Get Knowledge for Life: Graduating with a Purpose By Dr. Audrey Muhammad

 

It is so wonderful to see the many graduation pictures on social media of brothers and sisters graduating from high school and college.  As one step in life is completed, it leads to another challenge.  As long as we have a purpose or can be guided to a good purpose, we will continue to grow.

            I recall asking one of my African college students did he plan to stay in America after he finished his pharmacy degree.   He said, “No, I plan to go back home to Africa.  They try to bring so many types of medicine to my country,” he said, “I want to be able to determine what’s good for my people.”

            This young man’s determination to take his skill and knowledge back to his country bears witness to what the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said in Message to the Blackman in America about our purpose if we go to college.  The Messenger said, “We must give the benefit of our knowledge to the elevation of our own people” (p. 57).   He said, “Presently in this country, in almost all of the major universities and colleges, there are thousands of young students from Africa and Asia.  Yet, as young, primitive, and backward as we say these countries of Africa and Asia might be, their students here are returning to their shores.  Their intent and purpose is to give their people the benefit of their learning” (p. 57, Message to the Black Man in America).   

            How can you use the knowledge you have just gained?  Is there a problem that you can help solve?  As we see this world’s system falling, a question we can ask is what can I build to help myself, my family, and my people?  Practical application is emphasized in many of the early Study Guides from the course of Self-Improvement:  The Basis for Community Development.  The goal each week would be to use the information in our everyday lives and report on it for the next week.  There are so many areas in which we need to develop because many in this society are not concerned about us gaining knowledge to benefit our community.  They are only concerned about monetary gain.  Study this paragraph below from the book, Closing the Gap by Jabril Muhammad.  It gives us an understanding of the highest form of communication and the highest level of activity:

            “And so the highest form of communication is to speak on, ask questions about, argue over what God has revealed to His servant.  Perfecting our understanding of what God has revealed to His servant.  Perfecting our understanding of what God reveals increases the level of energy.  Hearing it, knowing it, and believing it, is one level, but understanding it and applying it, is the highest level of activity” (Closing the Gap, pg. 321).

            Let us “study to learn and learn to apply” and get knowledge for life! May we all be blessed to find our purpose and help others along the way.

(Dr. Audrey Muhammad is an educator, writer, and fitness trainer. She is a college success instructor, Adjunct Professor in Technical Writing and the editor of Virtue Today Magazine, a women's magazine that is redefining women today with articles featuring fabulous fashions, financial empowerment, and spiritual healing.  She is available for workshop presentations on the “Power of Words,” “Getting Fit for Life” and “Goal Setting: Using your Talent as a Tool.’ (Contact her at audrey.a.muhammad@gmail.com or visit www.virtuetodaymag.com)

 

 

Protecting Your Peace & Guarding Your Spirit

By Audrey Muhammad @classa.alltheway

 

As a Black woman with a beautiful Black daughter, I know the stress that we can experience.  I want to give my daughter and other women tools that help us navigate this world.  

 

Both my daughter and I have had a stressful semester. She is a senior computer science major and leader of an organization on campus. She worked hard striving to get all of her projects completed before the end of the year.  I, on the other hand, am in my final year of graduate school while teaching 8 classes.  To say I was overwhelmed and overworked is an understatement.  So, when I saw the email saying 2 spots were left for a yoga retreat in Jamaica, I immediately thought, “I need this!”  

 

We traveled to Jamaica and had a wonderful experience; I will share more about Jamaica in a future article.  However, for now, I want to share some wonderful ways to “protect your peace and guard your spirit.”

 

Why is this important?  If we protect our spirit, which is God’s essence in us, we are also helping to maintain a state of harmonious mental health.  When our spirit and peace are disturbed, we can lose hope.  When we lose hope, it can lead to other problems including illness, lack of sleep and depression.  Defaulting in duty, I heard Minister Farrakhan mention in a lecture, can also cause stress.  Are we defaulting in our duty to take care of self? I had to reflect on my first duty, which is to preserve my body physically and spiritually. My top tips for protecting one’s peace are:

 

1.     Prayer or connecting with your divine source helps to give us hope and strengthen our faith.  I remember The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan saying that we can never doubt God’s ability to bring us out of the worst of circumstances.  I bear witness!  Can you?  Do you remember having something happen to you or being in a bad situation and your prayer was answered?    Always strive to express thoughts and gratitude to the Creator. Remember, we must express ourselves, so we don’t “depress” ourselves.

