A Week In The Life of A Community Entrepreneur (taken from an actual week in T. Semakula’s Life)

Monday- Thank God not only for what you have received, but for what you have escaped..KWCosby

8:00 am- Wake up on my mama’s couch (my new bed until I finally find that house that’s perfect for me)- I am being very picky about buying a house. I am adamant about residing in a place and or community that will nourish my, body, mind, spirit, and personality. I want what I want (No comprises). It has taken me a minute to figure out how I want to live. I feel that if I am paying for it, I should have more say, right?

8:15 am- I read and meditate on the three separate devotionals I subscribe to on my Blackberry. Two come via email (Today’s Word with Joel and Victoria, Rev Run’s Wisdom) and the other is an app that I downloaded to my phone (The You Version Bible App)- it’s the only way I am able to read the Bible daily, it works for me because my Blackberry is always in my hand. I usually share these devotionals on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I feel that someone else, besides Semakula, can be inspired.

8:40 am-Loligag, check my Facebook, check and answer emails, make phone calls, watch Good Morning America (gotta see what’s going on in the world). I also like to catch up on who I call my online mentors group, this consists of reading various posts and tweets by Freelance Folder, Barbara Winters, Rev Kevin Cosby,and Sandi Krawkowski. I wrote a blog post about how in order to properly cultivate your hustle, you need to be a constant learner, no doubt.

I make a decision about how I am going to spend my day (this is done daily, as my schedule fluctuates). Today, there are no meetings-so I decide on carting Lil Mama to the public library for some needed homeschooling (Mondays are the best days to create her assignments for the week, which I send to her via Gmail), and I decide to catch up on revising a letter that I completed for the City of West Buechel’s Economic Development Commission.

10:00 am- Check the bus schedule (since I am a former New Yorker who has no drivers’ license) and wake up Lil mama so that we can get ready for our day. I decide to catch the 11:17 am bus to downtown Louisville so that Lil mama and I can cop some lunch @ Ermins Cafe before we get started with our day. I realize that I have skipped breakfast again and make a note to try harder next time.

11:00 am- Make sure we had everything before we both get on the bus- For me, this consists of my purse, bus fare, my laptop, my Blackberry and my headphones. I don’t carry much paperwork, because frankly, I don’t believe in it. I keep a lot of files in my email, or inside a document storage social network like Scribd or Docstoc. I also created a portfolio on my website, just in case I meet a new client throughout the week. When I traipse around the city, I am usually tuned into my Slacker Radio app on my phone and zone out on 90’s Hip Hop, Gospel, and Jill Scott Radio.

11:17 am-Hop on the bus with Lil Mama, lock on the headphones and zone out on my Slacker Radio until the bus gets to Fourth street. Since I didn’t eat breakfast, I am starved and Lil mama and I order the lunch special at Ermins, and sit down and grub.

12:30 pm-Finally, we walk over to the Louisville Public Library, say hello to our new friends (the library security guards, librarians, and the other regular patrons). While I sit down to finish the letter for the commission and polish off Lil Mama’s assignments for the week, she starts reading the book “Remember Me”, that she has to compose her biweekly book journal on. When I am done, she takes over the laptop and starts working on the assignments that I have sent to her Gmail. I locate the racks that house the interior design books and spend time flipping through the books, looking at how I will design my house in the future.

6:30 pm- Leave the library and head over to the Brewery Pub on Fourth Street to eat dinner. Lil Mama orders the Make Your Own Pizza Special and I settle on a bowl of chili. While we wait, we suck down some appetizers, which are some buffalo wings that I have no business eating.

8:00 pm-Check the bus schedule and decide to catch the 8:45 bus to the Nia Center, this gets us to our connecting bus, which will get us back home.

8:45 pm- As usual , the downtown bus is packed and we are able to squeeze into a seat, and I lock on my headphones, and zone out on A Tribe Called Quest.

9:10 pm- We arrive at the Nia Center and wait in the public lobby for the connecting bus.

9:30 pm-Our bus arrives and shuttles us home.

9:40 pm- Home Sweet Home- Check some more emails, Check my Facebook, Check my Twitter.

10:00-pm- Nightly prayers and off to sleep….

Tuesday- Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can…Richard Bach

8:00 am- wake up and realize that mama’s couch is more comfortable then some beds that I have slept in, go figure.

8:15 am- Review and mediate on my three devotionals.

8:40 am- Loligag, check my Facebook, check and answer emails, make phone calls, watch Good Morning America (gotta see what’s going on in the world). Will plan to do a brief mini check on my new office in West Buechel, with my business partner. Will do the usual homeschooling and plan for Lil mama’s evening VOP choir rehearsal at St. Stephens, as well as plan for an evening meeting with a new client who needs assistance creating a website for her women’s ministry.

9:00 am- Receive a call from my business partner, to verify our morning meeting at our new office. Wake up Lil mama and we prepare for the day.

10:30 am My business partner arrives and we drop off Lil mama (who is a Senior in high school) at the library and head out to West Buechel.

11:00 am- Arrive at the office and check on the progress of the office set-up and things are looking good. We make plans to return the following week. I am really excited about the new office because our new company will assist in building the capacity of small cities, which ultimately, will improve the quality of life for the residents of these communities.

1:00 pm-Get dropped off at the library and check on Lil mama’s progress. She’s been working on a play and I am excited to see her final product- I make a mental note to make sure she works on writing dialogue properly. Of course she and I both are starving at this point and we make plans to head over to Quiznos and grab a salad and a sandwich.

1:30 pm- Lunch at Quiznos-Lil mama and I like to get the two for 5.50 special and I am becoming a fan of their Mediterranean Salad with the hot peppers.

2:30 pm- Back to the library. Lil mama continues to draft up her play and I cop me some more design books to sift through.

