This is our history... our history was revolutionary & powerful.
This is where we come from.
This weekend I had the honor of being present at a wonderful, great, marvelous, empowering, powerful, amazing, God-ordained conference: The National Black Pre-Law Conference founded by Ms. Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., Ed.M. that began Thursday and ended today in Houston, Texas.
Let me just say that I was extremely blessed to be in the presence of so many highly esteemed and great individuals. Make that great lawyers, judges, Law School shot callers, along with future and current law school students. To see Black people empowering each other, reaching back to give us the information that they WISHED they had to prepare them for law school and a career in law was just overwhelming for me.
So often we are in communities, churches, families, friendship circles, schools, and even being impacted by media where all we see are Black people demeaning each other and fulfilling the "crabs in a barrel" philosophy. We see, hear, and know of more Black men and women, and let's include our Hispanic brothers and sisters, that are going to jail than college, law school, and grad school. There is a vicious cycle of structural and institutional racism that is attacking and has been attacking US for so so long. Yet, our small gains in various areas are over fantasized as big achievements and we have simply become complacent with our current second-class citizen status because now the problems are covert and structurally hidden.
To be in a place where there was nothing but positive words of empowerment and inspiration, and advice being given to not only prepare the Blacks and Hispanics that were there, but to ensure that we succeed (i.e. apply, enroll, survive, and graduate law school as well as have successful careers) was truly amazing. There were a plethora of Unsung Heroes that without any one knowing who they were, were and are helping to pave the way to make it easier for myself, as a Black woman, to become a lawyer.
Yes, racism is still alive, but racism is NOT the reason for any person's failure. Your failure to preserve, keep faith, fight, and never give up is however. Do not let yourself become victim to, as they said, "Psychological Defeat."
Our ancestors fought too hard for the privileges, rights, and opportunities that we now take forgranted and pass up. Hardship is just that. Hard, but not impossible to overcome.
I am humbly grateful for the conference because I was turning myself into a victim of Psychological Defeat & now, let's just say I am "Hitting the ground running" now that I am back in Maryland.
Network, Network, Network!!! Talk to people. Ask for help! "Open mouths, don't get fed!"
A quote from a Maryland State Senator that he used every single day and every time I saw him that stuck in my head months, even months later is, "You have not, because you asked not."
So invest in yourself and do things that will enhance where you are and put you where you want and need to be. Money you can get back, the knowledge is invaluable. Empower yourself and each other. Open your mouth & watch how you will be fed. I am becoming a living testament of that & pray that the blessings that I have received from receiving the information, knowledge, wisdom, contacts, and experience from The National Black Pre-Law Conference in Houston, Texas will continue to keep flowing.
God Bless!
"Be an active participant in your destiny! It just won't happen out of thin air." - Ms. Chanelle
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