2.     Exercise.  After prayer, exercising is one of my favorite ways to engage in self-care.  Whether I perform a few yoga poses, take a walk in the sun, or participate in a kick-boxing workout, I get energized and prepared for the day.  Exercise is a form of self-care because I am strengthening and paying attention to my body.  What we love, we pay attention to…right?  If we love our children, we pay attention to them.  When we neglect our homes or our bodies, well see visible signs of neglect.  When you pass a home with a well-manicured lawn, it is a sign that the home is being properly cared for by someone.  The same can be said for our bodies and eating healthy foods.  As I add more rotations around the sun, I have come to appreciate yoga and relaxation activities more and more.  Now, I always add yoga movements at the end of my workouts.  Now, I also value an entire yoga workout, when I didn’t previously.

3.     Thinking, reading, and writing positive thoughts.  Since every action is preceded by a thought, what we think about takes up our attention.  There is a saying from the movie The Secret that says, “Energy flows where attention goes.”  When I was at the retreat, I didn’t have my computer and was able to “unplug” a little and not be consumed with the information online. Instead, I was able to focus more on being still, thinking, reading, and reflecting on my thoughts.  I was able to appreciate the abundance I saw in nature every day.  We are “enough” and God has given us plenty. One of our yoga instructors at the retreat reminded us to look around in nature whenever we feel we are having a feeling of lack.

4.     Lastly, I was able to embrace “peace.”  I wasn’t rushing anywhere, which I usually do.  I felt more present during the day and was able to sleep at a decent hour, which led me to be more refreshed when I woke up.  I didn’t realize how sleep deprived I had become.  It felt wonderful to sleep and naturally wake up around 5 a.m. for prayer.  It was priceless.  In Torchlight for America, Minister Farrakhan emphasized eight guidelines preventive care guidelines.  “Get proper rest and relaxation” was number #6.  He said, “Allow your body time to recuperate from the emotional stress and physical exertion of the day, and to re-energize itself to meet the challenges of the next day (p. 124)

 

To get more tips on self-care, join us for a special “Virtue Live” show on Saturday, December 31st at 8 p.m. est. Free and VIP tickets will be available. (Proceeds will go to our annual Saviours’ Day Gift).  To reserve your spot, go to virtuelive.eventbrite.com. 

 

Atonement for Your Body: Forgive Yourself & Improve Your Health

 

“I’m Sorry Body”:  Forgive yourself & Improve your health

By Audrey Muhammad 

I once heard Sister Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad (May Allah be pleased) state that “depression” is a state of ingratitude.  Are we grateful for our body or do we mistreat it or perform “acts of abuse” on it by overfeeding it or depriving it of fresh air and physical exercise.  Who said we need to wait until January to make positive changes in our lifestyle.  The month of October, which features the Holy Day of Atonement on October 16^th , is an excellent time for us to think about what improvements we can make to live a healthy life.  Let us look at the eight steps atonement and see how we can incorporate them into our fitness lifestyle.  (Quotes are from The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s Million Man March Atonement Message on October 16, 1995.)

1. Point out the wrong- Minister Farrakhan said that this first step is often times the most difficult of all  because “when we are wrong and we are not aware of it, someone has to point out the wrong.  The most difficult thing is when somebody points it out.  Do we accept it?”  How do we respond when someone points out that we are gaining too much weight or eating something we shouldn’t?  Most important, can we point out the wrong in our diets?  Have we committed a “wrong” to our bodies because we don’t exercise?   We must know what is need of correction?  Therefore, we must each perform a self-examination and self-analysis in order to perform a correction.   (It would also be a good idea to get a physical so that you may have an up-to-date reading of your body.  Please consult a physician)

2. Acknowledge- “To acknowledge means to admit the existence…”  All we have to do is look around and we see the health problems of our community and ourselves. 

3. Confess – Our first confession should be to Allah(God) to help relieve your soul of the burden it bears.  “The Holy Qur’an says it like this:  ‘I have been greatly unjust to myself and confess my faults.  So grant me protection against all my fault for none grants protection against faults but thee.’  It is only through confession that we be granted protection from the consequences of our faults, for every deed has a consequence and we can never be granted protection against the faults that we refuse to acknowledge or that we are unwilling to confess.”  If we know we eat too much fried foods, confess and move on to the next step.