5:30 pm- Lil mama gets picked up to head out to her VOP Choir rehearsal at St. Stephens. I call my client and tell her that she can pick me up so that we can work on her new website.

5:45 pm- It’s a pleasure to work with Cathy Crenshaw, the founder of Sisters Inspiring Sisters-KY. She is really dedicated to helping women improve their lives via her ministry. Plus, I think she is learning a new skill, website creation and design.

10:00 pm- Get dropped off at home, per my client.

10:30 pm- Nightly prayers and off to sleep.

Wednesday-Not getting all the luv, congrats & honor u need? don’t worry: Mediocrity never congratulates excellence…Rev Run

8:00 am- Wake up excited about a new day above ground.

8:15 am- Review and mediate on my three devotionals.

8:40 am- Loligag, check my Facebook, check and answer emails, make phone calls, watch Good Morning America (gotta see what’s going on in the world). Made plans for my Wednesday meeting with the Garrett Advocacy Project. We are in the middle of a grant writing campaign and it is going well. Plus, I plan to look at a house in the Clifton neighborhood and I am excited about it. Lil mama and I are also having lunch with a former client and friend, Mr. McDaniel Bluitt, the founder and director of the West Louisville Performing Arts Academy.

9:30 am- Received a text from Alma asking to reschedule today’s meeting with the Garrett Advocacy Project. I say that this is fine and that we could get the work that we need to get done, next Wednesday.

9:40 am- I check the bus schedule and decide to catch the 11:17 bus to downtown Louisville. We cut it a little close for our lunch date with Mr. Bluitt.

9:45 am- I wake up Lil mama

10:00 am- Lil mama and I prepare for our day.

11:17 am- Hop on the bus with headphones, laptop, and Blackberry in tow.

12:00 pm- Catch the connecting Fourth Street trolley to arrive at the Galt House to have lunch with Mr. Bluitt.

12:15 pm- Lunch with Mr. Bluitt at the Galt House- Lil mama picks the buffet, I settle on the salmon, and both of us eye Mr. Bluitt’s fruit plate (smile). It was a pleasure to sit and talk with him. I am glad that he is doing well and that the academy is progressing. He invited me to their annual Hope Awards Program in which sculptor Ed Hamilton, will be honored.

2:50 pm- Mr. Bluitt drops off Lil mama and I at the St Matthews Mall because I am determined to get her a coat before the winter sets in. We wander around in the mall without any luck and I decide that I would probably have more luck rummaging around in the DAV.

5:00 pm- We arrive at the house I am considering renting. I like the house, just not the paint job on the inside walls. We’ll see what happens. Plus, I am not too fond of renting at this point. However, it is in the neighborhood that I would like to live in and it’s close to the café that I like to work out of sometimes.

5:30 pm- We walk over to a nearby café and Lil mama is picked up to go to her weekly bible study class at church. She hits me up for some money to buy dinner at the church before she leaves out and I decide to stay at the cafe and polish off some work. A client has sent me a letter to revise, so I get to it and finally finish up my final draft. Plus, I critique a draft of a micro-business plan that one of my subcontractors has composed for a client that has a theater company. I send my critique via email with added suggestions and comments. I know that we will meet with this client on Friday, and I want to make sure that we had developed a sufficient draft before the meeting.

6:30 pm- I buy me a strawberry coconut Italian soda topped with whip cream and a bagel. This is my dinner. I am happy to have something in my stomach. I check the bus schedule and decide to bounce out of the café around 9:30 so that I could get an evening bus home. I continue to polish off some work until the bus arrives.

9:30 pm- On the bus with laptop, headphones, and Blackberry in tow. I keep Badu’s “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long” on repeat on my phone and make it home at 10:30.

11:00 pm- Nightly prayers and off to sleep.

Thursday-Speak with your own voice, think with your own mind, and act according to your own vision…Ralph Marston

8:00 am- Wake up fresh from a good night’s sleep

8:15 am- Review and mediate on my three devotionals.

8:30 am- Loligag, check my Facebook,Twitter, check and answer emails, make phone calls, watch Good Morning America (gotta see what’s going on in the world). Make plans for working with Cathy Crenshaw later on in the day to tie up some loose ends on her ministry website, also plan for an afternoon conference call with a local entrepreneur who wants to check up on a letter I have been shopping for him. In addition, I make sure that I put on some decent clothes today, due to a late afternoon meeting I have at City Hall.

9 am- I wake up Lil mama and Lil mama and I prepare for our day.

9:45 am- Call for a cab, can’t miss a 10:30 appt to check up on my health. Don’t have time to wait for a bus today.

10 am- Hop in the cab with headphones, laptop, and Blackberry in tow. Ohh and don’t forget, Lil Mama.

10:30 am- appt- Health is good and Lil mama is fine completing her schoolwork on the laptop in the clinic waiting room.

11 am-Lil mama and I head to the clinic cafeteria. We joke about how they must think that we are birds because there is very little food on our lunch plates. I am relieved when I get a call from Jazzy J, my oldest daughter. She reminds me that we have a lunch date today. Opps, I had forgotten. But that’sokay,I look forward to eating some more and Lil mama’s not complaining.

12:30 pm- Jazzy picks us up from the clinic and we head over to Panera Bread. All of us are starving and we file into Panera, ready and willing to sample some of their good soup, salad, and bread. It’s nice to be able to hang out with my daughters during the middle of the day. I make a note of this and vow to do it more often.

1:00 pm- Still eating, and I decide that instead of a conference call, I’ll send an email with the questions that I had for a local entrepreneur who as hired me to shop a letter for him. I place a quick call to him, he agrees, and I continue to enjoy an extended lunch with my two lovely daughters.

