manifest and conquer our country.  We need to spend the same money, time, and resources we use for sports training and put it into educating the youth in America. Until education is a number one priority in our nation we cannot take the title we have as been the Most Powerful Nation. Applied Knowledge is key to being successful.  If we train our children academics like we do training in sports there is no doubt in my mind the United States will bridge the worldwide education gap we have. Sports are still that one area you can still bring families together everyone has a favorite sport, player, and team.  Having the smallest interest in sports gives you the ability to hold a conversation with anybody which allows you to make new friends and creat friendly rivals.

Success

We are all as strong as we strive to be. Weakness is only apparent if we want it to. When you say I can’t it leaves  room for failure. There is a difference between failure and mistakes. Mistakes are going to happen. Life would not be worth living without mistakes. Failures are very painful and in most cases we bring them upon ourselves with doubt and sometimes guilt. SUCCESS is the word we should live our lives by. Not all friends have our best interest. The Key to SUCCESS if you don’t already know is determination. No one can steer you in the wrong direction unless you want them. It is so easy to lose focus with work and difficult tasks at hand. But you are the driver in life and you should follow no one but you. Friends who just want to party you should try to persuade them into taking their studies serious. As we move forward into the future your education is the only thing that will ensure you to have a job. From those family members and friends who have dropped out of high school we must encourage and tell them they can finish and they need to focus on getting education. We all have different motives on what actions we decide to take in life. Mine can be measured as simple as the next person or they can be viewed as complex and unique. On person is motivated by the sheer thought of making money, one person is motivated by the thought of getting out of the hood and another is motivated be worked because they know their parents have worked so hard to give them the best.There comes a time when you will make a decision that not only affects you but others around you. When making a decision you want to try and please everyone, but you can't. You have to live to please yourself you cannot run and live in someone else’s shadow. The friends, who offer you advice, listen when you have to talk and offer a shoulder for you to cry on care about you and they will be with you through thick and thin. Only you can make your dreams come true. When picking you dream job and what you want to do in life aim high. I want to go into politics but I’m not settling for being an Alderman or community organizer I want to be President of the United States. I’m preparing myself know for my dream job. I participate in civic work both in and outside of school and they change I make is seen all over my city and community. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes they open the door to more praise and acclaim for you to succeed. Some may not think I use to be shy. You couldn't pay me to say two words. Now I have had the opportunity to give speeches in many different environments and I have had much success. This is only a small step to succeeding in the world and having your dream job. Sometimes in your life you will have to make the decision to leave troubled family members and friends behind. They will do nothing but hold you back and keep you from succeeding. Even though you love them you providing for your family and in some cases your life is more important. I know who will be there with me and who has been with me in my time of need. When everything looks gloomy never give up on yourself. Last year I gave up on myself. I told myself I couldn’t past trig. Despite I knew the material and did the homework I failed trig semester 1. I knew I was better than this and i had to push myself to do my work. Your best friend in life is not to depend on friends. You have to be individually motivated and able to except large tasks on you own. When you acquire this skill life will be so much easier for you. In life you are expected to make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up and hate your life. When you make your next mistake take time and reflect on what happened and how you can make yourself a better person. Life is short so live every day like it’s your last.

So as you move forward think of the way you want to write your future.

Beijing Pre trip Reflection

I have the great opportunity to go to Beijing, China this summer. I will be leaving June 14 and coming back July 2. It is not to long of a trip but for me it is long enough.  I am thrilled and honored to go on this trip but the one thing I feel like I am going to miss when I leave is American food.  I am such a picky eater and it takes a lot for me to try new foods.  This past year I have been open to trying new foods from other cultures but nothing beats good American food.

 The funny thing I remember is since getting out of school our advisers and some of the other students we went to China Town in Chicago to have lunch and get a taste of Chinese culture.  One of the catches to lunch was to get something you have never had before. I ordered a plate of Beef pan fried noodles. The dishes were so big everybody got some of what they ordered and passed the dish around so everybody can get some.  I thought I was putting beef on my plate but after I ate it I found out it was Lamb. Well luckily for me it tasted really good.

Although I am truly excited about this trip I am also a little scared. When going to the doctor to see what shots I needed to get I found out there were so many precautions to going to country.  First of all I had to get three shots and it wasn’t too bad. As a kid I hated getting shots and I gave the doctors a run for their money. But for this trip I got all three shots in the same arm. The worst thing that happened was my arm was sore and a little swollen for a week.  I had to get a shot for Polio, Hepatitis and since I never had chicken pox I had to get the 2^nd vaccination shot for it. I had the first one but now there are two shots for the chicken pox vaccination, but also I had to get a TB test.  And if we would have stayed longer than 30 days in China I would have to get a possible 3-4 more shots which I did not remember the names of and get a HIV test in order to make our trip.

Finding of this news shocked me because I started thinking what am I getting myself into. As the doctor concluded of informing me of what shots I had to get. She went into other health issues I should follow. Only drink bottled drinks, no tap water, and also when we brush our teeth use a bottle of water and don’t let water get in your mouth when you take a shower. Also the doctor gave me a prescription for medicine just in case I get extreme diarrhea because I will get sick because of the difference of food.  Of Despite all of these pre cautions I am more than excited to go despite the 11 hour flight we have ahead of us and getting Jet legged.