4.  Repentance – When we repent, we feel such remorse or shame, that we are determined to never conduct ourselves in such a way again.  Minister Farrakhan states that “Until we repent and feel sick and sorry over what we have done, we can never, never change our mind toward that thing; and if you don’t repent, you’ll do it over and over again.”  We should feel bad about eating an entire pie or gallon of ice cream.  If we don’t feel shame then we are on our way to silencing the voice of Allah(God) within.  That is something we definitely don’t want to do.

5. Atonement – Atone means to make amends.  What are we going to do to start the process of fitness atonement?  Are we going to fast for 3 days and then promise ourselves to eat a healthier diet?  Are we going to start walking 4 times a week?  We have to make amends to our body before it is too late.
6. Forgiveness – We have to grant ourselves pardon for what we have done, or else  we may spend too much time “beating ourselves up” and unable to make a change.
7. Reconciliation/Restoration – “After forgiveness we are going to be restored.  To what?  To our original position…So restoration means the act of returning something to an original or unimpaired condition.”  Wouldn’t you like to have a healthy 20 year-old body and you are 40 years-old?  Because of our poor lifestyles or “death styles,” we age a lot quicker than what we should.

 

8.  Perfect Union -  When we are in perfect union, we are using our body and treating our body the way Allah(God) intended.  We also will have the beautiful feeling of peace.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to lay your head down tonight knowing that you have prayed, eaten a healthy meal, exercised and was kind to self and others?   Wouldn’t it we terrific to be able to say, “I have not wronged my body today?” 

May Allah(God) bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth and happiness.

Join our Get Fit To Live Free Masterclass on Mon., Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.  Register at getfittolivemasterclass.eventbrite.com.

(Audrey Muhammad, a certified aerobics instructor, is the author of Get Fit to Live:  Be your best You! For a copy of the Get Fit book, go to virtuetodaymag.com or send $12.95 to Get Fit to Live, P.O. Box 61402, Raleigh, NC 27661-1402) Please consult a physician before beginning any new workout or dietary plan.  Send questions and comments to Audrey.a.muhammad@gmail.com)

 

 

The Power of Virtue and Modesty

 

The Power of Virtue and Modesty:

By Audrey Muhammad @virtuemag

As a young teenager, I loved looking at magazines and seeing the various fashions, but oftentimes did not see anything that I could actually wear with modesty.  Modesty is the behavior, manner or appearance that avoids indecency. The Al Nisa International Fashion Week that was held this summer by Carmin Abdullah Muhammad in Chicago was a beautiful display of modest fashion and unity. Not only did the event allow various designers to display their garments, but it also gave young girls and women an opportunity to express themselves in a fashionable righteous manner.

Bro. Sa’ad Muhammad, Student National Secretary, said he was very excited to have his 13-year-old daughter, Sajdah Muhammad, model in the fashion show.  He said, “I am glad to have her involved in an activity that develops self-esteem and confidence.” His daughter graced the runway like a pro, displaying elegance, confidence, grace, and beauty. The first night of the AlNisa fashion show featured swimwear, streetwear, and outfits for children. It was beautiful to see children taking pride in modest dress.

Jalilah Muhammad, daughter of fashion designer, Queen Aminah, was proud to have her mother to be a part of a show of this magnitude. “She has worked so hard for so long and has loved clothes all of her life,” said Sister Jalilah, “It was later that she started to design. She was inspired by Mother Tynnetta to become a designer and further her love of fashion. Instead of just selling clothes and buying them, she became a designer.”

If we sew garments or like to model them, we as women, do need outlets to express our creativity. This society has magazines and now online platforms that encourage women and girls to show their body, but thanks to Virtue Today Magazine and Facebook groups Modesty International and Covered Girls Rock, women are able to express their opinion and have fun showcasing fabulous fashion.  Top Covered Girl and administrator, Monique Muhammad, who was also a model for Modest Fashion week, does a wonderful job displaying fashions on the page.

Did you know the word “virtue,” which comes from the Latin root “vir” for man, at first meant manliness or valor, but later became known as a term for “moral excellence.”  Thus, man/woman should be virtuous. It is interesting to note that the Bible talks about woman of virtue in Proverbs 31 and the Holy Quran 16:120 describes the prophet Abraham as a “model (of virtue), obedient to Allah, upright...”  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Virtue means, “conformity to a standard of right; a particular moral excellence.”  Important “virtues” we should develop are principles like patience, kindness, forbearance, and courage.