1:45 pm- Lunch is over and Jazzy drops me off at City Hall for my meeting with Charles Booker, Councilman David Tandy’s legislative aide. Jazzy and Lil mama head over to her house. She will drop Lil mama off at the house later on in the day.

Booker and I have been discussing a proposal that I submitted on behalf of Greenhouse Ministries and their HOPE Program. I take notes during the meeting and listen to the suggestions that he provides in regards to the proposal.

3:00 pm- Get a call from Cathy and she sweeps me up from City Hall. We head out to her house to finish up what I call my web design workshop.

6:00 pm- Get dropped off home earlier than usual. I hit the couch, check my emails again, check my Facebook and Twitter and place a call to Aquilla, one of the subcontractors who I have assisted with the development of a micro-business plan. We go over the plan and prepare for the Friday meeting with the client.

8:00 pm- Nightly prayers. Hit the bed early, yes…that happens sometimes

Friday- Today make your work your prayer. (Moving meditation) Be so engaged that u let go of the imaginary weight you carry…Uncle Rush

8:00 am- Wake up excited about going to sleep @ 8pm-I need to do that more often.

8:15 am- Review and mediate on my three devotionals.

8:40 am- Loligag, check my Facebook, check and answer emails, make phone calls, watch Good Morning America (gotta see what’s going on in the world). Made plans for Friday meeting with the Sheila Richardson, a talented playwright who runs a theater company called Louisville Entertainment Theater. I will go over a micro business plan that she hired Buttafly to compose for her. I also enjoyed providing marketing consultation for her latest play “A Satisfied Woman.” It turned out to be a success.

9:40 am- I check the bus schedule and decide to catch the 11:17 bus to downtown Louisville, again.

9:45 am- I wake up Lil mama. I receive a call from my good friend Bishop Sharon Polk. She has been ill and has been resting in a hospital room. I edited a book for her early on in the year. We have become good friends and I make a note to visit with her.

10:00 am- Lil mama and I prepare for our day.

11:17 am- Hop on the bus with headphones, laptop, and Blackberry in tow. Get off the bus and head to Ermins Café for lunch, as we have missed breakfast, yet again.

12:30 pm- Head over to the public library and Lil mama gets to her homeschooling. I do my usual doodling with my interior design books.

3:30 pm- Lil mama passes the laptop to me. She’s burnt out on homeschooling and commences to resting and flipping through magazines. I get busy with reviewing the micro business plan rough draft one more time and have settled on the questions that I need to ask during my dinner meeting with Aquilla and Sheila.

6:00 pm- Lil mama and I head to a dinner meeting at Panera Bread with Aquilla and Sheila. We go over the draft for the microbusiness plan and I make plans to complete the final draft early next week.

8:30 pm-Aquilla drops me off home and I am glad to be there. I pass out on the couch and dream about the weekend…no doubt.

Superstar...

Are you a Supertstar? Are you at the top of your game? Are you shooting for the stars? Whatever sphere you find yourself in, are you on point? Buttafly expounds on those who rise to the occasion...the Supertars.

Please note that Buttafly Arts will be promoted via this blog throughout the summer, God Bless. For more info about Buttafly Arts, click here.

Superstar

by T. Semakula

(dedicated to Luis Bernard)

There is a poet who throws words up into the sky

And lets them sit there to float like stars

He spits metro psalms that fall out of his lips

There is a poet who moves the crowd with the shove of his vocabulary and his smokin list of demands

His glossary is tight with direct movement

His words give like a cheerful tither, in praise of his God, leaving room fo salvation

There is a poet who gives love with metaphor or a commanding stanza, or a toxic free verse, or an electric sonnet set to my heart’s pentameter

There is a poet who is a bad mother..um..um and he knows it. So fly and energetic, a walking breathing roaring urban poetic. Throwing challenge at form, speaking truth to power, speaking rain to flowers, speaking glow to the moon, speaking space to a narrow room. Supplying base to the boom

There is a poet who lives like a floating haiku, an aggressive rhyme, a potent shout out, a slow moving song

Ohh.. there is a poet, who , like Jill Scott said… was born and will die a poet,

Who wakes up, invisions, and sleeps a poet,

Who moans and cries a poet,

Who chisels and crafts a poet

Who inhales and breathes a poet

Who returns and leaves a poet

Who births and raises other poets

Who sets planets in order

University of Liverpool Superstars Project aims to provide you with the information and support to enable you to take your education further....

For those of you who would like to work with a Superstar one day, Buttafly offers a wonderful workshop titled "Project Cinema"

Project Cinema- (Film Component)-From film noir, to contemporary film, to documentaries...it’s all about this new genre called cinema. Students will be able to become film critics via their writing, or take time out to make a short documentary about their lives or the lives of others. Before a story or idea makes it to the screen, it has to go through a process that involves a great deal of planning and writing. So are your students up to the challenge? See yah at the movies! To schedule or inquire about this workshop click here.

Check out theses Adidas Superstars along with an article "The Top Earning Young Superstars."

An Audacious Mind

An audacious mind... by t. semakula

Audacity fuels the mind with energy and develops its potential. Those who lack audacity become mediocre, functional, average, cowardly and retarded in their thinking. Jesus is a perfect example of an audacious thinker. Jesus had the audacity to claim that he was the Son of God. He had the audacity to walk the earth twelve deep, determined to deliver a message that was defined by hope and salvation. He had the audacity to be homeless, yet, all the while, knowing that in his father’s house there are many mansions.

Jesus was also an early proponent, as it relates to developing critical thinking skills. He thought it barbaric to answer a question with an open ended answer. He welcomed critical thinking with his numerous parables and made it clear that he had no tolerance for lazy minds. He approached simple folk with metaphors and challenged them to develop more strategic ways of applying the practicality of God’s word. The challenge that Jesus put forth to the people was one that required an audacity that was built around stretching the mind and strengthening its capacity.

