My Grandmas
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This Black History Month: A Reflection on My Grandmas and The Importance of Celebrating This Month

I remember as a little girl being chosen by my art teacher, a beautiful and caring white woman named Mrs. Hamilton, to participate in our school's Black History Month art project. She had drawn huge outline pictures of well-known African-American…
The Love Yourself Event with the volunteer board member coordinators, Bilicia Hill and Tammy Hart with Summer Owens
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Love Yourself This Valentine’s Day: A Journey of Self-Love Through Past Experiences

Happy Valentine’s Day—a day filled with hearts, chocolates, and grand romantic gestures. For some, it’s a day of love and celebration. For others, it’s a reminder of relationships lost, love never found, or expectations that…
Grandmas - Agnes Owens and Ocie Williams at Summer Owens bridal shower
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Celebrating Grandparents Day: How I Turned Grief Into Something Grief On My Grandparents Day First Without My Grandmas

This Grandparents Day is bittersweet for me. It's the first one without my grandmothers, Agnes Idella “Dorothy” Jones Owens and Ocie Lee Woods Williams, who both transitioned this year. They were two of the strongest, wisest women…
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S.O. What! Success Stories: Cherisse Scott

Don’t you just love someone who is a fighter for others? And for justice. That’s my girl, Cherisse Scott. We met nearly 15 years ago as part of a collaborative to reduce teen pregnancy called Memphis Teen Vision (MemTV). I have admired,…
Kenneth Burnett
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Physically and Mentally Fit: Kenneth Burnett’s S.O. What! Success Story

When I held the 2nd Annual Love Yourself Event, I started to include speakers on wellness and fitness. That’s when I met Kenneth Burnett, who has been supporting the S.O. What! Foundation and the Love Yourself Event ever since. However,…
Antonio Taylor
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100 Lessons My Centenarians Grandmas Taught Me

How do you deal with grief? Well, when I lost my girls (both of my grandmothers) five days apart last month, I had to demonstrate what I teach and practice what I preach. I had to say, "S.O. What!" and, "so NOW what?" to focus on ways…
Bertha Rogers Looney in my grandmother's dress
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Embracing Legacy and Resilience: How to Honor Legacy and Foster Resilience Through Symbolic Actions

I'm not sure how I came to the realization of the importance of embracing legacy and resilience, but I have learned to love the power in journies of those who have come before me. Especially, because I am a black woman, I appreciate…
Mahal Burr
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Overcoming Odds: Mahal Burr’s S.O. What! Success Story

You never know what the next person has gone through, overcome, or still dealing with.  Last year I had the incredible opportunity to host the Women of Achievement awards. As a 2012 Heroism honoree, I had been introduced to a beautiful sisterhood…
Antonio Taylor
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Antonio Taylor Resilient Journey from Fatherhood to VP | S.O. What! Success Story

Be the Bag! Don’t chase it! Whew! Powerful words to live by from a man who eats excuses and uses them to make him stronger to help others. Recently, I had the opportunity to give a company-wide keynote and then a leadership training…