We were given the standard of modesty and moral excellence throughout the Bible and the Holy Quran with scriptures.  In first Timothy 2:8-10 it states, “In like manner also, that woman adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety…”  The bible encourages men and women to display virtues like humility, godliness and good works.  The Holy Quran 33:59 reminds women to “lengthen their garments,” lower the hem of your garment so they will be recognized [as a righteous woman] and not harassed. Think about it, the more woman show their bodies, the more they are harassed.  It is beautiful that woman are given this wise word of guidance and protection.  You protect what you value, and value what you protect. May God bless us all to value modesty and develop the virtuous principles God gave us.

(For updates and free gifts from Virtue Today Magazine, sign up to be on our mailing list at www.virtuetodaymag.com)

 

Teacher Creates New Holiday to Honor Black and Indigenous Women

 

Teacher Creates New Holiday to Honor Black and Indigenous Women

(Nationwide) - In a 1962 lecture in Los Angeles, California, Malcolm X said, “The most disrespected person in America is a Black woman.” Today, a teacher and her daughter are helping to change the view of Black women from a “disrespected state” to one of “honor” with the establishment of “Mothers of Civilization Day.”

The idea for the new holiday was developed by Audrey Muhammad, an educator and writer who has always taught the value of Black History in her high school literature classes in Ohio and California.      Her daughter, Hasana Muhammad, is a junior Computer Science major at North Carolina A & T State University, designed the website and book for the new holiday.  They are hoping that schools and colleges will help celebrate the new holiday this year.

“Every year we honor our mothers who gave birth to us, but we often do not think of the woman who gave birth to humanity, which is the original woman, the Black woman,” said Mrs. Muhammad who is the editor for Virtue Today Magazine, a positive women’s magazine.   “Did you know that the oldest bones to be found, as of this date are of a Black woman?” The bones were found by an anthropologist named Donald Johanson and his assistant Tom Gray on November 24, 1974 in Hadar, Ethiopia.  According to Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop, the evidence of early humans who lived between 2 and 6 million years ago come totally from Africa.  Since the bones of the earliest female were found on November 24, 1974, that day will be used to celebrate the Mothers of Civilization Day. 

The new holiday was launched on the National Days Archives and the book describing the history behind the new holiday will be available later this month. The book shares the history behind "Mothers of Civilization Day," the new holiday for Black and Indigenous women around the world. It includes comments by Dr. Ava Muhammad from the launch event and highlights of women like Michelle Obama, ancient Egyptian women, and many others! Mothers of Civilization Day is a day to recognize and be thankful for the first women on the planet, the original women, regardless of their ethnic background.  Original women are women of color from Africa, North America, South America, and Asia etc. These women have kept traditions alive, taught customs and created a beautiful culture of love and pride.

How do you celebrate “Mothers of Civilization Day?”  It is a day that you take the grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and aunts and put them in a “circle of love” and have each family member share a positive word about each woman.  It is also a time for a history lesson and to let the children know that they are looking at the first women to be on the planet.  You can do this at a family gathering or on a Zoom.  Some may even celebrate it during that Thanksgiving weekend since many families will be together.  It is a non-religious, non-commercialized Holiday.  More information about the day can be found on the National Archives Day website, which now lists it as a national day at  https://www.nationaldayarchives.com/day/mothers-of-civilization-day/.

        The day is gaining support since the official launch party for the event held last year on November 24, 2021 via Zoom.  Honors are pouring in from around the country and will be featured in the first Mothers of Civilization book, which may be pre-ordered on the website. God willing, a book tour will soon follow hopes Mrs. Muhammad.

At any time, men and women can pay tribute to the “Mothers of Civilization” in their lives by giving them an “honor” on the Mothers of Civilization website:  www.mothersofcivilization.org.  The honor will be placed in their listing and stay on the website forever.  In this digital world, children and grandchildren can now read about their mothers, grandmothers, sisters etc.  Virtue Today Magazine is the media sponsor for the day. To support the day, sign up to be on Virtue Today Magazine’s email list at www.virtuetodaymag.com.    If you would like to be a part of the upcoming “Mothers of Civilization Day,” please email themothersofcivilization@gmail.com or call (336) 901-0122.  For more information, visit www.mothersofcivilization.org.

 

 

 

 

New Year, New Variant:  ME!