Today, a less audacious population,waters down the word, and simplifies the message, in order to engage lazy minded people. Today our so-called leaders are afraid to challenge others, or if God forbid, for folk to have to the audacity to utilize their minds. World leaders, corporations, community organizations, and ministries are always on the lookout for folk who are excellent critical thinkers. These folk are key to solving complex issues and they are good at establishing effective networks and processes. These are the folk that have the audacity to use their minds.

I have always been a fan of the Prophet Elijah. I was always fascinated by his mind. I believe that God respects one who utilizes the true potential of his or her mind. Elijah’s audacity allowed his mind to be open to the word of God, this was integral to the progress of Israel and its leaders. 1 Kings 17-1-2 goes on to state…Now Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead said to Ahab (The King of Isreal),“As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word. Elijah had the audacity to speak truth to power. God had commanded him to stand up to a leader who eventually fell, due to his own stupidity.

How audacious is your mind? Has God trusted you with the audacity to hear his word and to follow through on what he told you to do? Did you draw back in fear? It is important for our minds to be strong, because in strength, lies power.

In Dr. Gwen Washington’s upcoming book titled Inner Healing: Wounds Superficially Cured, she goes on to state… The Greek word for power is “exousia,” {which means} delegated authority and liberty to exercise the full power of attorney in all God’s interests. Complete authority to act in God’s stead as if God Himself were here doing the work; power to act as freely of his own will as one has power to eat and drink. Be yet not double minded and stay focused on what God has told you to do. You are where you are because of what your mind has conjured.

Be mindful of the thoughts that roam about in your head. The Word of God specifies in Jeremiah 31:33-34…This is the convent I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother saying, Know the Lord, because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest….declares the Lord.

The Audacious Community

The Audacious Community

By t. semakula

Where is audacity these days? Is it stuck underneath the pews like a freshly chewed piece of gum? Was it left inside an old sermon that a preacher didn’t have the courage to deliver? Was it left on the shores of the Red Sea after the last Israelite walked over the dry ocean floor? Did it chip off the stone that David used to lay down Goliath? Did it burn up in the flames that consumed the false prophets of Baal? Did it see the noozle of Sojourner’s gun, because it wanted to retreat back to the fields of the south? Did it lay waiting on the podium after King delivered his discourse on the state of black and white folk in America?

It is time for audacity to return to its rightful place. Audacity has left the church and only finds comfort outside the sanctuary. Have you ever been in the presence of an audacious child of God who possessed a righteous spirit and who was able to produce fruit that enacted change, lead folk to salvation, and impacted the world? When someone is overflowing with audacity, they are consumed with boldness, they are inspired by bravery, they are filled with courage, and they are embroiled with nerve. Within audacity lies the power to transform your community, your mind, and your faith.

A community

So, what does a community look like that is void of an

audacious population? It looks a lot like
a community that could care less about the education of its people. Louisville’s local school system is filled with many disparities. These disparities have created a poorly educated underclass who have a high school diploma, minus the marketable skills that will allow them to compete in the twenty-first century (Stark). Local change makers, movers, shakers, and leaders have acknowledged that …education is Louisville’s greatest liability (Greater Louisville Project). Please note that the word liability is associated with the word glitch, snag, obstacle, hindrance, puzzle, problematic, difficulty, predicament, quandary, trouble, crisis, conundrum, drawback, and challenge.

Proverbs 3: 13-14 goes on to state… Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding (14) For the merchandise of it is better than silver, and the gain thereof. Local ministers, laypersons, evangelists, and prophets, have found it difficult to be engaged in effective ministry due to a lack of education and skills. I have noticed that our inner city’s most effective ministry is lead by a minister who is educated and whose ministry team is staffed with learned folk. This minister has also taken over the helm of an urban bible college that was once, ready to close. He has the audacity to believe that educating the next generation of ministers is a worthy endeavor. The word of God states that we …Should study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15).

So, what does a community look like that is void of an

audacious population? It looks like a
community that locks up its kings. Kentucky leads the nation, as it relates to the number of folk who have been disenfranchised, due to a previous conviction or felony. A report titled Low-Income Fathers Need To Get Connected goes on to state… Policies designed to get tough on crime have devastated low-income fathers and families over the last three decades. A disenfranchised population roams the community with no power to vote, no power to obtain housing, and no power to seek reliable employment. The local community has been quick to shackle down our men, shutting them off from society, progress, power, and their families.

What Kentucky fails to realize is that they have retarded the

growth of their own communities
because they have shackled men based on their poverty and their skin color. They have shackled leaders, thinkers, and strategists. They have shackled scientists, engineers, and ministers. They have shackled writers, journalists, and essayists. They have shackled artists, creators, and healers.

Pharaoh had to call on Joseph who was locked up in a jail,

in order to interpret a dream that
would save the country from famine. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came unto Pharaoh (Genesis 41:14).

So, what does a community look like that is void of an audacious population? It looks like a
community that praises cowards. It is interesting to know that when God lists the seven things that he abhors, the word coward comes before the word murderer. I am firm believer that God is a God of order and in this case, it may have meant from the greatest to the least. A murderer may have only taken one life, whereas a coward, due to his or her silence or compliance , caused the death of a whole city,town or nation.

It is important to note that in the community of West Louisville, there is a lack of small business
success, a lack of effective ministry, high unemployment, and slow to nil economic development. Russel Simmons, hip hop pioneer, a self proclaimed Buddhist, the founder of Rush Communications and co-founder Def Jam Records, was courageous enough to wait on the success of his subsidiary company, Phat Farm. In his autobiography titled Life and Def , we see that it took Russell almost a decade before he gained a profit from Phat Farm. It is a shame to note that so-called people of God lack the tenacity, patience, and courage that Simmons held onto as he waited for his company to make a profit. If only more ministers, more community activists, or more business owners had the audacity to see West Louisville come to fruition. If only they had waited, to see the benefit of audacity.