I am excited to go because not to many peers have had the opportunity to get outside of their comfort zone. This trip will give me the opportunity to stay in another country, visit the schools, and see some tourist attractions. Not too many people can say they have been to China not to many people can even say they have left the United States. I am looking forward to this trip because it is a once in a life time experience.  This trip will help make me a better leader, man, and student.  When taking this trip I will miss my family, friends, and just being in America, but I will accept this new experience with open arms.  From the conversation I had last night with my cousin who just went to China last month I am even more excited to go and even happier to have someone who can be a great resource to me. 

The best thing I like about this trip is I will not be going along.  I will be going with a group of 3 advisors and 6 students from school. I am excited because the group we have is really coming together and everyone are great individuals.  On my trip I will try to keep my blog updated because I know this trip is a win for everyone who has taken the time to help me or offer advice to me and everyone will want to know how it is going.

New Years Resolution

As, the New Year slowly creeps on in, it’s the great time of the year to set goals for the upcoming year.  Your goals maybe to help make you a better student, lose weight or even help get rid of bad habits, travel somewhere or maybe broaden your intellect as a person. I would like to offer some advice on how to you to accomplish goals and make sure you take away from them what you need too.

Two methods I try to utilize when making goals is one I say them out loud so my friends and peers can hold me accountable. Two I keep a copy of my goals on me at all times in my book bag and I also hang them up on the wall beside my bed.  Which gives you a visual on what you are working towards for that semester.

Clearly define goals- As human beings we are not perfect and sometimes we can set goals for our self but we don’t clearly define what we want to achieve.  A simple goal is to say I want to study more. A good general goal but how much more do you want to study. A better goal for this is to say I want to study 15 or 20 hours every week. Adding a number helps gives a visual on what you want to achieve and also it makes the goal more measurable and more likely for you to accomplish.

No Goal is to Small- goals make it easier to accomplish bigger goals. For instance if you want to run a marathon long term there is a lot of work and conditioning you need to accomplish in the short term to be able to run a marathon.  A smaller goal would look run 10 miles in a given week to prepare for your long term goal. Also, these small goals will allow you to see results if life comes in. This past semester I set the goal to study/ do hw2-3 hours a day. When life happened and my cousin got killed I was able to measure my goal by timing how much I was in the library or by how  much time I spent doing homework.

Ask for help- Some goals are too big for one to take on by themselves. We all need help fulfilling goals we want.  One of my goals for next semester is to get a job on campus. This can be a huge problem with 24,000 students attending schools. I personally reached out to my mentor who can help me he is more familiar with campus and he knows what places are hiring. But saying I want a job is not measurable I can set a goal saying I will put in five applications on my quest to find a job. I can live with those results.

Set goals with friends- One thing I always used struggled with is losing my body fat.  For my next semester I decided to take a weight lifting class with some of my friends. Its good having friends when working  out. For some people the whole talk of losing weigh or even trying to tones one’s body can be scary. Friends are there to support you, so use them when you need help or try to take on a tough goal.

Measure Success/ results – Any progress you makes towards a goal is a win for you.  Set deadlines and give yourself time to evaluate the goals. Why where you successful with one goal and not with another. If your goal was to study 15 hours a week and you studied 12. If you had not made that goal you probably would not have reached 13. Also see what obstacles stopped you from reaching goals. If you wanted to work out more and you started a new job and you only have time to work, go to class, and do homework it’s something to learn from.

Some of my Goals for 2012

Study/do homework 16 hrs. a week

Workout 3 times a week

Spend 5 hrs. a month reconnecting with friends from high school via skype, phonecalls, text messaging, and other social networks 

Get a job on campus( put in a minimum of 5 applications)

What Goals are you setting for the New Year?

Liberation

The only thing worst in our country then being black is being a being a young black male in between the age of 13-33 your set up for many disappointments in life. One, you are stereotyped and assumed to be a gang banger. Also, people don’t believe you have the full potential that you possess. This semester in continuing the journey of educating myself in Black Studies I took a Black Male Contemporary issues class.  I am currently a Political Science Major with a minor in Black Studies. I am also a Black 20 yr. old male from the South Side of Chicago. In this class we looked to analyze and comprehend what it took to be an African Man.  We read and analyzed two text Visions for Black Man by Na'am Akbar and Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys by Jawanza Kunjufu.

These books helped bring to light that the Black man is killing the black race rather it is intentional or not it’s a problem keeping our people from progressing forward. In being a black man you should never allow anyone to call you a boy it is the most degrading term and it is the ultimate victory one can have over you mind. Akbar made reference to the great productive black minds being incarcerated during their most productive years. When we hear death we only think of the physical meaning of it but there are two other ways to be dead. One can be institutionally dead and mentally dead. You can achieve the last two by being mis-educated, not taking to time to educate yourself on black history and if you become a victim to the jail system you are very much enslaved and dead.

And finishing up my third semester in college i looked to do extensive research following someone who is a black man but not well recognized for their contributions to the world and black society. I Researched Chekh Anta Diop a renounced black leader from Senegal who proved to the world that Blacks and Africa are the center of world civilization. If you don’t believe feel free to look in depth at his Two Cradle Theory in which he explains. But knowing our history is power we must teach ourselves and teach others. We can’t live without trying to change the problems around us. As leaders we must work with other leaders to fix our problems. In the past, too many of our great leaders worked along instead of teaming up with other great leaders to get the job done. We must not just live to build societies based on our weakness but build societies that show our strengths as an individual and as a race. Only then will we begin to fix problems that plaque us.

If no one ever told you Black is beautiful Black is Power and Black Is Great....