By Audrey Muhammad

As we embark on another new year, my resolutions are a little different.  The things I am determined to do have more of an urgency to it.  For instance, eating to live is a LAW. Just as the Coronavirus is changing, I have to change to a better version of me.  I had always enjoyed exercising, but for those who don’t like exercising, think of the benefits you will receive from simply taking a walk or doing another source of exercise:

• 1.      You will help strengthen and condition your heart.  (I want my heart to be strong and walking, jogging, dancing helps along with resistance training, especially if you do circuits).
• 2.       Exercise strengthens your lungs
• 3.       Exercise enhances your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. (This will aid us with the supplements we were encouraged to take such as Vitamin C, Vitamin D3 etc.  Please read the Covid Section which is found in the Final Call.)
• 4.       Exercise also reduces stress and uplifts your mood.

Number 4 is one of my favorites because traveling to the store started off being a very stressful event for me at the beginning of the Pandemic.  However, I found doing a short workout before going reduced stress and made me feel better and stronger.  I also thought about how many steps I would get in the store by walking around.  I am more “intentional” with my workouts. 

Furthermore, I have become more intentional with my eating.  Granted, sometimes I would eat a pizza or two (smile) and say, “Oh, I will work it off tomorrow.”  But what if tomorrow doesn’t come?  I must think about what is best for my body TODAY.  In How to Eat to Live, Book I it says, “Eating the wrong food and eating it too often starts trouble in the physical body everywhere—from the sole of your feet to the crown of your head” (p. 41). 

If we have packed on a few pounds during this Pandemic, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave us clear instructions on what to eat when we are overweight.  He said, “Do not eat spaghetti and macaroni at every meal.  If you are overweight, do not eat it at any meal, and if you want to live a long time, do not eat it at any meal.  Food such as spaghetti and macaroni is processed, not cooked thoroughly, and is hard to digest” (How to Eat to Live Book II, p. 11).  In the 1991 lecture entitled, “God’s Healing Power,” The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan encouraged us to exercise and utilize weights because our metabolism slows down as we get older.  Exercise helps to raise our metabolism.  He even produced a video discussing health and we saw him lifting weights with a trainer.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, “We must have regularity in everything we do” (How to Eat to Live Book II, p. 45).  We must have regular meals, regular exercise, and regular prayer.  This is one of the reasons why we are given a time to eat, preferably one meal a day between the hours of 4-6 p.m., is best.  We are even taught to say our prayers in regular intervals. 

Let us strengthen ourselves from within.  In the Study Guide entitled “Building the Will Pt. 4, it states that strengthening ourselves from within is a way to protect ourselves from outside forces; we have to check internal forces such as “Greed.”  If we check our internal forces, it can help free us “from any threat of being manipulated by outside forces; elimination of the internal force deprives the external force of a connection to our mind and heart.”

 Let us strive to be obedient and make a better version of ourselves.

May Allah bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth, and happiness.

(Audrey Muhammad is an educator, aerobics instructor, and author of Get Fit to Live: Be Your Best You!  If in prison, you may order the book, by sending a $10 money order to Get Fit to Live, P.O. Box 61402, Raleigh, NC, 27661.  She leads a 30-minute exercise class every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. (EST).  For more information, email her at audrey.a.muhammad@gmail.com,  Please consult a physician before beginning any new exercise or dietary program).

 

 

 

The PowerNetworking Conference:  Learn, Earn and Prosper!

By Audrey Muhammad

 

If you attended the PowerNetworking conference this year, your value has just gone up!  Everyone’s “return on investment” was high due to the excellent Global Virtual Power Networking Conference hosted by Dr. George Fraser.  Thanks to the Black power we witnessed at the PowerNetworking Conference (PNC), we will never have to worry about the “electricity” going out ever again.  The light of knowledge shared at this year’s conference was truly electrifying.  This year’s theme was “R.O.I. is King:  Learn, Earn, and Prosper.”  Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant shared some powerful words at the beginning of the conference.  He said, “If we explore our ‘net worth,’ we can value our “network.” 

Dr. Stacie Grant served as the MC for the event and helped to introduce the various segments.  This year’s participants were able to get a “front row seat” to view celebrity interviews with actor/author Hill Harper; radio personality, Michael Baisden and billionairess, Janice Bryant Howroyd, while enjoying comedy and exercise segments with AJ Jamal and Cheryl Jones. Participants were also able to virtually mix and mingle in the PowerLounges & Suites with top trainers and coaches like Dr. Cheryl Wood, Brother Bedford, Dr. Tiana Von Johnson and Dr, Casey Kimbrough.