I remember a conversation that I had with my mother, who grew up in West Louisville. I was
telling her about how local leaders had blamed the former mayor for the issues that existed in the neighborhood. My mother said that we have no one to blame but ourselves because West Louisville is our neighborhood.

The Word of God states that...I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). With the strength of Christ, we will feel awkward living amongst a community of cowards who sit by and watch the things of God diminish.

Co-Bishop Sharon Polk was audacious enough to publish her book titled He's My Personal Friend (Jesus Still Heals). Find out how you can purchase it online.

Open publication - Free publishing - More christianity

The Food Stamp Bandit

The Food Stamp Bandit
By T. Semakula

There are a record number of folk on food stamps these days and would it surprise you to know that there is also a record number of millionaires on the rise? So, which group are you in? The United States has seen a record number of citizens living on food stamps while the number of millionaires has also reached a record high. The two records have shown that the United States is further polarized in the possession of wealth[i]. I wrote this post in response to a debate I was having with a friend about the subject of food stamps. I don’t feel that I am too good for foodstamps; however I do feel that I am too good for poverty.


The tools of wealth



Be mindful when folk tell you that you ought to get on foodstamps. Sure, they are a tool as it relates to feeding your family, due to a lack of income to stock needed resources in your refrigerator. When it comes to hanging with the big boys, the tools you need have nothing to do with selecting a pin number for your EBT card. Try creating a pin number for a business visa, an American Express card, or memorizing the details of your stock option and your latest real estate deal. Food stamps are not considered an asset for the wealthy and you can’t utilize them as leverage for a bank loan.

Food stamps are a tool of poverty. Most vendors who accept foodstamps establish their stores in poor neighborhoods. Imagine if the community started to improve, most of these folk would be put out of business. These vendors depend on your poverty, in order to thrive. Most folk can’t even utilize their EBT cards outside of their neighborhoods. Try taking your EBT card to an upscale market and see how far you get. You can’t shop wherever you want with a foodstamp card, but you can with cash. If you utilize the tools of wealth, you can bet that you will be able to shop wherever your heart desires. When the powers that be tally up the number of folk who live in poverty, they include the folk who are receiving food stamps. Food stamp recipients are considered poor, not rich, and they are documented, accordingly. Food stamps are the symbol of poverty in the US. In the era of the credit crunch, a record 28 million Americans are now relying on them to survive – a sure sign the world's richest country faces economic crisis[ii]. Food stamp offices are stretching the requirements to include higher income guidelines so that people can eat. I would say that requirements are being stretched so that more folk can belong to the community of the poor.

So, how much can you eat?


When I hear folk talk about needing or wanting a food stamp card, I often wonder how well do they deal with limitation. You are only allowed a certain amount of foodstamps a month, and I am shocked that folk seem to be satisfied with it. So, do you need someone else to tell you how much food you are allowed to eat each month? That’s right. I said allowed. Now, the argument is that food stamps are making it possible for folk to eat, who otherwise may not be able to buy food at all. So, is the food stamp program really dealing with the issue of hunger? If this was the case, folk would get enough food to feed their families, and they would not run out of food before the end of the month. However, this is the case for many families who depend on food stamps. The SNAP (Food Stamp Program) computerized system reveals that most benefits are used up by the third week of the month, leaving many families to scramble for other sources of food[iii].

A life without foodstamps

Before,I go any further, there is something that I have to get straight. I have nothing against the foodstamp program. Hunger is a serious issue and should be addressed. It’s not that we don’t have enough food, it’s just that folk lack the resources to buy it. So, how can we get folk to increase their resources, so that they don’t have to depend on a food stamp card to inadequately feed their families?

The solution is all in the mind. A life without food stamps, gives one the opportunity to think about how they can increase their resources, in order to satisfy their hunger. Folk can tap into their strengths, as well as their gifts and find substantive ways to survive. There is the argument that poverty and hunger leads to a life of crime and I would say that if we teach folk how to tap into their gifts and show them how to utilize them, positively; them and the community, would be all the better. Talents and gifts bring way more rewards than a food stamp card and they won’t leave you hungry at the end of the month.

I believe that millionaires are on the rise because they choose to have a life, void of foodstamps. I translate that to living a life, void of limitations, and filled with opportunities and possibilities. A millionaire has access to resources that provide better housing, better school and community options, and yes, more food for their families.

Millionaire’s can be defined as the new upstart entrepreneurs, business folk, and socialprenuers. They are known as problem solvers, critical thinkers, and community builders. They have found ways to feed themselves, their families, and in some cases, whole communities. Rachel Zedeck is a socialprenuer that has changed the lives of many families who reside in sub-saharan Africa. Hundreds of Sub-Saharan Africans won’t go hungry this year because of a backpack and one woman. The backpack, eco-friendly and filled with sustainable farming inputs, is a result of years of Change Agent Rachel Zedeck’s sweat and tears, literally[iv].

If you had the chance to catch President Obama’s latest State of The Union Address, he talked about how, we (Americans) need to work on reinventing ourselves. This starts with a mindset bent on progress, and may I add, a mindset that will satisfy our hunger.

So, again, what group do you choose to associate yourself with? For me, I choose to be a millionaire; therefore, I know that there will always be enough food on my plate.


