Category Archives: Make a Difference

Projects that are making a difference, improving lives, and building communities.

Social Issues

David Grinberg: Hurricanes, Terrorism, & the Media

David GrinbergDavid B. Grinberg is a strategic communications expert, brand ambassador, featured blogger and expert on the media.  His 25-years of work experience includes The White House, Congress (Office of House Majority Leader), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Deborah Levine interviews David about his media management work during Hurricane Katrina, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the destruction of NYC Twin Towers on 9/11. David  shares his federal experience as well as his advice for the private sector.

CLICK to hear David’s Podcast

Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Commemorating 60 Years of Civil Rights Law Enforcement at DOJ – by David B. Grinberg

In case you missed it, the month of September marks the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Division (CRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The CRD, which opened for business in 1957, has a noble mission and rich history which has helped to effectuate equal opportunity for all Americans, especially African Americans and other minority groups.

“On September 9, 1957, President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, creating the Civil Rights Division,” according to DOJ. “The 1957 Act was the first civil rights law passed since Reconstruction, and was a first step leading to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act the following year, and numerous other civil rights laws enacted in the years since that are enforced by the Civil Rights Division.”

Continue reading Commemorating 60 Years of Civil Rights Law Enforcement at DOJ – by David B. Grinberg →

Of Women, Religious Diversity Kit, Social Issues

You Are a Woman: Exploring the Mandate – by Lydia Taylor

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Think like a woman, talk like a woman, walk like a woman because the mandate is ‘You Are a Woman’.  But how do I accomplish this?
In my previous article, I shared how I heard the words ‘You are a Woman’ during a time of prayer and meditation. In my pursuit of their relevance, I concluded that these words are not simply to confirm gender, but are a mandate urging women to make a difference in their communities and in the world. In that article, the reader is encouraged to discover how they may make an impact that will advance society and elevate those in their individual sphere of influence, whether great or small.

Continue reading You Are a Woman: Exploring the Mandate – by Lydia Taylor →

Authors R-Z, Education, Make a Difference

Making Dago and the World A Better Place, One Child at a Time – by Brett Weiss

DAGO, KENYA

In 2009, I spent about two weeks in the tiny village of Dago, Kenya and came away determined to do what I could to improve the lives of these hard-working, incredibly kind but extremely poor people. I decided I wanted to make the world a better place, one child at a time. Most of us think about how we can make the world a better place but we all struggle with just how to do it. The challenge is daunting.

Dago is a village in southwestern Kenya of 3,000 people where the average family income is less than $2 per day. They live in tiny mud huts with no plumbing. There has been no electricity but this year the school, orphanage and a few homes have obtained limited electricity.  AIDS is a major problem and most people will have little to no medical care in their life. Average life expectancy is early forties. Most clothes are hand-me-downs from charities and food insecurity is a major problem. The average person has only four years of education and few have ever gone to high school because the government does not pay any of the costs of high school.

Continue reading Making Dago and the World A Better Place, One Child at a Time – by Brett Weiss →

Authors A-H, Social Issues

Exorcising the disease of “perfection” – by Terry Howard

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How about a show of hands from those of you out there who consider yourselves perfect?

Humm, not a single hand went up. Maybe you didn’t hear me right, so I’ll cuff my ears, kick the volume up, italicize, capitalize and repeat the question; HOW ABOUT A SHOW OF HANDS FROM THOSE OF YOU WHO CONSIDER YOURSELVES PERFECT?

Continue reading Exorcising the disease of “perfection” – by Terry Howard →

Authors A-H, LGBTQ, Social Issues

Homage to The Slants – by Carlos E. Cortés    

The Slants won.  I’m glad.  And with that victory, the field of Diversity & Inclusion enters a new era, whether or not it wants to.

In 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a rare nearly unanimous decision (8-0 with one abstention) in the case of Lee v. Tam (also known as Matal v. Tam).  The substance of the case was this.

Continue reading Homage to The Slants – by Carlos E. Cortés     →

Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

Bill Maher and the N-Word Debate – Elwood Watson

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Bill Maher, host of the quasi political/entertainment program HBO Real Time with Bill Maher, recently had renowned Black intellectual and ordained Baptist minister Dr. Michael Eric Dyson and rapper Ice Cube as guests. They discussed the n-word controversy that erupted on the May 31 edition of the program when Maher flippantly referred to himself as a “house nigger” in an interview with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska). The senator had been invited to the program to discuss his book on what he sees as the increasing problem on prolonged adolescence occurring in American society. Sasse and Maher agreed on the issue and provided examples and suggestions on how to rectify the problem. Things seemed to be going well up until this exchange transpired between both men:

Maher: Adults dress up for Halloween. They don’t do that in Nebraska?

Sasse: It’s frowned upon. We don’t do that quite as much.

Maher: I gotta get to Nebraska more.

Sasse: You’re welcome. We’d love to have you work in the fields with us.

Maher: Work in the fields? Senator, I’m a house nigger.

Continue reading Bill Maher and the N-Word Debate – Elwood Watson →

Authors A-H, Social Issues, Wellness

Rejecting rejection! – by Terry Howard              

Rejection!

Who the heck needs it? It’s personal, can hurt deeply and can leave an indelible emotional scar. Fact is, just like the air we breathe, we live in a world where rejection is all around us, always has been, always will be.

Rejection is part and parcel to life in general, to systems and eco-systems, to processes, to negotiations, to decisions, to change and reactions to change. Arguably, the worst types of rejection occurs when the body rejects an organ transplant or chemotherapy.

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Authors A-H, Education, Southern Culture

The First 1,000 Days Shape a Lifetime – by Robin M. Cayce, Ed.D.

Every child deserves the opportunity to have a healthy and successful life – and the first 1,000 days are the most crucial. Across the state of Tennessee, 13 innovation grants funded by Governor and Mrs. Haslam were chosen as a part of the statewide “Building Strong Brains Initiative” to promote public awareness about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are caused by traumatic experiences and severe neglect or toxic stress, which can damage the connections being built in a child’s brain in the earliest years of life.

Continue reading The First 1,000 Days Shape a Lifetime – by Robin M. Cayce, Ed.D. →

Podcasts, Social Issues

Leonard Sipes – Crime, Justice & the Media

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sipesSipes has 35 years of national & state experience as media affairs & social media manager. He served as the Sr. Public Affairs Specialist for a federal justice agency and has over 50 awards for his media relations work.     – http://leonardsipes.com

A former police officer, Sipes managed America’s most popular audio & video podcasting site for crime & justice issues. He was the primary spokesperson on crime prevention for the federal government for 10 years, advised presidential & gubernatorial campaigns, and owns/writes for Crime in America: http://crimeinamerica.net.

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Sipes is a former Associate Professor for criminology & public affairs and the author of Success With the Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization (Available at Amazon: https://amzn.com/151948965X)

CLICK to hear Leonard’s Podcast Interview