The amazing celebrity interviews were conducted by Dr. George C. Fraser, the Founder of the PNC.  For twenty years, the PowerNetworking Conference has been the home of Black professionals and entrepreneurs looking to connect, grow and prosper. Forbes named it “One of the Top Five Conferences Not to Be Missed”. The conference has developed a unique platform helping people to network and build a financial legacy.  Dr. Fraser, who is an Elder, author, entrepreneur, speaker, and networking guru, has an amazing skill of bringing people together and helps everyone feel heard.

The PowerNetworking Conference participants were able to comment in the chat about every event on the main PowerStage which featured presenters such as Dr. Delatorro McNeal,  Dr. Ron Daniels, Dr. Mike Roberts, Iyanla Vanzant, Dr. Stacie NC Grant, Dr. Boyce Watkins, John Hope Bryant, Walter Bond, Linda Clemons, Delano Johnson, Eugene Mitchel, Dr. Frederick Douglas Haynes, Dr. Randal Pinkett, Che Brown, Dr. Kwa David Whitaker, Ambassador Andrew Young, Trevor Otts, Dr. Cheryl Wood, Wendy Muhammad, and Tony Jackson and many more.

In the first celebrity interview, Dr. Fraser and actor/author Hill Harper had a frank and fun discussion about education and money.  Hill Harper, who graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School, said, “Education and money both buy you something very similar in life…options.”  He said if you go to med school or law school, you are not limited to careers in those areas, you just have more options.  When asked what three things he thinks black people need to thrive today, he said, “1. A Truly rooted deep sense of self-worth. 2. Unity 3. Transfer cross generational wealth.”

There were so many jewels of wisdom shared during this power packed 4-day event.  Michael Baisden talked about the need to pivot during this time. Dr. Jackie Mayfield, one of founders of ComproTax mentioned that “where there are challenges, there are opportunities.”  Some of the best life-giving advice was given by billionaire Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder and chief executive officer of The ActOne Group.  She said, “Never compromise who you are personally to become who you wish to be professionally.  Like Earl Nightingale, she defines success as the “progressive realization of a worthy ideal” and encouraged the participants to “understand your worth before you gain the money.”  Which is why Dr. Fraser said, “We should always chase excellence, never chase money.  When you are excellent, money will chase you.”

During the “Money Answers All Things” panel discussion with Dr. Boyce Watkins, Rev. Dr. Casey Kimbrough, Bishop Claude Alexander, and Dr. Emma Fraser-Pendleton, Dr. Boyce Watkins he said, “Ask the right questions to get the right answers; have your money ask the right questions.”   Dr. Emma Fraser-Pendleton reminded the audience that Jesus asked the right questions and was able to multiply; the apostles didn’t ask the right question.

Everyone agreed that collaboration is key.  “People with money have no problem partnering with other people with money so that they can make more money!”   Dr. Emma Fraser-Pendleton stressed the importance of living below our personal needs. She said when she and her husband bought their first house, her husband wanted a Cadillac.  She said don’t get “caught up in having a Cadillac parked in front of the house.” We need to talk to our families about saving and growing our money.

The panel also discussed the importance of uniting.  Collaboration is key; people with money have no problem partnering with other people with money so that they can make more money. Our businesses need to learn how to scale up. For example, a one tractor operation is limited, but if three farmers come together with their tractors they can solicit for a bigger deal.

Dr. Fraser ended the conference with some profound personal advice such as encouraging brothers to keep their queens.  He said, “If you have a Queen in your hand, don’t shuffle so often because you may end up with a joker.”  For the women, he reminded them on how to choose a man by saying, “If you can’t build with them, don’t chill with them.” He said the goal and key for all Black people in these stressful times is “Supernatural Equanimity” …we must be Super Cool in tough times.”

This year’s conference has received amazing feedback.  "This is my first Power Networking Conference since Dallas. I’ve had to pivot since COVID and this year’s conference has put my attitude, behavior and skills back on track!” said David Tyson. 

Darlene McDaniel’s said, “I’ve made connections and have implemented the suggestions George Fraser shared on creating a networking system.”

For Darla Cummings, it was her first conference.  She said, “This was my first time attending the PNC conference and I personally want to thank Dr. Fraser for an amazing experience!!!

           Dr. Fraser reminded the participants about the mistakes commonly made in networking.  He said we need to spend more time networking and the “fortune is in the follow-up.”  Lastly, he said to remember that the purpose of life is to love, to give, to serve and to add the highest value to others.”   The participants at this year’s conference received their “highest return of their investment.” 

(For more information about next year’s “LIVE” conference in Houston, Tx. August 3-6, 2022, go to www.powernetworkingconference.com).