Article Sources

i] Record Americans live on food stamps amid record millionaires. Bao, George. (2010) 8 August 2010.http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/08/c_13434718.htm
[ii] USA 2008/ The Great Depression. Usborne, David. (2008) 1 April 2008. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/usa-2008-the-great-depression-803095.html
[iii] Food Crisis: When the cupboard is bare. Do Something.org.(2011)http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/food-crisis-when-cupboard-bare
[iv] Socialpreneur with a backpack feeds an African community. Jennifer. Social Earth. (2010). 5 January 2010. http://www.socialearth.org/social-entrepreneur-with-a-backpack-feeds-an-african-community

You can't knock the hustle....

You can’t knock the hustle

by T. Semakula

So, how is your hustle these days? Do you have one? Are you one of those folk who make excuses as to why you don’t have time to write that book, start that business, found that ministry, or follow through on the invention that you know could make life a whole lot easier? What’s holding you back? Why have you stalled or have you started and it seems like your hustle is moving slower than a snail with a broken leg. Usually, folk associate the word hustle with street hustlers who do whatever it takes to cop a dollar. However, the word hustle is associated with swift movement, abruptness, or motion. Motion takes someone or something to a selected goal, purpose, or destination. So, where is your hustle taking you?

Hustle up some faith. Folk who make excuses, lack faith. The children of Israel wandered around in the wilderness for four decades because they lacked the faith they needed to enter the Promised Land. After God parted the red sea, sent food from the sky, and guided them by a single star at night, they still weren’t convinced that they were God’s chosen people. They lacked the courage to overlook the giants that inhabited the land that was given to them by the Almighty.

So, what has the Almighty given you? Have you made excuses, complained, or flat out retreated to the humdrum life you have always had, even after God has sent you a vision that encompassed greatness? Have you lingered in poverty, settling for government subsidies and handouts, happy to just get by? Did you forget that we serve a mighty God who created the earth and composed the framework for our minds, which we have yet had the ability to completely use. Are you satisfied with your income and the state of your community, or have you moved out in search of a better horizon? Did the Almighty give you a cause, a ministry, or a business that could provide a better life for you, your family, and your community, and you lacked the faith to carry it out?

Hustle up some order. Along with dreams, visions, and ideas, comes guidelines, plans, and instructions. Folk without order are folk without success. I have sat in meetings with many wannabe socialprenuers, entrepreneurs, and community superstars. They are quick to share the vision that has filled their hearts, yet they are slow to provide a viable plan or framework that will take their vision into fruition. They are also hesitant about about investing in their visions. Investment is not just about money, but it also equates to time, energy, courage, knowledge, and passion. How can one build a house without a frame, an engine without its parts, an essay without a rough draft, a body without the skeleton?

Hustle up some focus. I have watched many well intentioned programs and visions get sidelined due to a lack of focus. What’s wrong with being criticized for having tunnel vision? What’s wrong with staying focused on a task until you reached a goal? Focus keeps us close to our goals. If we encounter a problem or obstacle on the way to our goal, our focus will help us overcome it with knowledge and diligence. Sometimes we have to say no to others in order to reach the goal that God intended for us. No means direction, not rejection, always remember that.

Hustle up some knowledge. I had a friend who told who me that she wanted to start her own business; I asked her if she liked to read books about business, or entrepreneurs. She told me that she didn’t like to read and that she didn’t like books. She has not started a business to this day. If you want to know how to be successful, wouldn’t you want to read about it? If you don’t know how to read, learn how to. Knowledge is power and the more that you know, the better off you will be. I gave myself my own personal MBA, by reading every single book I could get my hands on about business and entrepreneurship. Weekly, I read blogs and articles related to freelancing, blogging, and consulting. I will always be a student, even though I have a master’s degree. The world is growing and changing every day. New technologies are being introduced and folk are coming up with more efficient and productive ways to get things done. Successful entrepreneurs, ministers, and community folk are also avid learners.

You can’t knock the hustle. So, it’s time that you get your hustle on. Dust off that old business plan, sermon, or idea. Stop making excuses and take a break from your humdrum life. Stop living with regrets and stop waiting for the perfect time to get started. The time is now. Come out of the wilderness and get what was promised to you. I dare yah.

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The 23

The 23

By t. semakula

As usual, I am waiting for the 23, it’s a quarter till eleven at night and my behind is gripping the small plastic seat that is shoved inside a plexi glass bus stop shelter. The bus stop is housed on fourth and Broadway, which sits across from Brown Bros. Cadillac. The famous lot is known for its’ shiny color pallet of blue, brown, red, and white caddies. I am amazed that the lot hasn’t fallen prey to the recession that has placed a choke hold on the once vibrant, river city. From the stop, I can see folk popping out of their cars and strolling up Fourth Street, headed toward one of the many restaurants that decorate the downtown. The pedestrians that flank the well known “Fourth Street Live” give the appearance that Louisville hasn’t succumbed to the recent economic back slap that has left a trail of bankruptcies, foreclosures, and sold out homeless shelters.

The Folk in the City of Cars

The 23 is one of those routes that many working folk depend on to get them to their usual gigs. I watch these folk as they board the bus donning grease stained McDonald uniforms, steel toe boots, or flowered covered nursing assistant scrubs. The route also houses unruly youth who try to impress their friends with four letter words and fancy touch screen cell phones, seniors with monthly bus passes that hang on a cloth chain around their necks, and teen mamas who board the bus with fat strollers, painted on skinny jeans, and short tempers.

As I view the mobile landscape, I attempt to fit myself into this urban community that is held together with paper transfers and updated bus schedules. Let’s face it; Louisville is a city of cars. Even the poor feel that riding the bus is beneath them and they do their best to scrap up change to purchase a “ride.”I have seen folk driving cars with no doors, no windows, no gas, no bumpers, no plates, outrageous dents, and dragging mufflers. To them, a car represents status and mobility.

I long to find a community of writers, thinkers, dreamers, and entrepreneurs, in Louisville, who don’t mind riding the bus. In cities such as Los Angeles and New York, this is the norm. As a budding entrepreneur, the expense of a car is not a priority, as I set my sights on a house, and an office space. I choose to invest in things that would give me a return on my hard earned change. This train of thought has made me an alien to the Louisvillians who cherish their rides, regardless of the expense. Because I ride the bus, I feel more connected to the city and the people. My view is expanded as I take in the sights of Louisville, which I feel would benefit from more enlightened and progressive straphangers.

The West

The route has become a lesson in P.R.E (Politics, Race, and Economics). Tarc, which is the company that manages Louisville’s public transportation, goes on to state that the 23 operates on Broadway from Shawnee Park through downtown Louisville, then over Baxter Avenue and Bardstown Road though the Highlands. Alternating trips operate to…Hurstborne Parkway, to Newburg. The route starts out at Shawnee Park, which sits in the city’s west end. The west end is populated with most of the city’s poor. The community is made up of grand homes that line Northwestern Parkway, single family wooden framed colonials, shot gun houses, liquor stores, community churches, dollar stores, and factories.

Phillip Morris operated a tobacco factory in the west end for half a century. Now the factory has been leveled and it will be replaced with a new retail and business park. This new development will house condos and lease space to new retail stores and businesses. This will be a far cry from the current commercial climate that resides over the west end. Currently, there is an abandoned Winn Dixie that takes up a whole city block and only two major grocery stores that serve the area. A small strip mall called Lyles Mall sits fifteen blocks from Shawnee Park. Some of its businesses include a barber school, a record store, and a beauty supply store.

A community bright spot, the Nia Center, sits inside the neighborhood and has been created as a hub for job seekers, community gatherings, the job corp., and small business resources. Currently, there are no major bookstores in a community where the youth are struggling to compete, academically. According to the Greater Louisville Project, The racial achievement gap permeates all levels. In reading and math, the majority of white and Hispanic students in the Jefferson County Public Schools score at proficient or higher levels, while the majority of black students score lower. The west end lays claim to the African American Heritage Museum, however, this new museum has suffered from ill planning, poor attendance, and low visibility.

The west end has been defined by some foodies as a food desert. This means that folk who reside in the area have little to no access to food needed to maintain a healthy diet; however the area is served by plenty of fast food restaurants. This is important to know since the current mayor has launched a healthy hometown initiative for a city where 59.6 percent of its residents are overweight or obese.

The west end of Louisville is where the great Muhammad Ali was raised. With all its grandeur and ties to a great west end Louisvillian, the Muhammad Ali Museum, a beautiful contemporary structure, was not even put in the west end. The community has received attention from local activists who are acknowledging the city’s disparities. City residents who need affordable and decent housing and communities find that they are somewhat locked into the west end. The Louisville Metropolitan Housing Coalition states that exclusionary zoning land use policies have promoted and sustained racial segregation in Louisville Metro by effectively prohibiting the construction of affordable housing.

As a teenager in the eighties, I remember the west end as being a place of possibility. New young professional black families considered it a somewhat decent place to raise their kids. The houses that outlined Shawnee Park were prominent and folk took pride in the neighborhood. Back in those days, the 23 rolled down Broadway, passing curb front businesses that sold artwork, rugs, purses, hot barbecue, and tennis shoes. There was the annual Summerfest that drew in national R&B recording artists, to another west end park called Chickasaw. The west end was the best end but now it’s just another urban neighborhood sucked up into the vortex of low wages, no jobs, and small opportunities.

Downtown

The 23 rolls through downtown Louisville passing landmarks such as the Brown Hotel, the Courier Journal, and the Heyburn Building. Down town has seen quite a few changes as the city works to create an image that is progressive and cosmopolitan. On a recent fieldtrip to the Brown Hotel, I was shocked to see that past menus that were on exhibition had offerings such as Plantation Cornbread and Mamie Fried Chicken.

Lately, I have never seen so many people flock to Louisville’s downtown. It has taken me some time to get used to folk who seem to enjoy the energy that makes up Louisville’s metropolis. I have to admit, I never thought of Louisville as much of a city. As a matter of fact, I left Louisville, because of that very reason. I spent my time in cities such as Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and New York. I wanted to live in a real city, where there was real culture, and real energy. Where there was a true sense of diversity and where I could be appreciated as a new urban professional, thinker, writer, whatever. Often, when I tell folk that I have relocated from New York, they often ask me “Why did you leave?”

The heart of Louisville can be found in its downtown. As a child, I was scared of it. I felt disconnected from the buildings, the so called traffic, and the people. I can recall the festivals and fire crackers that would decorate the Belvedere. I can recall the Fourth Street strip, before there was the now famous Fourth Street Live. The strip was filled with stores such as McCorys, Dillards, and Bacons, and the now defunct downtown mall, the Galleria. All of these stores have since evaporated into thin air. Believe it or not, the strip was the only place where a man could get a pair of lime green Stacy Adams.

Louisville’s downtown has acquired a new identity and is seeking new and more qualified residents. If you walk down the strip, you will see little flag poles decorated with cloth flags that read “Possibility City.” There is a new initiative that is geared toward attracting more professionals to the Derby town. The Greater Louisville Project is a current endeavor that seeks to compose a greater Louisville in order to attract new families and outside professionals. The project believes that Louisville can become a great city via three major drivers; education, quality of place, and employment.

As Louisville seeks to improve its image, it still is hindered by old practices and issues. Some of the city’s black residents have often felt like they were never apart of the so called new image of the city. Some of the city’s black residents have complained of being harassed by police and business owners when they have ventured downtown. Good old Wikipedia goes on to state, Fourth Street Live! has attracted occasional controversy for its dress code policy enforcement. On August 4, 2006, a judge ordered two clubs to publish their dress code and apply it to “blacks and whites equally”. A federal judge eventually overturned the order to post the dress code, and found no evidence of racial discrimination.

Currently, there is a new case that has come up on the horizon, The Courier Journal states, in its article titled Makers Mark Lounge Sued, The former director of promotions and marketing for Makers Mark Bourbon House and Lounge at 4th Street Live has sued the bar claiming she was instructed by management to discriminate against African-American patrons.

The Highlands

When the 23 completes its journey down Broadway, the city opens up to the Highlands. As a writer and artist, I have always loved the way the Highlands welcomes inquisitives with its varied stores and restaurants. This is the closest I will ever get to my beloved Brooklyn, and I smile every time I enter the neighborhood. The Highlands is a mixture of young and old urban professionals, artists, and business owners. The energy here is higher than the energy that is being reinvented on Fourth Street. Places such as Ear Xtacy, the 24 hour Qudoba, and the 360, have become memorable landmarks in a neighborhood that celebrates creativity and individualism.

The Highlands is the fastest growing neighborhood in the city. Young families are comfortable nesting in this enclave of old historic homes and yuppie values. People are proud to live in the Highlands and the neighborhood boasts Cherokee Park, one of the most beautiful parks in the city. When I pass the Highlands on the 23, I have a strong desire to leap off the bus and wander in and out of the many stores, boutiques, restaurants, and galleries that choke up the block. Wikipedia goes on to state, The Highlands is an area of Louisville, Kentucky which contains a high density if nightclubs, eclectic businesses, and many upscale and fast food restaurants. It is centered along a three mile stretch of Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue.

Aptly nicknamed “Restaurant Row”, the Highlands is famous for its infamous traffic and noisy nightlife. As I pondered where I would live, I did not choose the Highlands because of the busyness. Instead I chose what I call a copycat neighborhood that resembled the Highlands without all of the fanfare, the Clifton neighborhood.

The Highlands does contain a certain level of diversity and this is witnessed via the many stores and restaurants. As people from other cultures are finding their way into the neighborhood, they are establishing businesses and melding into the landscape. Louisville’s population is growing due to an influx of new immigrant families.

The East

I consider myself to be a city girl and rarely do I like to venture out onto Hurstborne Parkway. I consider this to be “too far out.” A trip out to Hurstborne can try the nerves of the most seasoned bus rider. Rarely, have I ventured this far from the inner city. The last time I traveled this far, via 23 , was when I met someone “halfway”, who lived further out then Hurstborne. I remember getting off the bus and stepping onto some grass. There wasn’t much curb or a bus stop. I got the impression that in this part of town they didn’t welcome bus riders, and they were not trying make it comfortable for us either.

Hurstborne Parkway is a commercial thofare that contains a Super Walmart, Sprint’s corporate headquarters, hotels, a major bookstore, and upscale strip malls. It is the major shopping and business resource for residents of Louisville’s east end. The east end is associated with the middle class to slightly rich folk. I have nothing against rich folk; it’s just that, for me, the city loses some of its character due to all the new housing and developments. I am a sucker for an old house that creaks when the soles of your feet hit the hardwood.

The east end has created somewhat of a new city for itself, so that its residents don’t have to venture far, as it relates to shopping and entertainment. This new city has produced a state of the art movie theatre, posh restaurants, and its own police force. The neighborhood that surrounds the parkway is predominately Caucasian and prides itself on being exclusive. You have to have a car to live out here. I recommend it and I consider myself a staunch supporter of public transportation. The east end , as far as I know, will let you live within its boundaries, as long as you have the cash to hang with the big boys. The east end has been a subject of debate as housing activists work to penetrate the area’s tight zoning policies. The Metropolitan Housing Coalition goes on to state that in Louisville, Zip codes with 80 percent of land zoned single family had an average black population of less than 3 percent and a median household income of $59,309.

Newburg

Newburg is an outer lying suburb of Louisville. Because I am a committed city dweller, I have not had the pleasure of riding the 23 to this neighborhood. I have ventured out to Newburg as a passenger in a car, visiting friends and family. Newburg is steeped in history, as it relates to early black settlers and freed slaves. After the civil war, freed blacks bought land in the area and started farms (Wikipedia/Newburg).

My cousin lived in Newburg. Her family was part of the migration of black families that moved from the west end to a more settled and upscale way of living. Suburban sprawl reached the area by the 1960’s and it became popular with middle-class blacks leaving the city for the suburbs. The area remains predominantly black (Wikipedia/Newburg). My uncle Billy (her father), who was an R.N., lived on street called Quiet Way. I used to love to visit my cousin. She lived in a nice house, in a nice residential neighborhood. Crime was nonexistent and a sense of pride and ownership existed amongst the residents.

My aunt and uncle moved out the neighborhood in the early nineties. Things started to change in Newburg once the nineties came into full swing. Newburg became synonymous with gangs and crime and folk were fearful of visiting their own flesh and blood. Community leaders and activists have worked diligently, to improve the community’s reputation. With the help of the Library Foundation and community support, a new education and technology driven $ 1 million dollar branch library was completed and opened in August of 2009 (Wikipedia/Newburg). Many residents still celebrate the annual Newburg Day festival, which commemorates Newburg’s great history.

Transfers

To me, Louisville is a work in progress. It moves along, like the 23, steadily toward its appointed destination. Its passengers are a motley crew who are increasingly speaking in foreign tongues. Sure, there are cities that are years ahead of Louisville, the city has yet to introduce a subway, let alone a light rail system. I have a feeling though, that one day ,it will be the city of many possibilities, and I will be there to witness it, peeking out the big bus window. No doubt.

So...do you wanna know what's goin on in your city?...check out Louisville's Metropilitan Housing Coalition's special report titled 2010 Metropilitan Housing Report..click here to access it